Gilbert Gottfried's Amazing Colossal Podcast - Mini-Ep #12: Two Seconds & Going In Style

Episode Date: June 4, 2015

Each week, comedian Gilbert Gottfried and comedy writer Frank Santopadre share their appreciation of lesser-known films, underrated TV shows and hopelessly obscure character actors -- discussing, dissecting and (occasionally) defending their handpicked guilty pleasures and buried treasures. This week: Edward G. Robinson on the hot seat! Hyman Roth holds up a bank! And Gabrielle Anwar tangos with Tattoo! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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The day after my first session, my friends and family said I sounded like myself again for the first time in weeks. You deserve to invest in your well-being. Visit BetterHelp.com to see what it can do for you. That's BetterHelp.com. hi this is gilbert godfrey i'm here with my co-host, Frank Santopadre. And let me see if I've got the title right. Gilbert and Frank's Amazing Colossal Obsessions. Oh, that's wonderful.

First. Wow. Nine episodes in. And I didn't say colossal. No, this is progress. Congratulations. Now, so who'll go first? You can do it.

You can start. All right, two seconds. You're on a roll. You got the title right. Yeah, yeah. You should stay with it. Okay, two seconds, two seconds. Okay.

That's actually the name of the movie. Really? See, I pulled an Abbott and Costello. Seconds, I know that movie. Yeah, this was a movie called Two Seconds, made in the 40s, starring Edward G. Robinson. Okay. You have stumped me again. Yes, yes.

And it sounds like happening. Hey, tell me the name of the movie. It's Two Seconds. Why can't you tell me now? I told you the name of the movie. It's Two Seconds. No. It stars Edward G. Robinson. Of course, J. I told you the name of the movie. It's two seconds. No. It stars Edward G. Robinson.

Of course, J. Carol Nash. Of course. A favorite of ours. Of course. Pops up in there. And this is a movie. Well, first of all, let me tell you. I'm going to take notes on this one.

Yeah. Two seconds. Edward G. Robinson is arrested for murder, and he goes to the electric chair. And I didn't give away the end of the movie. I love it. I didn't spoil a movie for you. That's the beginning of the movie. Is this a film noir?

Yeah. Okay. Edward G. Robinson is going to the electric chair. is going to the electric chair. And these two guys are talking, and they said, how long is it going to take him to die in the electric chair? And he said, well, a man his size, I'd say about two seconds. And the other guy says, that'll be the longest two seconds of his life wow and and i and the whole movie i think

is told like i guess it's supposed to be in the two seconds that he's uh is this and i haven't seen the movie at all is this an anti-capital punishment kind of film like i want to live the susan hayward picture no he's uh it's It's a film noir where he gets involved with the wrong girl. He's warned, and he opens up to the wrong girl. This is right to the top of my list. Yeah, yeah. And it's like one of those tragic movies. Robinson, as always, great.

Who else is in it? Oh, God. J. Carol Nash. Robinson, as always, great. Who else is in it? Oh, God. J. Carol Nash. Yeah, J. Carol Nash. Oh, something Foster, who plays his best friend. Phil Foster? Yeah, Phil Foster, yes. And Laverne and Shirley pop up out of nowhere.

Seems so incongruous. And they sing, we gonna make it. I love Edward G. Robinson in the Wells movie. The one with... Oh, where he plays, he's hunting a Nazi. The Stranger. Yeah. Yeah.

And yeah, that's the one with the clock like they have in Central Park. Right. Right. But with swords and things. Right. Where Wells is the heavy. Yeah. Yeah.

Terrific. Well, Wells is the heavy. So two seconds. Two seconds. And it was made in the 40s. Yeah. I think it was Melvin Leroy. Really?

