Movie Reviews and Serious Nonsense

Send us a textIn today’s episode, we’re thrilled to sit down with Hopper Stone, the unit still photographer from the iconic movie Saturday Night, to talk about those frantic, caffeine-fueled final 90 minutes before the very first broadcast of Saturday Night Live.Picture it: October 11, 1975, 11:30 p.m. The world was about to meet a fearless cast of comedians and writers who would change TV forever. But what was it really like behind the scenes? Hopper gives us the scoop on the chaos, the creativity, and maybe even the questionable snacks in those final moments before showtime.We also dive into Hopper’s fascinating career as a still photographer, from capturing Hollywood magic to his earlier days dodging bullets (literally!) as a photojournalist in war-torn Bosnia.So grab your backstage pass and join us for an insightful, funny, and occasionally jaw-dropping look at the world of filmmaking—from the unique perspective of the unit still photographer. You won’t want to miss it!Movie Reviews and Serious Nonsense is a King Dyro Production ©2024

Send us a textIn this episode, Greg and Tom dive into the Apple TV+ show “SUGAR,” starring Colin Farrell, Kirby, Amy Ryan, Dennis Boutsikaris, Nate Corddry, and James Cromwell.Join us as we follow private detective John Sugar on his quest to uncover what happened to Olivia, the missing granddaughter of Hollywood producer Jonathan Siegel. Along the way, Sugar peels back the layers of a web full of Siegel family secrets—old and new.This modern twist on classic noir draws inspiration from legendary films like The Big Heat, Chinatown, and L.A. Confidential. We’ll discuss the show’s throwback vibes, the clever nods to noir history, and, of course, those plot twists you never saw coming.Fair warning: spoilers ahead! There’s no shortage of surprises to unravel in this thrilling detective tale.Podcast music:Intro music Kamihamiha! - Alien Warfare Stems by Kamihamiha (c) copyright 2020 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial  (3.0) license. http://dig.ccmixter.org/files/Kamihamiha/60882Movie Reviews and Serious Nonsense is a King Dyro Production ©2024

Send us a textIn this episode of our podcast, Tom and Greg dive deep into the highly anticipated Amazon Prime series, “Fallout,” which draws its inspiration from the iconic video game franchise of the same name. Set in a future, post-apocalyptic Los Angeles devastated by nuclear fallout, the series presents a stark vision where survivors are forced to live in underground bunkers to escape the lethal radiation, mutants, and marauding bandits that roam the surface.We begin by tracing the origins of the “Fallout” universe, exploring the rich history and groundbreaking elements of the original video game that captivated millions. The game’s distinctive art style and iconography, which have become synonymous with post-apocalyptic storytelling, set the stage for our discussion.Transitioning to the new Amazon Prime series, we delve into the creative genius of Jonathan Nolan, who serves as the show’s writer and producer. We discuss how Nolan’s vision brings the game’s world to life on screen, maintaining the gritty and immersive atmosphere that fans have come to love while introducing new characters and plotlines that expand the “Fallout” lore.Throughout the episode, Tom and Greg offer their insights and critiques, sharing what excites them about this latest addition to Hollywood Sci-Fi. From the stunning visual effects to the compelling narrative, we cover it all, providing a comprehensive review that will appeal to both long-time fans of the franchise and newcomers alike.Join us for another engaging discussion as we explore the intersection of gaming and television, and what “Fallout” signifies for the future of Sci-Fi storytelling. Whether you’re a die-hard fan or just curious about the buzz, this episode promises to be an exciting journey into the world of “Fallout.”Music used from the series FALLOUT copyright the respective artists. Movie Reviews and Serious Nonsense is a King Dyro Production ©2024

