Gilbert Gottfried's Amazing Colossal Podcast - Mini-Ep #8: Quick Change and Freaks

Episode Date: May 7, 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: Johnny Eck rides a camera crane! Bill Murray knocks over a bank! And Gilbert co-stars with Randy Quaid -- and a Rottweiler! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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19 plus. Ontario only. If you have questions or concerns about your gambling or the gambling of someone close to you, please go to connexontario.ca. This episode is brought to you by FX's The Bear on Disney+. In Season 3, Carmi and his crew are aiming for the ultimate restaurant accolade, a Michelin star. With Golden Globe and Emmy wins, the show starring Jeremy Allen 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+. 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 for the love of all that is holy. Hi, I'm Gilbert Gottfried, and I'm here with my co-host, Frank Santopadre, 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 this, 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 that you got close. What did I say? Gilbert Gottfried's 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 this time. So that, do you want to start? Would you prefer I did? I don't say Colossal this time. So do you want to start? Would you prefer I did? I don't care. Okay. I really want to get this over with and leave. The less I have to talk to you, the better. Yeah.

Well, I'm going to go out on a limb and recommend. I wish you wouldn't jump off. If that didn't sound like a groucho and fenomenal. Form a club and beat you over the head. Yes, yes. Well, I wish you'd climb out on a limb and jump off. Poor fenomenal. 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. Yeah, I think I may have seen bits and pieces. I'm going to tell you about it. 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, yes, yeah. There's the Brinks job with Peter Falk

that William Friedkin made. They're just their tower heist from a couple years ago with Eddie Murphy. It 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 um who's minding the men oh yeah sure sure milton burrell jack gilford yeah that one's kind of funny yeah i've 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 conceit 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 – where the joke is the insanity of New York City. It's based on a book by a guy named Jay Cronley, who's a very funny writer. He wrote a book, Funny Farm, which was made into a movie with Chevy. Oh, yeah. 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 SNL backstage, by the way? I didn't see him there, although I have a quick scene, I think, with Randy Quaid. Tell us. In, I think it was that Rodney Dangerfield movie. Meet Wally Sparks? No, no, no. Even less people saw it than me. 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 conceit of this picture? I think it's Rodney Dangerfield. 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 meets something. I'm a security guard. Really? Just a couple of lines? Yeah.

I have about, I think, three scenes. I work with a, watch him call it a Rottweiler. Really? In a movie. And Randy Quaid's in it. Really? In the movie. And Randy Quaid's in it. And they would have these weird, like, foreign investors walking around on this one where it looked like a meeting of ISIS.

Oh, Lord. Only more creepy. Yes. What is it? Back After Midnight? Back By Midnight. Back By Midnight. Jesus. For God's sake. Yes. What is it? Back After Midnight? Back By Midnight. Back By Midnight. Jesus, for God's sake.

Jesus. Get it right. This went straight to video, straight to landfill. What happened to this thing? Straight to something. Okay. Like I said, I have never seen it. Okay.

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 different reasons. Yeah, I'm a celebrity whacker every night. Oh, you flatter yourself. I can celebrity whack a few times a night. But I could have been the president of that organization but so this was a hit squad for yeah yeah that they were after celebrities i see and 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, 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. Yeah.

We should do Randy Quaid and Robert Blake in one show. So getting back to Quick Change real quick. Oh, what are we talking about? 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 Shalhoub, 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. Has 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 transported. 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 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 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? It's a hit show. I should have watched Grey's Anatomy at least once. You would have made a great cadaver on Grey's Anatomy. I know. Guest cadaver.

Michelle O. Oh, cadaver. Michelle Oh. Oh, Sandra Oh. Sandra Oh. You're close. Sandra Oh. Sandra Oh was in that. You mean Michelle Yeoh. Michelle Yeoh.

Not Sandra Oh. She was years before. Yes. Sandra Oh. Totally different. Was Michelle Yeoh. Totally different Asian actress. Yes.

Yes. And I'm sure both of them have worked with Jackie Chan. Or Don Ho. Or from the Three Stooges Mo. Yes. The guy that played Woe Fat. Remember him?

Oh my God, yes. And well, it was Hop Singh in Bonanza, but I never got his real name. Gee, 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? Cornell Roberts is still alive, I think. He is? I could be wrong. I don't know either. 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. life. Another member said, 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. Because the Skip app saves you so much time by delivering stuff like your favorite cool treats, groceries, and bevies, you get to spend the summer doing what you really want, like successfully cutting your jeans into jorts. Yes! Shipping the kids off to summer camp. Yes!

Or winning the annual Schellenberg Family Water Balloon Fight. Yes! Suck it, Aunt Susan. Yep, definitely the best summer ever. Squeeze more summer out of summer with Skip. Did somebody say Skip? Yep, definitely the best summer ever. Squeeze more summer out of summer with Skip. Did somebody say Skip? 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 Browning. Who made Dracula. Yeah, the original Dracula with Bela Lugosi. And it was also, he also directed the, oh, well, he also directed The Unholy Three with Lon Chaney Sr.

See, I always talk about Junior. You've got to work him in. But we've got to remember Sr. was an actor. One Chaney 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 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, tonally. 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 there's another woman midget who looks like a midget Mae West. It's so funny. And I think they were in a group together called like the Living Dolls. That was a group of midget performers. Fascinating. And Harry Earls was also in the Unholy Three with Lon Chaney. With Lon Chaney, senior.

Yes, senior. Was there someone named Johnny Eck? Do I have that right? Johnny Eck. With Lon Chaney. 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. Yeah, the net hasn't been around with us for a while. She left the act. And I haven't seen Freaks probably since college. But one of our social media gurus, Mike McPatten, 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 played. Didn't Todd Browning also direct Devil Doll with Lionel Barrymore? Yes. I'll shrink you people. Yes. He did a lot of weird things.

Lionel Barrymore sounds a lot like Simon Barr Sinister, the villain on Underdog. Yes. 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 would have been sure but pointless he created that costume and then he died and the costume was still lying don't you're going to tell me it was edith head the chicken costume for for freaks i thought this is gonna this is going somewhere and and um also there's like i i mean it it was people were totally shocked by this movie when it came out and they they were appalled by it and uh they oh also this one part in the movie some some versions don't have it some do where 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 in 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, the girl he's in love with, the acrobatess, or whatever you call it, 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 him. Interesting. And to me, it's like, you know, just kill him. Yeah. Please.

Yeah, it's too. This is wrong. Yeah, painful. Yeah. 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 Ernest with Jim Varney. So Quick Change is my movie and Freaks and you won't

get a bigger contrast between two movies and now we'll go look up Johnny Eck Gina Davis, call home Yeah 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,

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