Gilbert Gottfried's Amazing Colossal Podcast - Mini-Ep #21: Act Of Violence & Broadway Danny Rose

Episode Date: August 6, 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: Woody Allen meets the mob! "Danny of Arabia!" And Van Heflin tangles with Robert Ryan! If you've got a car and a license, put 'em both to work for you and start earning serious, life-changing money today. Sign up to drive with Uber. Visit http://www.DriveWithUber.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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Visit drivewithuber.com. Visit drivewithuber.com. That's drivewithuber.com. Drivewithuber.com. 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. Very, very good. Yes. Congratulations. Twelve weeks in. Yes.

Now, did we already ask people to submit a theme song for us? Oh, yes. Yeah. Go and find me a new co-host. Oh, you want to submit a theme song for us? Oh, yes. Go and find me a new co-host. Oh, you want to find a new co-host. I don't care about the theme song. The theme song could be the battle hymn of the republic. You don't care. I don't care.

The zither music from the third man is fine with you. I'm going to go first this week, and you figured out my movie because I gave you a hint. Famed theatrical manager Jack Rollins died last month. We're sitting here in July. Of Rollins and Joffrey. Rollins and Joffrey. He made it to 100. Oh, jeez.

And he passed away. And if you guys don't know who Jack Rollins is, Google him. But a very, very famous theatrical manager and producer who has repped everybody from Lenny Bruce to Nichols and May to David Klein and David Letterman. Billy Crystal. Yeah, everybody. And most famously, Woody Allen. Oh, and I think, what's his name?

Where are you going with this? Theodore Bickel? Harry Belafonte. Harry Belafonte. Jack Rollins, did he? That's a new one on me. I like that. I know he was involved in the early success of Nichols and May.

He may have either introduced them or presented them for the first time. Anyway, Jack Rollins was a showbiz legend and he passed away and i thought suddenly i thought well he's in this movie he's in the movie that i'm about to talk about i can't believe that i've waited whatever this is 16 weeks into our colossal obsessions before bringing up this movie because it's one of my absolute favorite comedies um and woody allen fans are probably already a step ahead of me here. And I don't know. It's still a mystery to me. I'm trying to find this out. I think Woody Allen might be Jewish. Yes, there's a possibility. It's a weird rumor. Get back to me about Jackie Mason. Because he's on the fence too. I talked about Radio Days in previous weeks, which I love, but this is another movie

from what I think is one of Woody Allen's great hot streaks, the 80s. This is Broadway Danny Rose from a couple of years earlier. And if you haven't seen it, I'll go through the plot, but he plays a Schlemiel agent. And I've read in various places that it was loosely based on Jack Rollins, but I'm not sure that's true, because I've also heard it was based on other people.

Yeah, it might be one of those, like a little piece of everybody. Like an Amalgam? Yeah. And he's a Schlemiel agent who represents this loud of a lounge singer, this Italian lounge singer called Lou Canova. Yes. And Lou Canova is basically involved. He's got a wife and three kids, but he's having an affair with a mafia princess, which is

played by, of all people, and it was an unlikely part for her at the time, Mia Farrow. And it's a terrific comedy. I think it's his sweetest film. It's my favorite performance that he ever gave. I mean, I love Annie Hall. I love Alvy Singer and Annie Hall, but he is so sweet in this film. He's so likable in this film.

Probably his most likable character. And the funny thing is, the name of this character has become part of the... Right, that's right. Yeah, it's just part of the language. The Danny Rose. Yeah, you go, oh, that guy, he's a regular Broadway Danny Rose guy.

That's right, that's right. He's a loser of a theatrical manager, and he's got all these terrible clients. He's got a penguin that pecks I Gotta Be Me on piano. He's got a blind... I think there's a blind xylophone player. I'm trying to remember it now

because I haven't seen it in a couple of years. It's full of great gags. Now, the character, Luke Canova, was played by an unknown. Yeah. Nick Apollo Forte, who was a real singer. Now, I'm doing some extra research on the film, and I find, and I don't know if you know this, that supposedly, and I hope it's true because it's fun, that Sly Stallone and Robert De Niro both were considered. I don't know what that means.

They were considered. Oh, my God. Whether they actually auditioned. Yeah. I think he probably always knew he needed an unknown in that part. Supposedly, our pal Danny Aiello was also considered for the part.