Send us a textJoin hosts Greg and Tom as they welcome back special guest John Stanisci for an exciting episode dedicated to the legendary adventurer, Indiana Jones. In this episode, the trio dives deep into a spirited debate: which film holds up better—“Kingdom of the Crystal Skull” or the latest installment, “Dial of Destiny”?Tune in as we celebrate the iconic Indiana Jones franchise, exploring its rich history, analyzing the strengths and weaknesses of its various films, and speculating on the future adventures of our favorite archaeologist. Whether you’re a die-hard fan or new to the series, this episode promises engaging insights and lively discussion on the beloved Indiana Jones saga.Podcast music:Intro music Kamihamiha! - Alien Warfare Stems by Kamihamiha (c) copyright 2020 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial  (3.0) license. http://dig.ccmixter.org/files/Kamihamiha/60882Movie Reviews and Serious Nonsense is a King Dyro Production ©2024

Send us a textTom and Greg go for a sequel of sorts with our second interview with Donnie Norden Phantom of the Backlots. Some of Donnie's own words to describe his adventuresFrom that first time I poked my 10-year-old head through a hole in the tall fence surrounding the MGM backlot near my house in Culver City, I became intrigued, maybe obsessed. I began a coming-of-age journey through the studio back lots and through movies and TV shows past and present – the history, the romance, the fantasy, and how it all looked real. People watch movies to escape everyday life; it became my everyday life.To most people, movies made the world seem enormous and impossible; to me, the back lots made the world seem smaller and workable. For a kid, the back lot was heaven. And it was only two blocks away. I spent much of the next decade on the back lots. I learned how to make plans, and make them work. I learned to be a leader among the many kids I took along as guests. I learned to drink beer. I dabbled in drugs. I lost my virginity. I learned how to have fun, and the costs of having too much fun. I learned the value of hard work – and the value of getting out of hard work. I learned to be a man. And I learned what I wanted to do with my life – I wanted to be on the back lots, and be part of the magic.This is not only my story. It’s also the story of a major chapter in Hollywood history – the demise of the traditional, powerful studio system. As I explored them, the lots were literally being sold out from under the moviemakers – and me – as takeover specialists swept in like vultures, picked the studios clean for quick investments, and then spit out the bare bones.Podcast music:Intro music Kamihamiha! - Alien Warfare Stems by Kamihamiha (c) copyright 2020 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial  (3.0) license. http://dig.ccmixter.org/files/Kamihamiha/60882Movie Reviews and Serious Nonsense is a King Dyro Production ©2024Movie Reviews and Serious Nonsense is a King Dyro Production ©2024

Send us a textWe interview Steve Bingen: About his new book with Marc Wanamaker  "Hollywood Behind the Lens: Treasures from the Bison ArchiveSteven Bingen is an author, archivist, historian, and contributor to dozens of books, articles, and documentaries regarding film history. For nearly two decades, Steven worked as an archivist/staff historian at Warner Bros. Studio. While there, he was responsible for evaluating, maintaining, and preserving that legendary company’s physical assets and its intangible legacy. He also spent a lot of time crawling around storied studio backlots, underground catacombs, and cavernous soundstages. Marc Wanamaker:“Los Angeles is a city that runs from its own past” explains historian and Bison Archives owner Marc Wanamaker. Many of Hollywood’s legendary sets and props, mansions, theaters, restaurants, nightclubs, hotels, and even the studios and the films they produced are now either gone or have been redeveloped, repurposed, or remade beyond recognition. Even more disarmingly, the physical ephemera associated with such items is often MIA as well. Photographs, files, maps, documents, menus, production paperwork, records, manuscripts, everything from matchbooks to movie magazines and entire movie backlots have now been lost in the backwash of dubious progress, short-sighted corporate mindsets, and civic indifference. Fortunately, for the last fifty years, in the very epicenter of Hollywood, thanks to Wanamaker, there has existed a haven where over 70,000 of these items, physically or photographically, have been collected and protected. These artifacts tell the story of Hollywood’s glorious past, as well as its uncertain future as the hub of filmmaking in America.Podcast music:Intro music Kamihamiha! - Alien Warfare Stems by Kamihamiha (c) copyright 2020 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial  (3.0) license. http://dig.ccmixter.org/files/Kamihamiha/60882Movie Reviews and Serious Nonsense is a King Dyro Production ©2024

