https://www.podbean.com/media/share/pb-pehkv-129cb49

Special thanks to the Be Kind Sisters, Raegan and Rylyn, for providing the guest intro for this repeat episode.

Episode Tie-In: Community volunteers in LaGrange, Kentucky, have continued the work started by the “Home Town Kickstart” crew. Come visit to check out the mural and AlleyLoop!

If you’re like most Americans, you’ve not only completed a home improvement project since the start of the pandemic, but you’ve also received some inspiration from shows like Fixer Upper or Flip or Flop. 

While HGTV is now a huge television network, with the stars of its most popular home improvement shows launched to celebrity status, HGTV didn’t even exist until December of 1994. 

So how did HGTV start? What show predated HGTV and is widely considered to be the very first home improvement show? What’s the real story behind those home makeover shows? And how was the quaint town of LaGrange, Kentucky, selected for a Home Town Kickstart? Candy and Ashley discuss these questions and more as they explore the topic ‘May I Help You Improve Your Home?”

https://www.podbean.com/media/share/pb-eyv9z-129ca41

Special thanks to Jefferson Moore, independent filmmaker, for providing the guest intro for this repeat episode.

Episode Tie-In: The film “Blonde,” which is the subject of controversy due to its NC17 rating and graphic nature, airs on Netflix on September 23. For more details on the controversy, listen to our SW update episode posted on August 30th.

CW: Adult themes/descriptions of violence; listener discretion is advised.

Although often stereotyped as the ‘dumb blonde’ character, Marilyn Monroe was actually a complicated woman who overcame a traumatic childhood, studied acting with Lee Strasberg, co-founded her own production company, and formed relationships with a number of high-profile, powerful men. 

Sadly, Marilyn’s promising career was cut short in 1962 when she was found dead, nude in her bed with a telephone receiver in hand, the victim of an apparent overdose. She was only 36. 

But was Marilyn’s death really the result of an overdose and ‘probable suicide,’ as the coroner declared at that time? Or was Marilyn intentionally silenced, as many did and still believe, including her close friend Frank Sinatra?

https://www.podbean.com/media/share/pb-74nnh-129c8e6

Special thanks to Austin, a middle school principal, for providing the guest intro for this repeat episode.

Episode Tie-In:  “Cobra Kai” Season 5 premiered on Netflix on September 9th.

Candy introduces Ashley to the cultural phenomenon Cobra Kai. Calling on interviews with actors and producers of the hit show, Candy pulls back the curtain to share callbacks, Easter Eggs, and intentional choices made by the Cobra Kai show creators to satisfy both die-hard Karate Kid fans and also newer viewers.  

Warning: This episode contains spoilers.

https://www.podbean.com/media/share/pb-53f98-129c6b4

Special thanks to Ross, creator of The Daily Jaws, the world’s largest online “Jaws” fan community, for providing the guest intro for this repeat episode. Follow them on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter, and at TheDailyJaws.com. 

Episode Tie-In: “Jaws” was released on IMAX and in RealD 3D beginning September 2 in the US.

Jaws Part 1: “The Shark Isn’t Working!” 

Widely known today as the first summer blockbuster and the movie that sparked shark-phobia in the hearts of many, back in the summer of 1974, 26-year-old “Jaws” director Steven Spielberg lived in constant fear of being fired, his dreams for the film crushed. 

Part 1 of this two-part episode focuses on the filming and casting challenges behind the movie “Jaws.” From the 3 malfunctioning mechanical sharks –collectively called Bruce, after Spielberg’s lawyer– to the tensions between Robert Shaw and Richard Dreyfuss, to the sinking of the Orca boat, Candy and Ashley explore the challenges that caused a scheduled 55-day shoot to extend to 159 days and led some in the crew to start calling the production “Flaws.”

Jaws Part 2: Alcoholism, Script Rewrites, and the Lady in the Dunes

CW: Adult themes/descriptions of violence; listener discretion is advised.

Three weeks before the filming of “Jaws” was scheduled to start, Steven Spielberg still had no working script. Desperate, he asked his friend, writer Carl Gottlieb, to “eviscerate it.” And that’s exactly what Carl did, desperately writing most nights to stay ahead of the next day’s filming.  

This Part 2 episode delves into the many screen rewrites, character changes, and plot shifts that occurred throughout the filming of “Jaws.” 

From Quint’s USS Indianapolis monologue that had to be reshot due to Robert Shaw’s drunkenness, to the situation that saved a main character’s life, Candy and Ashley discuss these and many other behind-the-scenes stories. The two also touch on the famous “Lady in the Dunes” cold case speculated by Joe Hill– writer and son of Stephen King– to have a “Jaws” connection.