Gilbert Gottfried's Amazing Colossal Podcast - GGACP Rewind: Mini-Episode #8: "Quick Change" and "Freaks"

Episode Date: July 20, 2026

In a 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: Johnny Eck rides a camera crane! Bill Murray knocks over a bank! And Gilbert co-stars with Randy Quaid — and a Rottweiler! https://www.gilbertpodcast.com/mini-ep-8-quick-change-and-freaks/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

For the month of May, the producer of the month is Dave Craig. Thanks for your support, Dave. Go to patreon.com slash Gilbert Gottfried and support the podcast. What a love of all that is holy. I'm Gilbert Gottfried and I'm here with my co-host, Frank Santopatra, and this is, I think, Gilbert and, Frank's colossal obsessions. You got it.

Oh, see, that took me a while. Just like remembering your last name. Nice work. Yeah, yeah. It's like your last name, I did about 40 shows before I could pronounce it. I don't hold that against you. But now I think I know the title of these like little whatever they're called. I'm not even going to mention that you left a word out because I like it.

Oh, wait. I like it. You got close. What did I say? Gilbert Gottfried. amazing colossal obsessions. Okay. You left out amazing.

All right. In that case, it's Gilbert and Frank's amazing colossal obsessions. You got it. And I didn't say colossal. You didn't. This time. So that, do you want to start? Would you prefer I did?

I don't care. Okay. I really, I want to get this over and leave. The less I have to talk to you, the better. Yeah. Well, I'm going to go out on a list. and recommend. I wish you wouldn't jump off.

If that didn't sound like a groucho and feneman. Form a club and beat you over the head with it. Yes, yes. Well, I wish you'd climb out on a limb and jump off. Poor Phenomen. I want to talk about a comedy called Quick Change, which is a Bill Murray comedy that not a lot of people talk about. I'm not sure you've even seen it. Yes, yeah, I think I may have seen bits and pieces.

I'm going to tell you about it. Okay. You know, people talk about Bill Murray comedies. What about Bob and Caddyshack and Groundhog Day? And they're all great in their way. This is a Bill Murray comedy that not a lot of people talk about. It's kind of a heist comedy, which you don't really see a lot of. I was trying to think of more.

I thought of maybe the Hot Rock. Oh, oh, yes, yeah. There's the Brinks job with Peter Falk that William Friedkin May. They're just there, Tower Heist from a couple years ago with Eddie Murs. Murphy wasn't so good. There was one. I don't know if it would be considered a heist, but it was definitely a robbery.

And who's minding the men? Oh, yeah, sure, sure. Milton Burrell, Jack Guilford. Yeah, that one's kind of funny. I haven't seen it in ages. Yeah. There's fun with Dick and Jane. Oh, yes.

You know, but this is a bank robbery movie. Bill Murray plays a guy named Grimm, and he's, Gina Davis is his girlfriend. They decide to rob a bank. The concede of the movie is they rob the bank and they can't get the hell out of New York City. They can't make a getaway. It's a little bit like a film I recommended earlier after hours. Oh, yes.

Another film with New York City as a character, a film that, you know, where the joke is the insanity of New York City. It's based on a book by a guy named Jay Cronley is a very funny writer. He wrote a book, Funny Farm, which was made into a movie with Chevy. Oh, yes. by George Roy Hill. And it's got a great cast. Jason Robards is the cop who's pursuing him,

and Randy Quaid is before he went nuts. I meant to ask you, was Randy Quaid at the S&L backstage, by the way, since he wasn't... I didn't see him there. Although I have a quick scene, I think, with Randy Quaid. Tell us. And I think it was that Rodney Dangerfield movie. Meet Wally Sparks?

No, no, no, even less people. Meet Wally Sparks actually, Meet Wally Sparks actually made it to theater. Oh, I see. What was this one? Okay. Get your Googles ready, folks. Yes.

The other one I made was with Rodney Dangerfield. I'm in like three scenes. Was back by midnight. I never heard of this. Yeah. Well, neither has anyone else. What was the concede of this picture? I think it's Rodney Day.