Send us a textJoin Greg and Tom for a lively discussion on our podcast, where we dive into movies from the past and exciting upcoming films. In this episode, we explore potential cinematic adaptations of beloved sci-fi books like Andy Weir's "Artemis." From classic hits to future favorites, join us as we share our thoughts on the latest movies and TV shows that have us buzzing with excitement.Podcast music:Intro music Kamihamiha! - Alien Warfare Stems by Kamihamiha (c) copyright 2020 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial  (3.0) license. http://dig.ccmixter.org/files/Kamihamiha/60882Movie Reviews and Serious Nonsense is a King Dyro Production ©2024

Send us a textStep into the immersive world of cinematic wonder with Greg and Tom in this captivating episode of Movie Reviews and Serious Nonsense. Join them as they embark on a thrilling exploration of the timeless classic, "Fantastic Voyage" (1966), and venture into the boundless realm of speculative fiction.In this dive into "Fantastic Voyage," Greg and Tom unravel the intricacies of this pioneering sci-fi masterpiece. They dissect its groundbreaking premise, where a team of intrepid scientists is miniaturized and injected into a human body to thwart a deadly threat from within. With keen eyes and insightful commentary, they explore the film's revolutionary special effects, its enduring legacy, and its status as a trailblazer in the genre.But the journey doesn't stop there. As they navigate the turbulent currents of cinematic speculation, Greg and Tom ponder the tantalizing prospect of a modern remake of "Fantastic Voyage." With names like James Cameron swirling in the rumor mill, they engage in spirited debate about the potential risks and rewards of revisiting such hallowed ground. From advancements in CGI to the evolution of storytelling, they consider how a new iteration could honor the original while blazing its own trail through the annals of sci-fi history.As the conversation unfolds, Greg and Tom cast their gaze beyond the silver screen to explore the broader landscape of speculative fiction. They dive into the murky depths of the Amazon Prime show "Fall Out," unraveling its enigmatic narrative.And what discussion of speculative fiction would be complete without a nod to gaming? Greg and Tom journey into the post-apocalyptic wasteland of the "Fallout" game series, where morality is a luxury and survival is paramount. With tales of irradiated landscapes and moral ambiguity, they uncover the rich tapestry of storytelling and world-building that has endeared "Fallout" to legions of gamers around the globe.Join Greg and Tom on this epic odyssey through the realms of the microscopic and macroscopic, where the boundaries of imagination are limitless and the possibilities are endless. It's a journey that promises to ignite the mind, stir the soul, and leave you yearning for new horizons in the ever-expanding universe of speculative fiction.Podcast music:Intro music Kamihamiha! - Alien Warfare Stems by Kamihamiha (c) copyright 2020 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial  (3.0) license. http://dig.ccmixter.org/files/Kamihamiha/60882Movie Reviews and Serious Nonsense is a King Dyro Production ©2024

Send us a textGreg and Tom discuss the new NETFLIX series 3 Body Problem.We talk about the series and our impressions of the production. Along with some other invaluable nonsense like Tom's  reading of the Audible Book Ping Pong Diplomacy and what else we are watching this week.  All of this hours before the Solar Eclipse of April 8th 20243 Body Problem PremiseYe Wenjie is an astrophysicist who sees her father beaten to death during a struggle session in the Chinese Cultural Revolution. She is conscripted by the military because of her scientific background and is sent to a secret military base in a remote region. Her decision at the base to respond to contact from an alien planet has implications for a group of scientists in the present day, forcing them to face humanity's greatest threat.The three-body problem is an arm of cosmology, where the “bodies” are celestial, like calculating where planets are in relation to each other over time. (Chinese sci-fi author Liu Cixin used the term as a pun for the title of his Hugo Award-winning 2015 novel about murdered astrophysicists.) Applications range from the earliest low-tech ship navigators to modern theories of spaceflight like gravity assists, and the mathematical complexity of the problem itself has made it interesting to both mathematicians and computer scientists for many years.Podcast music:Intro music Kamihamiha! - Alien Warfare Stems by Kamihamiha (c) copyright 2020 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial  (3.0) license. http://dig.ccmixter.org/files/Kamihamiha/60882Movie Reviews and Serious Nonsense is a King Dyro Production ©2024