Yeah. You mean Mervin Leroy. Mervin Leroy. Melvin was his Jewish cousin. Melvin Leroy. This? Yeah. You mean Mervin Leroy? Mervin Leroy. Melvin was his Jewish cousin. Melvin Leroy. Hello, I'm Melvin Leroy. Hi. Hi,

I'm Melvin Leroy with the camera and the thing and the person with the... And I'm Melvin. Melvin Leroy. You want to stand in front of the me and I'll go, action! He was revered in France, too, wasn't he?

Melvin Leroy. Hilarious. Okay, this is an education for me. So, two seconds with Edward G. Robinson. You think it was directed by Mervyn LeRoy of Wizard of Oz fame. Well, Mervyn LeRoy also directed, speaking of films of that tone, I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang with Paul Muni.

Another great... And Robinson does an entire speech in the courtroom where he says, it's such an odd speech, and where he says it's it's such an odd speech and where he says you know like i i deserve to die i just i should be executed but not for this crime wow okay yeah and he gives a whole impassioned speech i love my richie robinson he's being my Edward G. Robinson. He's being executed. He should be executed, but he's being executed for the wrong reasons. How have I never seen this movie? Is it,

does it turn up on TCM? Does it turn up in the rotation? I don't know. I just saw it once and I had not heard about it and it was fascinating. It's kind of like the way the story takes place. I think it's kind of like Incident at Owl Creek or something. Oh, I love that. Oh, the Incident at Owl Creek Bridge. Yeah. Yeah. Fascinating reference. Okay.

Two seconds. We think it's Mervyn LeRoy. Melvin LeRoy. Oh, Melvin LeRoy. Hello. Hello. I'm Melvin LeRoy with the editing and the film stuff. Lights, action, and the thing with the camera.

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Okay, I'm gonna jump... I'm gonna jump tones a little bit here from Jerry Lewis to a movie we were talking about before. We had our buddy Richard Kind on the show today, and we were talking very briefly about a caper movie called Going in Style. Oh, very good. Yes. Finally, I'm landing on one you're excited about. Yes.

Last week, I talked about Quick Change. A couple of weeks ago, I talked about Quick Change, a caper film that I love. This is also a caper film from 1979, which I contend was a great year for American films. George Burns, Art Carney, and Lee Strasberg.

Three senior citizens who are bored and decide to rob a bank. Yeah. And you've seen the picture. And what I remember there is when I first saw the posters for it, I thought, oh. The poster was goofy. Yeah. It was a goofy poster.

And I'm thinking all of them are way past their prime. And I'm thinking all of them are way past their prime. This is going to be a cutesy, stupid movie where they put old actors in it. And they knew how to do it. Yeah, it's a very, very smart film. Well, it goes against the way you would expect Hollywood to make a movie with older actors. The way they do it now, where it's like they go to Las Vegas for one last fling. Oh, yes. Or the bucket list. And they, where it's like they go to Las Vegas for one last fling. Oh, yes. Or the bucket list, and they're always cute,

and they're always precious. And Going in Style, directed by Martin Prest, who directed Beverly Hills Cop, Midnight Run, goes against that, the typical way that you would think this film was going to be executed. It's sweet, it's sad, it's funny, but it's really not a comedy. There are moments in it.

I mean, you've got Art Carney and George Burns who were comedians, really playing straight parts. And Lee Strasberg, who didn't make many films at all, a handful. Yeah. Godfather 2. I have Boardwalk. Boardwalk. He's in. Oh, the one

about the Nazis marching on... Yeah, Skokie. Skokie. Skokie, yeah. Yeah, he didn't make many films at all. He's in it. It's really just the three of them. It was made by Martin Brest again at 28.

He had just come out of the AFI. It's a very smart film. Three old guys living on Social Security. They sit around all day on park benches feeding pigeons and their lives are empty and George Burns who's kind of the leader

among them comes up with this idea of doing something to add a little adventure to their lives and they rob a bank and it's very very sweet smarter than it sounds

the poster is misleading they're in Groucho glasses and they've got little canes, and I think they're doing soft shoe or something on the poster. I think it's a movie, too, that was tough for the studio to market. Oh, yeah. Because it's poignant and super smart. And kind of works as a caper movie.

