Gilbert Gottfried's Amazing Colossal Podcast - Mini-Ep #19: Road To Perdition & Marathon Man

Episode Date: July 23, 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: Tom Hanks vs. James Bond! The artistry of Conrad Hall! And Dustin Hoffman goes to the dentist! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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one drop at a time. This is one of many sounds in Tennessee with a story to tell. To hear them in person, plan your trip at tnvacation.com. Tennessee sounds perfect. Don't forget to follow us on our Facebook page, Gilbert Gottfried's Amazing Colossal Podcast, on Twitter at Real Gilbert ACP, and on Instagram, Gilbert Podfried, P-O-D-F-R-I-E-D. You see, it's kind of a pun on the last name. Ah, never mind. Hi, this is Gilbert Gottfried, and I'm here with my co-host Frank Santopadre, and this is Gilbert and Frank's amazing colossal obsessions. Now, last week we talked about Paul Newman.

Yes. And we talked about the Hutzucker proxy. And here's, I also touched briefly on a movie called Blaze, which I like. Paul Newman's a Jew. That's right., which I like. Paul Newman's a Jew. That's right. Yes. Yeah. That's right.

He's a Jew. Yeah. That's the most important thing. We do a third show on Friday. It's 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 jackie green i don't know i always love that simpsons gag mel brooks is yeah this is another uh we talked about the hudsucker proxy last week and and uh a latter day role for 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 afoul of. It's a gangster picture, a very, very good film, based on a graphic novel by two guys, Max Allen Collins and Richard Rayner. It's a wonderful movie. It was Sam Mendes' follow-up to American Beauty, his first movie.

Oh, yeah. He took the world by storm and won Best Picture. With 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's cinematography. Conrad Hall.

The cinematography in the movie I'm picking was Hunt's Hall. Really? Yeah, yes. I thought it was going to be Dombrowski. Yes. Ooh, ooh. Put more light there. Ooh, ooh.

Of course, we like to digress. You know who does a great Hunt's Hall? Bobby Slayton. Oh, yes. Best Hunt's Hall in the business. Come back to that. Because there's a real call for it. Conrad Hall, who shot, you should know who he is.

Liberty Valance. He did shoot Liberty Valance. He did shoot the movie that you're going to recommend after I stop yammering. I won't mention it. He shot Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid Day. 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 Leigh, who we keep talking about. Yes, who likes to take her clothes off. Who you like about yes who likes to take her clothes off you like

to point out like 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 Jennifer Jason Leigh. She's in the film. Stanley Tucci 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 is 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 of the woods? Yeah, yeah. What's the name of that picture? Oh, God. Jews on the Loose. Jews in the Woods. Jews in the Woods, I think it was called.

With Marty Allen. Yeah. Charlie Brill. And he was also in Munich. Correct. Yeah. Charlie Brill. And he was also in Munich. Correct. Yeah. He was in Munich, 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. We run out of ideas and movies. Yeah. Road to Perdition is a terrific film. If you haven't seen it, great performances. Check it out.

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with Sunwing you save more so you can do more book with your local travel agent or this episode is brought to you by you can do more. Book with your local travel agent or come in the TA. Colin White, Io Debrey, and Maddie Matheson is ready to heat up screens once again. All new episodes of FX's The Bear are streaming June 27, only on Disney+. Mr. Gottfried. Okay. The next film that I'm picking is one directed by John Schlesinger, and it, who directed Midnight Cowboy with Dustin Hoffman and John Voight.

And I've been falling down a lot. You know, I'm scared. I'm scared. You know what they do to you when they find out you can't walk? And so he, yes. By way of David Brenner. Yes. Oh, oh, hi, I'm Ratso Rizzo.

It's David Brenner as Ratso Rizzo. 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 wear cowboy hats and things. You know what I mean?

You know what I'm talking about? Oh, oh, oh. Wait, wait, wait, wait. You know one thing? You go out there, you pick your guest pain to have sex. Is that wild? Is that wild? Don't forget John MacGyver. Oh, John MacGyver, yes.

It's true. You've got a strong back there, Joe. Get under these. A strong back. You're going to need it, Joe. Name me one other podcast that gives you John MacGyver and David Brenner as Ratso Rizzo, 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, oh, I was supposed to pick a movie?

Yes. Back to John Schlesinger. John Schlesinger would team up with Dustin Hoffman again. Correct. For another fun action film. Lighthearted. Yeah, lighthearted. And you know I love my Nazi films.

You do? Yeah. You give me my Nazi films, I love my Nazi films. 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.

of Jesse Owens running. And Dustin Hoffman plays like 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? Oh, Zell. Zell, Zell.

We haven't even said the name of the picture, by the way. Yes, yes. You might want to throw that in. It's Marathon Man. The people that don't know it shame on and and marathon man uh taps into you know how jaws tapped into people's fear of water this uh does them one better peep everyone's fear of the dentist right 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 him down. And that's where that line comes. Is it safe? Is it?

What do you mean? I don't know what you're talking about. Is it safe? Is it, what do you mean? I don't know what you're talking about. Is it safe? He runs through the whole game. Yes. Very safe. Totally safe. Yeah, it's safe. It's so safe you wouldn't believe it. And it's, yeah, so Olivier's great in it. He's terrifying. Oh, he's so scary in this, and oh, he also has that line, simple oil of

clove. Yes. Pain relief. Life can be that simple. And it's wonderful. He's... William Devane turned up. William Devane turned up. William Devane, yeah. Right, right.

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

Yeah, she was there for that tiny period of time. Isn't she in Black Sunday? Yeah, Black Sunday with from Jaws. Robert Shaw. 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, because he's also back with his German accent, although this time he's a Nazi. Right. And then boys from Brazil, he was Simon Wiesenthal. The Nazi hunter.

And because they – because the clips of Jesse Owens brings it back to that time period when Hitler wanted to use the Olympics as his proof of the superior Aryan race. And then this black runner goes on and beats the Germans. Very famous. And as Cleavon Little said in blazing saddles for my next impression, Jesse. And, and that brings me to that,

that Marty, Marty Glickman, all the sportscaster famous. He was supposed to be running. That's correct. And he's Jewish. And, uh,

the guy in charge, uh, 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. famously says to him oh yes he 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 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 70s.

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. Yeah. 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 all these old Jews are recognizing him. 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 to us 20 minutes ago.

We were out on the street doing something for TMZ. And TMZ. It just happened. Yes. And 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 Martha Keller. And Martha Keller in John Schlesinger's Marathon Man. Shot by Conrad Hall, who I also just talked about. Terrific film. Two terrific films. So I hope Jennifer Jason Leigh never gets your message.

Yes. Come here and take your clothes off. One last thing I want to ask. Oh, yes. Does Danny Kaye 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 and that's what gives olivier such an evil look on his face that that uh danny k has his fist in olivier's asshole it's been talked about i was at at the, they gave a speech. Really? At the American? At the American, yes. No kidding.

The American Film Institute. I had to go there. They said, it was, they flew Danny Kaye in to put his fist in Laurence Olivier's asshole. To recreate it. Yes, to make him more evil. For film buffs. We'll see you next week. If you like listening to comedy, try watching it on the internet.

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