Send us a textIn this episode, we delve into the Hollywood Award season. Greg ventures to Hollywood for the Publicists awards while Tom observes from New York. Our conversation spans topics such as Dune 2, The Oscars, SAG awards, and the enchanting world of the Magic Castle.We eagerly await your listener comments and feedback.Hosts: Greg and TomPodcast music:Intro music Kamihamiha! - Alien Warfare Stems by Kamihamiha (c) copyright 2020 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial  (3.0) license. http://dig.ccmixter.org/files/Kamihamiha/60882Movie Reviews and Serious Nonsense is a King Dyro ProductionMovie Reviews and Serious Nonsense is a King Dyro Production ©2024

Send us a textTom and Greg talk about the Hollywood Writers Strike with their guest Ron Barbagallo who lives a stone's throw away from Warner Bros. Studio in BurbankWe did not write this episode in solidarity to the writers on strike:That's why our podcast is not as professional as it should be, because it has not been written,  That's true. We, I think that anybody listening to this podcast would know very well that it's either not written or scripted in such a way that somebody has the word ahh and Ummm into our dialogue over and over again. Podcast music:Intro music Kamihamiha! - Alien Warfare Stems by Kamihamiha (c) copyright 2020 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial  (3.0) license. http://dig.ccmixter.org/files/Kamihamiha/60882Movie Reviews and Serious Nonsense is a King Dyro Production ©2024

Send us a textGreg and Tom discuss some recent streaming TV shows and the awards season.We discuss Tim Russ and his appearance on "Star Trek Picard" as well as our friend Ron Barbagallo. Joel Silver somehow enters our discussion about Dead as a Door Nail.  Oh and Tom gets into the new "Perry Mason".  A bit of Everything Everywhere all at Once. An awards show update. Our discussion of the Oscar show and Greg attending the Publicists Awards at the Beverly Hilton. Oh and what about those "Banshees of Inisherin".  did we like it? listen to find out.  Tom and Greg meander about finally to get to talking about the "Mandalorian"A bit of James Bond rant from Tom.  More Star Wars  "Andor" Diego Luna and other  Sci Fi films.Have fun with the podcast.Podcast music:Intro music Kamihamiha! - Alien Warfare Stems by Kamihamiha (c) copyright 2020 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial  (3.0) license. http://dig.ccmixter.org/files/Kamihamiha/60882Movie Reviews and Serious Nonsense is a King Dyro Production ©2024

Send us a textToday Greg and Tom will  be talking about some under appreciated gems that we've recently watched. We talk about poker face, which is on Peacock and the Reluctant Traveler, which is on Apple tv and the Bear, which is on Hulu. We've been absent for a few months. We apologize for that, or we don't apologize if you didn't care that we were absent. Greg says: We should be more regular.Tom says: Yes, We should, We should be more regular.The shows we talk about in this episodePoker FacePoker Face is a 10-episode mystery-of-the-week series following Natasha Lyonne’s Charlie, who has an extraordinary ability to determine when someone is lying. She hits the road with her Plymouth Barracuda and with every stop encounters a new cast of characters and strange crimes she can’t help but solve.The Reluctant TravelerThe eight-episode series follows Eugene Levy as he visits some of the world’s most beautiful and intriguing destinations in Costa Rica, Finland, Italy, Japan, Maldives, Portugal, South Africa and the United States, exploring remarkable hotels and the places and cultures surrounding them.The BearCarmy, a young fine-dining chef, comes home to Chicago to run his family sandwich shop. As he fights to transform the shop and himself, he works alongside a rough-around-the-edges crew that ultimately reveal themselves as his chosen family.Podcast music:Intro music Kamihamiha! - Alien Warfare Stems by Kamihamiha (c) copyright 2020 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial  (3.0) license. http://dig.ccmixter.org/files/Kamihamiha/60882Movie Reviews and Serious Nonsense is a King Dyro Production ©2024