And the one part I remember laughing out loud in that movie that's not even that funny a joke or even a joke, but just the way it's told and everything. Burns, they win money in Vegas. Right. And he wants to get a case to carry the money in. That's right. And the salesman goes, I suppose you'd like it in leather. And Burns just goes, leather would be nice.

I don't know why. It's nicely done. You know, he's great in the film. I mean, as wonderful as Strasberg and Carney were as actors, it's the best thing I've ever seen George Burns. Well, I mean, it's a better picture than Oh God. Yeah, oh, yeah. You know, it's a better picture than The Sunshine Boys. That might be heresy to say.

And Martin Brest himself, last thing I want to say, is a fascinating story and a mystery because he made this film when he was 28. He was then assigned to direct War Games. Remember that picture with Matthew Broderick? Oh, yes. He winds up not making the movie, or he leaves the movie. He makes Midnight Run, Scent of a Woman, Micho Black, Beverly Hills Cop.

He was on a roll. And then Gigli. Then this movie that was regarded as the all-time bomb. Oh, God. And his career came to a screeching halt. Now, some people said it wasn't his fault, but I don't think he's... J-Lo and Ben Affleck.

But if you look at his early films, there's some... And Al Pacino. That's right. Somewhere there's a movie called Hot Tomorrows, which he made, I think, either in AFI or when he graduated, with two of your favorites, Orson Welles and Herve Vilachez. Herve Vilachez.

So look for that movie. Oh, Mr. Welles! Everybody can find it. I love Peter von Kahn! Oh, Mr. Welles! Oh, I admire everything you do. I love it. That is the best Irving Villachez impression ever done.

There's a real demand for it, too. Now, here's Jerry Lewis directing Irving Villachez. Irving! Irving, can you act with the realistic person acting? Ah, yes, Mr. Lewis. Ah, in France, we admire you. Oh, thank you, you short midget person. We do not like that midget person. We do not like that

midget. Oh, I'm sorry, little person with the thing. Oh, God. I'm sweating. Poor Irv came to a sad end. Do you know that

Irv Villages is for our people listening. Two or three of them that Irvay Villages is for our people listening? Two or three of them. Irvay Villages, he, you know, his frame, of course, was the frame of a whatever. Very small person. Yeah, really small person. And, well, see, I'm a small person. He was a midget.

Anyway, he had the frame of a midget. Which was the sequel to Scent of a Woman. Frame of a midget. It was an Orson Welles film. That's right. Frame of a midget. Unfinished. Cut by the studio.

Oh, Lord. So, and here's Irving Villages in St. Devon. Ah! Ha, ha, ha, ha. Ah! Ah! Ha! Ah, your name is Stephanie,

because I smell the perfume and I hear the southern accent. The... Oh, my God. Did you just salute to me even though I'm blind? Oh, God. Okay.

I'm laughing like I did during the Steve Cox episode. So two seconds. But Hervé Villachez, even though he had the frame of a midget. Oh, that's right. That was a story. That was my third film that we're going to be recommending the frame of a midget. Oh, that's right. That was his story. That was my third film that we're going to be recommending, Frame of a Midget. His frame was midget-sized. That's the way a doctor described it to me.

But his insides, all of his organs were actual like normal size like a grown man's organs. Is this about his suicide? Yeah, so he was in total pain all those times. Right. And especially when he did send them a and he said, I'm in pain!

I love to dance the tango. Oh, Lord. So wrapping it up, Going in Style from 1979 with George Burns, Art Carney, and Lee Strasberg, directed by the mysterious and missing in action Martin Brest. Gilbert's film is two seconds.

Two seconds with Edward T. Robinson. And, you know, few people remember this, but Hervé Villachez was in Little Caesar. I knew you were going there. I was just going to set you up. Mother of mercy, is this the end of rigor? Oh! Ha ha ha! If you like listening to comedy, try watching it on the internet.

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