Yeah. If we ask Danny, he'll say he directed the movie. Danny was also considered for the Jesus part in King of Kings. But supposedly he was devastated that he didn't get the part, and that's why Woody wrote Plum Parts for him in Purple Rose of Cairo. I think Danny Aiello was supposed to star in Lawrence of Arabia. Really? Yeah.

T.E. Lawrence with Danny Aiello. I'd like to see that. So Nick Apollo Forte was just an unknown who got his big break. He's fantastic in the film. Oh, yeah. I mean, I guess playing somebody very, very close to himself. And then he disappeared. Oh, yeah.

I don't know what happened to him. We'll do a little research into it. I also read a rumor that Steve Rossi tested for the role of Luke Canova. Oh, wow. Can you imagine? And then it would have been Alan and Rossi. Whoa, geez. That's right.

Right, right. But Joe Franklin turns up in the movie, another connection to us, to our podcast. And Uncle Miltie's in it. And I wanted to ask you about the opening scene, going back to Jack Rollins, because the opening scene is in the deli. Yes. And all the comics, the old-time comics, are sitting around. I know, Slappy White?

No, not Slappy. They're all white guys. I think the only surviving person at that table is Will Jordan. Oh, wow. The Ed Sullivan impersonator. Who are the other people? Well, there was Morty Gunty. Great, yes. And Corbett Monica. Yes. And Jackie Gale,

who was famous from Tin Man. And Jack Rollins, we talked about. And Jackie Gale, who was famous from Tin Man. And Jack Rollins, we talked about. And Sandy Barron, who was Klumpus on Seinfeld. He was the guy that gives Jerry the pen, the space pen. He became, like, had a whole second career on Seinfeld. Right, right, right. Did you, in any of your travels, did you work with any of those guys? Did you get to know any of them?

No, I don't think I worked with them. Because I think Zweibel wrote for, I think Zweibel told us he wrote for Morty Gunty. Oh, yeah. And maybe Sandy Barron and Corbett Monica, too, but we'll check. But they're all in that scene around the table, and it's the little framework that kicks off the movie, the scene that frames the movie.

And Leo Steiner, the Carnegie Deli guy, is in the movie oh yeah playing himself at the end it's got some great cameos it's it's a terrific movie um what i remember about this movie i don't know why it sticks out in my head there's one part where woody allen and mia farrow yeah are running around like a dark attic or hallway from the gangster who's coming after them. That's right. And they're like mainly in darkness and Mia Farrow goes, hurry, he has an axe.

And Woody goes, he has an axe? I'm just a beard. Yeah. Well, there's that scene that's in New York as a character in the film a little bit too because there's that scene

where they go and they hide in the warehouse where the Macy's Thanksgiving balloons are stored. Oh, yes. And there's a whole gag with the helium

where somebody shoots the helium tank. Oh, yes. There's so a whole gag with the helium where somebody shoots the helium tank. Oh, yes. There's so much to like about this film, but, you know, it's a little bit like our podcast itself.

It's about that kind of old show business that you and I, that arcane chapter of show business that you and I love so much. And you never work with any of those guys, huh?

No, I don't think so. I guess they're a different generation. Yeah. Never worked with Corbett Monica or Gunty. It would have been great to have any of them on this show. So Broadway Danny Rose, a movie that I'm terribly fond of and wish I had actually thought of sooner. And you, sir?

Okay. My film is, I think it was the late 40s. It might have been 48. And it was a film noir. And I remember catching it on TV. And it was really odd. It's called Act of Violence. Act of Violence. And it has Van Heflin, Robert Ryan, and Janet Leigh. Wow. And it's one of these films where what I love, and especially film noir was always good like that because film noir was getting rid of the whole obvious black and white thing,

not black and white film, but the whole black and white of you knew who the good guys were. Oh, yeah. And who the bad guys were. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And this is a classic film where it starts off, you know exactly who the good guy is and who the bad guy.

And then as it goes into it, you go, oh, wait a minute, I'm not so sure now. I think TCM plays this movie. Oh, yeah. Yeah. As a phone goes off in the background. Yes. We'll pretend that's the... I'm not so sure now. I think TCM plays this movie. Oh, yeah. Yeah. As a phone goes off in the background. Yes.