Send us a textIn this episode Greg and Tom talk with the multi talented John Stanisci and discuss the film Top Gun: Maverick and the possibility that Tom Cruise is the greatest action movie star of all time. John helps us break down the script and we discuss the perfect 5 act structure of the film and how the film Maverick is really a Father and Son redemption film. Listen for more insights to this perfect Tom Cruise film and hear John's arguments as to why Tom Cruise is the greatest action film star working today.About John Stanisci John Stanisci is New York Times best-selling artist and writer for DC, Marvel and IDW Comics having worked on characters such as Spider-Man, Batman, Constantine, Justice League Dark, Judge Dredd, X Files and many more. In 2011, John's book for DC Comics, Batman Beyond: Hush Beyond, premiered at #1 on the New York Times bestseller list for graphic novels. Just this year, John had a story in Superman: Red and Blue which received an Eisner Nomination for Best Anthology. As a NYC playwright, John’s work has been named as a finalist for the prestigious Woodward/Newman award for drama as well as the Eugene O’neil Playwrights Conference and others. John’s plays have starred such well-known actors such as Tony Award  nominee David Morse, Oscar winner Kathleen Turner, SAG nominee Sarita Choudhary, and Obie Award winner Tamara Tunie just to name a few. On the Film/TV side, John is currently writing a screenplay for Mark Williams of Zero Gravity Management, who is the Emmy nominated producer/co creator of the hit Netflix series Ozark. Lifedeath is John’s debut novel and is represented by Mark Gottlieb of Trident Media. www.johnstanisci.comPodcast music:Intro music Kamihamiha! - Alien Warfare Stems by Kamihamiha (c) copyright 2020 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial  (3.0) license. http://dig.ccmixter.org/files/Kamihamiha/60882Movie Reviews and Serious Nonsense is a King Dyro Production ©2024

Send us a textGreg and Tom interview Steve Bingen Studio Archivist and Hollywood Historian about his two new books.  (available on Amazon)The MGM Effect: How a Hollywood Studio Changed the World 50 MGM Films That Transformed Hollywood: Triumphs, Blockbusters, and FiascosWe talk to Steve about the latest book The MGM EffectMetro-Goldwyn-Mayer’s emblem, which has opened thousands of movies since 1924, is the most recognized corporate symbol in the world. Not just in the entertainment industry, it should be noted, but of any industry, anywhere, in the history of human civilization. And  we talk to him about his next MGM book  50 MGM Films that Transformed Hollywood (available for purchase on November 1st.Movies don’t exist in a vacuum. Each MGM movie is a tiny piece of a large, colorful (although often black & white) quilt, with threads tying it into all of the rest of that studio’s product, going forward, yes, but also backwards, and horizontally and three dimensionally across its entire landscape. Not necessarily a “best of” compilation, this book discusses the films that for one reason or another (and not all of them good ones) changed the trajectory of MGM and the film industry in general, from the revolutionary use of “Cinerama” in 1962’s How the West Was Won to Director Alfred Hitchcock’s near extortion of the profits from the 1959 hit thriller North by Northwest.Podcast music:Intro music Kamihamiha! - Alien Warfare Stems by Kamihamiha (c) copyright 2020 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial  (3.0) license. http://dig.ccmixter.org/files/Kamihamiha/60882Movie Reviews and Serious Nonsense is a King Dyro Production ©2024