I never actually saw the movie. I see. But I think that Rodney Dangerfield has to leave prison to do something and then come back to prison, something like that. Wow. So it's a little like 48 hours? It's really. I'm a security guard. Really?

Do you have just a couple of lines? Yeah, yeah. I have about, I think, three scenes. I work with a watcher McColl at a Rottweiler. Really? And Randy Quaid's in it. And they would have these weird, like, foreign investors walking around on this one, where it looked like, it looked like a meaning of ISIS.

Oh, Lord. Only more creepy. Yes. What is it back after midnight? Back by midnight. Jesus, but God's sake. Get it right. This went straight to video, straight to landfill.

What happened to this thing? Straight to something. Like I said, I have never seen it. And why bring it up? Yeah, well, because it had Randy. Oh, I see. I did one quick scene with Randy. Quaid before he went totally over the edge.

I started releasing sex, homemade sex videos. My favorite thing about Randy Quaid was that he went into hiding. Right. He said there was a group of celebrity whackers, he called them, which I consider myself a celebrity whacker. For a different reason. Yeah, I'm a celebrity whacker every night. Oh, you flatter yourself.

I can celebrity whack a few times a night. But so I could have been the president of that organization. So this was a hit squad for. Yeah, that they were after celebrities. I see. And so he was going into hiding. And so he announced he held a press conference in Canada when he got there. I remember this.

Now I'm in Canada hiding. I'm here hiding. And it's like, and it's like, Randy, you shouldn't hold a press conference to say where you're hiding if you are in fact in hiding. Oh, Canada's a big place. Yes. He was squatting too at one point. He was squatting into other people's homes and refusing to leave. And I think he owed like some hotels like millions of dollars.

Irish. We should do Randy Quaid and Robert Blake in one show. So getting back to Quick Change real quick. It's sort of Dog Day Afternoon as a comedy, if you can imagine that. It's got a great comic cast. Quaid is funny. Tony Shalub, who's hilarious, shows up in a very small role as a cab driver. That is Fall Down Funny.

Check it out. Also, the great Bob Elliott. of Bob and Ray. Oh, my God. Yes. I have some great moments in the film. It's a dark little comedy. It's a terrific film.

I don't know why it flew under the radar. Now, I'm not sure if he's in this, and I forget his name, of course. It's right on the tip of my tongue. The guy from that 70s show. Oh, he's in it. Kurtwood Smith. Yes, yes. Yes.

He's a prisoner that turns up on a plane at the end that's being transatl. supported. Yes, he in fact isn't. The heavy from Robocop. Oh, yes. Right. It's the dad in that 70s show. He's in it too. It's got a great cast. It's funny. And I think it's the only movie, and people are going to write me and tweet me and correct me on this. I think it's the only movie that Murray directed. He co-directed it with his partner, his creative partner, Howard Franklin.

So see Quick Change. If you haven't seen it, it's a hoot. I don't know why it isn't a more heralded film. And Gina Davis, where are you, call me? Yes, well, she's working. Oh, she is? She's an Oscar winner. Oh, okay. She's on Grey's Anatomy.

Oh, she is? I should have watched Grey's Anatomy at least once. I think you would have made a great cadaver on Grey's Anatomy. I know, guest cadaver. Michelle O. Oh, Sandra O. You're close. Sondra O.

Sondra O was in that. You mean Michelle Yeo? Michelle Yo. Not Sandra O. She was years before. Yes. Sandra O. Totally different.

Totally different Asian actress. Yes. Yes. Yes. And I'm sure both of them have worked with Jackie Chan. Or Don Ho. Or from the Three Stoge's Mo. Yes.

The guy that played Woe Fat. Remember him? Oh, my God. Yes. And. Well, there was Hop Singh in Benanza, but I never got his real name. I don't even know his real name. Isn't that a shame?

Yeah. We usually know these things. Sammy Tong, no, that was the guy on Bachelor Father. Is anyone alive from... Bonanza? Oh, O'Hournell Roberts is still alive, I think. He is? I could be wrong.