We'll pretend that's it. That could be our new theme song. Could be the new co-host. Of the show, yes. It could be Nehemiah Persoff from the last episode. But, of course, Van Heflin, he's like a successful guy living in suburbia. I've never seen this picture. Yeah, very, very nice, honest guy.

I think he's got kids. And, you know, you go, oh, he's a good guy. All of a sudden, we find out he's being trailed by this crazed, limping Robert Ryan in a long coat and a crazed look on his face. And you go, oh, well, this guy's some psycho killer. Oh, so there's a lot of misdirection because you don't know who's who. And then we start to find out, if I don't give away too much, but we start to find out that the two of them were in the army together. And they were in a Nazi prison camp. And there were a bunch of them trying to make an escape.

And Van Heflin actually ratted on them. I see. And he even says in the film, he starts to realize what an awful thing. And he goes, but you don't understand. She goes, you know, you didn't have any choice. And he goes something like, you don't understand. After that, I ate their food. And I talked to them.

And it was like, so one of those film noirs where you don't know. Keeps you guessing. Yeah. Act of violence. Do you happen to remember the director? Oh, I think it was Fred Zinneman. Really? Yeah.

Oh, wow. Yeah, and that was high noon, wasn't it? Oh, yeah, and from here to eternity and lots of other stuff. Yeah. The Day of the Jackal. I'm pretty sure it was Fred Zinaman. Zinaman. Zinaman.

Zinaman. Zinaman. Zinaman. Yeah. A Jew? Yeah, I think so. Can't be sure. Robert Ryan, definitely not a Jew.

No, no. But interestingly about Robert Ryan, he, in movies, he'd play like racist and anti-Semites. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And everything. In movies, he'd play like racist and anti-Semites. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And everything. But they say off camera, he's supposed to be a liberal guy. Isn't that funny? Yeah.

He's in the setup, too, of another good film noir, Robert Wise Picture. You know that film? Oh, yeah. We'll have to talk about that. We'll talk about the setup. Speaking of film noirs, you know that, well, here we are in New York City. So anybody who's listening to the show who's in New York, the Film Forum is about to do two months of true crime. Oh, yeah. Where they're just pulling out a lot of these old films, a lot of film noirs, a lot of black and white films.

I have not seen active violence, but I love the genre. I love The Big Heat and Woman in the Window, and Force of Evil. There's so many that I've been actually catching up on. DOA is another one I love. But I haven't seen this one, so I'm going to— Edmund O'Brien. Edmund O'Brien. Oh, and Luther Adler.

Correct. Yes. You know what nationality, Luther? I'm going to guess— South African? Nationality, Lucifer. I'm going to guess. South African? I don't think Edmund O'Brien. Don't think so.

No. No more than Milo O'Shea, who we talked about in the last episode. So, act of violence with Van Heflin. I like Van Heflin. And Robert Ryan. Yeah, liked him as the bomber, Van Heflin in Airport. Oh. Wasn't that him? Yeah.

Was that him? I think it was. I think it was. Yeah, we'll look it up. Oh, yes. Yeah. And Shane. Right.

And wasn't that when he's like going to explode the bomb that somebody punches Helen Hayes? I remember Helen Hayes. It's laughable. Yeah. How they... Well, I get it confused with the bomber that Sonny Bono played in Airplane 2. So, act of violence, a film noir that I will be catching up to. Yes.

It sounds to me, memory serves, it's the kind of thing that shows up on TCM. Oh, yeah. Because they show a lot of those. I'm sure it will. Yeah. And if you're a fan of the genre, you should really see what's going on at Film Forum. Because they've got a lot of this stuff this month. So, Broadway Danny Rose and An Act

of Violence. Yes. And I want you to know something. That in the opening of Broadway Danny Rose, Will Jordan does a James Mason impression. Oh that's right. Not quite as good as your James Mason impression. Oh wow. How's that? Do you take back what you said about me? Oh no but still.

I'll take the compliment. We'll see you next week. If you like listening to comedy, try watching it on the Internet. The folks behind the Sideshow Network have launched a new YouTube channel called Wait For It. It's got interviews with comedians like Reggie Watts, Todd Glass, Liza Schleichinger. Schleichinger, I've been friends with her for 10 years. One of the funniest people out there, and I still have a hard time with the last name, Liza.

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