Send us a textTom and Greg talk about what they are watching or what they have in their Que on streaming TV right now.  Along with a new "AI" intro to the show.  (the robot apocalypse will have its own podcast)Here are a few of the streaming shows we thing are worthy of checking out:On Apple + FOR ALL MANKINDSLOW HORSES THE MORNING SHOWAmazon PrimeTHE EXPANSEon Hulu FXTHE OLD MANon NetflixTHE UMBRELLA ACADEMYAs promised in the intro the drink Tom was makingTom makes a Whiskey SourUsing piggyback rye. That's whistle, pigs, piggyback rye.  Maple syrup and a lemon. And honestly, Tom says he should probably put some bitters in there also.The actual recipe: 1 ½ oz PiggyBack 100% Rye1 oz Lemon juice¼ oz WhistlePig Barrel Aged Maple Syrup3 Dashes Maple BittersFresh Orange Peel for GarnishPodcast music:Intro music Kamihamiha! - Alien Warfare Stems by Kamihamiha (c) copyright 2020 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial  (3.0) license. http://dig.ccmixter.org/files/Kamihamiha/60882 Podcast ©2022 King Dyro ProductionsMovie Reviews and Serious Nonsense is a King Dyro Production ©2024

Send us a textObi Wan Kenobi (the series)Greg and Tom talk about the first 5 episodes of the Disney Obi Wan Kenobi series on Disney+Spoiler warning: If you have not watched the series we do reveal things so please watch the series before listening.Talking about the series Obi Wan and how it relates to the rest of Star Wars and our impressions of the writing and visuals crafted to tell this compelling story of the years between episode 3 and episode 4 in the Skywalker saga.Enjoy the showPodcast music:Intro music Kamihamiha! - Alien Warfare Stems by Kamihamiha (c) copyright 2020 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial  (3.0) license. http://dig.ccmixter.org/files/Kamihamiha/60882Obi-Wan Kenobi and Star Wars photos ©Lucas Films and ©DisneyUnit Still Photographer Matt Kennedy      https://www.kennedystills.net/ Podcast ©2022 King Dyro ProductionsMovie Reviews and Serious Nonsense is a King Dyro Production ©2024

Send us a textGreg and Tom interview Justin T. Lee from Gazelle Automations. Justin is the creator of the Star Trek The Next Generation animated sequence in the style of the Star Trek the Animated Series that we discussed in our last episode.  We also talk to Justin about his work on new Thunderbirds  episodes in the original style using SUPERMARIONATION. Listen in on our lively discussion about Animation Puppetry and film making in general.THUNDERBIRDSGazelle Automations’ Lindsay and Justin Lee wore many hats on this production (as did everyone on the crew), including leading the puppetry on these 50th anniversary episodes of the British sci-fi series Thunderbirds for ITV, created with classic Supermarionation techniques used in the 1960s.For their job as puppetry supervisors, they painted, wigged, strung and led the performance of the marionettes, which had to look and move like those from the original 1960s series. For certain characters, work was done many times over to get the squint of an eye or hairline to match the original puppet as closely as possible.The episodes premiered at the British Film Institute in August 2016 and are now streaming on BritBox in the UK. A nationwide Japanese cinema, streaming and Blu-ray release in January 2022 marked the original show’s 55th anniversary.For more information about the company continuing to specialize in Supermarionation, visit www.century21films.co.uk.About Gazelle AutomationsProducer/puppeteer Lindsay Lee and VFX artist/puppeteer Justin T. Lee formed Gazelle Automations to create entertainment through the magic of puppetry, model miniatures and animation. From cramped beginnings in the tiny back room of a pizza shop (where pizza deliveries were literally passing through shots), Gazelle Automations now sees projects through from concept and fabrication to production, VFX and finishing.The company’s clients and production partners include Anderson Entertainment, the BBC, CBC Kids, Century 21 Films, ITV, Shaftesbury, and TVOKids.Podcast music:Intro music Kamihamiha! - Alien Warfare Stems by Kamihamiha (c) copyright 2020 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial  (3.0) license. http://dig.ccmixter.org/files/Kamihamiha/60882Thunderbirds are Go music  Barry GrayStar Trek: The Animated Series Filmation Thunderbirds Creators Gerry & Sylvia AndersonPodcast ©2022 King Dyro ProductionsMovie Reviews and Serious Nonsense is a King Dyro Production ©2024