I don't know either. I could be wrong. Did he die recently? He might have. He would be the only one. If he's still alive, I'm sorry. Give us a call. Pernell Roberts.

But I think he may have died recently. I don't know. I'll get our staff on it. While you're picking your movie, I will sneak over to the Google machine and look up, Pernell Roberts. Well, my movie, once again, not a comedy. Oh, shocking. Yes. And I had already talked about it with Robert Osborne, but it's a cult favorite and it's freaks.

It was directed by Todd Brown. Who made Dracula? Yeah, the original Dracula with Betel Lagosi. And it was also, he also directed the, oh, well, he also directed the Unholy Three. Sure. With Lon Cheney Senior. See, I always talk about Junior. You got to work him in.

But we got to remember a senior was an actor. One Cheney or the other. Yes. And it's a movie that takes place in a circus, and it's with actual carnival freaks, people who made their livings in freak shows. And it's like, it's at times horrifying and disturbing, but also with a great sympathy for the people involved.

It's a little like the elephant man. in that sense. Oh, yeah. Totally. Yeah. It frightens you, but you're also going, wow, these are people. And because I think Todd Browning actually started out in carnivals.

And so he knew all about these people. And in it, there's a midget, if that's the term anymore. Or it was then. It's not. But a midget named Harry Earl or Earls. and he's in he's there's another woman midget like who looks like a midget may west it's so funny and i think they were in a group together called like like the living dolls that was a group of midget and harry earls was also in the unholy three with uh lan cheney senior

Yes, senior. Was there someone named Johnny Eck? Do I have that right? Johnny Eck. Yes, Johnny Eck. He was, now was he the half man? I'm trying to remember because I haven't seen. We fly without a net here.

We don't have the computer open. Net hasn't been around with us for a while. She left the act. I haven't seen freaks probably since college. But one of our social media gurus, Mike McPesh, Patton would know about this. And as a matter of fact, I think Todd Browning liked Eck, and he was like one of his favorites.

And he used to let him ride on the like, whatever you call it, the crane for the crane shots. Oh, sure. He used to have him sit up there and ride him around. That's how he liked. Didn't Todd Browning also direct Devil Doll with the. The Lionel Barrymore? Yes.

He'll shrink you people. Yes. He did a lot of weird things. Well, Lionel Barrymore sounds a lot like Simon Barr Sinister, the villain on Underdog. Yes. Oh, underdog. I think we know the origin of that now. And it also, in the film, there's one part where a woman,

is turned into a half woman half chicken. Sure, I remember this. And that costume she was wearing was created. I think it was going to be a movie with Lon Cheney before he died. Well, not after he died. It would have been difficult. Pointless. He created that costume.

And then he died and the costume was still lying out. I thought you're going to tell me it was Edith Head. I did. Right at the chicken costume for freaks. I thought this is going to, this is going somewhere. And, and also there's like, I mean, it was people were totally shocked by this movie when it came out. And they were appalled by it. And they were, oh, also this one part in a movie, some versions don't have it.

Some do. they've got the strong man in it. And so they get revenge on both. Because the plot is the midget has a lot of money. How a midget and a freak show has that much money. He invested wisely. He actually, weirdly enough, invested in Apple. Really?

Like 50 years before. Short but not short-sighted. Yes. And so, but she, who the girl he's in love with, the acrobatist, or whatever you call it, was in love with the strong man. Now, the strong man, at one point when they get their revenge, you just hear him singing soprano. Wow. And it's like, ooh. Wow.

And it's like in some versions. it just looks like they killed them. Interesting. To me, it's like, you know, just kill them. It's please. Yeah, it's too. This is wrong. Yeah.

Painful. Yeah. So much for celebrity whacking. Yeah. So your pick is freaks? Yes. Yeah. No, I was just talking about it.

Right. Because you just talk about this in polite conversation. My pick is Ernest goes to camp. The importance of being earnest with Jim Barney. So quick change is my movie and freaks, and you won't get a bigger contrast between two movies, folks. And now we'll go look up Johnny Eck. Gina Davis, call home. Yeah.

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