Send us a textIn this episode Greg and Tom talk about Star Trek: The Animated SeriesStar Trek: The Animated Series (TAS), originally airing as Star Trek and as The Animated Adventures of Gene Roddenberry's Star TrekWe saw an animated video making the rounds on the internet that was an episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation done in the style of the original Animated Star Trek from the early 1970's  So we decided lets talk about the Animated Series and some of the things happening early on with Star Trek. Of course we get taking off course and talk some about Star Wars The Mandalorian and Ralph Bakshi Fritz the Cat and of course Wizards as well as  Jean “Moebius” Giraud and Heavy Metal.Listen in as we swing back to the 70's Podcast music:Intro and ending music Kamihamiha! - Alien Warfare Stems by Kamihamiha (c) copyright 2020 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial  (3.0) license. http://dig.ccmixter.org/files/Kamihamiha/60882Star Trek: The Animated Series Music  Clips   Filmation extra musichttps://pixabay.com/per Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial  (3.0) license.Podcast ©2022 King Dyro ProductionsMovie Reviews and Serious Nonsense is a King Dyro Production ©2024

Send us a textTom and Greg interview Donnie Norden and we let him talk about his new book "Hole in the Fence" All about his true adventure diary- growing up on the MGM and Desilu backlots. We also attempt to ask a few questions along the way. Buckle up for a great Hollywood back lot story.Hole in the FenceBy: Donnie NordenAll of the stories in this book were written and lived by me, Donnie Norden. I was lucky enough to grow up in the "Heart of Screenland", which is how Culver City identifies itself. My plan is to chronicle and share my stories from this magical time. My true adventure diary- growing up on the MGM and Desilu backlots. Come trespass with me if you dare, through these enchanting, iconic landscapes. Go where cameras don’t show you. It’s dangerous for sure. You’ll need to climb – very rapidly. You could get chased by Security or Guard dogs or arrested or hurt. Still want to come? Once inside you will never want to leave.My pals and I were soldiers in WWII villages, cowboys on the dusty streets of Tombstone, and pirates on the Bounty. On the rare occasions when it rained, we danced in Gene Kelly’s footsteps in Singin’ in the Rain. From that first time I poked my 10-year-old head through a hole in the tall fence surrounding the MGM backlot near my house in Culver City, I became intrigued, maybe obsessed. I began a coming-of-age journey through the studio backlots and through movies and TV shows past and present – the history, the romance, the fantasy, and how it all looked real, because it was real.I’ll take you from sidewalks used in Singing in the Rain to Atlanta, where Gone With the Wind was filmed. We will hang out in Andy Griffith’s house, the Walton’s house and Andy Hardy’s house. We’ll watch as filming takes place on films and TV shows of the 70's from our staked out hidden birds-eye view locations. I’ll even take you inside the tree stump used in Hogan’s Heroes. We’ll visit other studios as well like Warner’s and Disney.During this decade-long period of trespassing, my success at eluding the guards caused MGM Studios to hire additional guards, known as “Studio Police”, to catch me… “The Phantom,” as I came to be known!A link to purchase Donnie's book on AmazonPodcast music:Intro and ending music Kamihamiha! - Alien Warfare Stems by Kamihamiha (c) copyright 2020 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial  (3.0) license. http://dig.ccmixter.org/files/Kamihamiha/60882extra musichttps://pixabay.com/per Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial  (3.0) license.Podcast ©2022 King Dyro ProductionsMovie Reviews and Serious Nonsense is a King Dyro Production ©2024