Behind The Bells Podcast

Behind The Bells Podcast episodes:

• 04.01.2024

  Almost Christmas: The Poseidon Adventure

  "So what resolution should we make for the new year? It's to let God know that you have the guts and the will to do it alone." Now back after a needed hiatus, Robert went on a New Years Cruise...

  
• 12.27.2023

  Top 10 Favorite Christmas Movies

  "Merry After Christmas!" After celebrating a wonderful December with his new wife, Robert has an amazing gift for everyone: A top 10 Favorite Christmas Movies List. It's an episode in the making that was challenging, but he picked the ones...

  
• 11.02.2023

  Back to the Future: Dickens of a Christmas

  "Jumping Jingle Bells!" In honor of Christmas Podcast Day, Robert is stepping into the Delorean to take the time jump to 1991. He does a little deep dive into the Back to the Future animated series and the Christmas episode...

  
• 09.25.2023

  Elf Part 2: Jon Favreau's Beginnings, Canada for New York, Killer Stop Motion and Beating the Other Family Films

  "The best way to spread Christmas cheer is to sing loud for all to hear" It took longer then he thought, but Robert's finally ready to dive back into the world of Elf. Along with continuing the adventures of the...

  
• 08.15.2023

  Almost Christmas: Pee-Wee's Big Adventure

  "I don't need to see it. I lived it" For Robert's first ever Almost Christmas special, he wanted to pay tribute to the late Paul Reubens by looking at his 80's classic, Pee-Wee's Big Adventure. The goal is to take...

  
• 08.02.2023

  Top 10 Christmas Movies for Summer

  "And since we've no place to go, Let it snow! Let it snow! Let it snow!" It's Christmas in July... in August. Better later then never, but Robert wanted to address some of his future plans for new segements including...

  
• 06.06.2023

  Elf (2003) Cozy Fireside Chat: Todd from Christmas Clatter

  "What's a Christmas-Gram? I want one!" Continuing with the look into Elf, Robert's joined by Todd Killian from Christmas Clatter to talk about the movie... along with some other Christmas movies... along with some other traditions related to Christmas... and...

  
• 05.22.2023

  Elf Part 1: Spaghetti Candy, Big Meets Ten Commandments, A Jewish Lover of Christmas and Nearly Chris Farley

  “I like to smile, smiling’s my favorite” Robert is back after a brief hiatus to explore the first major Christmas classic of the new millennium, Elf. Even though he’s gone back and forth on it, Robert does consider Elf a...

  
• 03.15.2023

  Top 10 Christmas Elves

  "The best way to spread Christmas Cheer is singing loud to hear!" In anticipation for my next deep dive, Robert looks at his personal favorite Christmas elves in various movies and TV specials. While there are plenty of the traditional...

  
• 01.18.2023

  Violent Night Featuring Totally Rad Christmas!

  "Video game. Video game. Didn’t Anyone ask for a bat, a sword, or Molotov cocktails?" A new year means a new season of Behind the Bells. Today we're collaborating with Gerry from the Totally Rad Christmas! podcast to talk about...

  
• 12.21.2022

  Cozy Fire Chat: Santa's Poet Amy

  Merry Teusday Everyone! On our newest cozy fire chat, we've got our first guest from the North Pole. We have Santa's Poet Amy who took time out of her busy schedule to have some fun with Robert. Sit an enjoy...

  
• 11.15.2022

  Miracle on 34th Street (1947) Part 2: Getting Macy's to Agree, Filming the Parade and Store, a Christmas Film in Summer and Santa Wins an Oscar

  "I Believe... it's silly but I believe" The holidays are upon us! And what a better way then finish our dive into Miracle on 34th Street. Now it's time to see how Fox managed to get Macys and Gimbels to...

  
• 11.01.2022

  10 Overlooked Nostalgic Halloween Songs

  "Happy Happy Halloween, Halloween, Halloween, Happy Happy Halloween, Silver Shamrock" Happy Halloween... a day late and a Happy Christmas Podcasting Day! Today I'd thought I try something new and currate a different kind of list for some Halloween fun. I...

  
• 10.03.2022

  Miracle on 34th Street (1947): Part 1: What is Santa, The Faith of Kindness, Valentine Davies and The Lone Ranger Becomes a Writer

  "Oh, Christmas Isn't Just A Day, It's A Frame Of Mind... And That's What's Been Changing. That's Why I'm Glad I'm Here, Maybe I Can Do Something About It." I'm back! And I've got an episode that demands the...

  
• 08.15.2022

  Miracle on 34th Street (1947) Cozy Fire Chat: Gerry from Totally Rad Christmas, Scott from Holly Jolly X'Masu, & Matt from North Pole Radio

  Merry Monday everyone! Our next deep dive will cover the classic Miracle on 34th Street from 1947. But before we do, I thought it would be fun to try something new. This is the first cozy fire chat episode in...

  
• 07.11.2022

  Aaahh!!! Real Monsters: Gone Shopping

  "It reminds me of my mother. It's warm all over" (Yes, that was the most Christmas-line I could get from this episode) From the creators of Rugrats comes one show that pushed the furthest it could go with its dark...

  
• 06.07.2022

  Santa Claus the Movie: Part 2: Salkinds Santa, Dudley Moore, Mcdonalds Toys and the Downfall

  "When you've got a hit like we have, Patch, the people don't wanna wait a whole year, they're dying for a sequel! A sequel. That's it. We'll bring it out on March 25, and we'll call it... Christmas II!" With...

  
• 05.03.2022

  Rocko's Modern Life: Rocko's Modern Christmas

  "Christmas to me is forgetting their differences and coming together. Singing and laughing, celebrating the spirit of the season... you know, Christmas cheer" Now we're touching upon one of my favortie 90's cartoons! Let's talk about how Rocko's Modern Life...

  
• 04.11.2022

  Santa Claus The Movie Part 1: A Very 80's Santa, History of the Salkinds, a Father/Son Rise and Superman's Success

  "From this day on, now and forever, you will bring all our gifts to all the children in all the world and all this to be done on Christmas Eve" Santa Claus the Movie is what you'd call an 80's...

  
• 03.21.2022

  Robert's Christmas Interviews: Natalie Bickel

  Merry Monday everyone! For our second interview, we have Natalie Bickel, who has published a new children's Christmas book, The Christmas Clue. We go into her personal Christmas history (which is where she was inspired to write her story) and...

  
• 03.09.2022

  Ren and Stimpy: Son of Stimpy and A Scooter for Yaksmas

  "Why Ren, don't you know? It's Yaksmas Eve, the shabbiest day of the year!" We've done some safe family shows from Nickelodeon... how about something more edgy? It's time to talk about the insanity that is Ren and Stimpy. We'll...

  
• 02.08.2022

  Rugrats & All Grown Up: The Santa Experience, Babies in Toyland and The Finster That Stole Christmas

  "You know Tommy? You were right. Santa isn't such a bad guy after all." Continuing into doing some editorial episodes on Nickelodeon Christmas specials, it's time to look at the channels... former number one hit, Rugrats. One was made at...

  
• 01.25.2022

  Krampus Part 2: Santa Claws, Christmas Movie Inspiration, Shooting in New Zealand and Competing with Star Wars

  "St Nicholas is not coming this year. Instead, a much darker, ancient spirit. His name is Krampus" It turns out that Michael Dougherty had wanted to do a scary Christmas movie for a while. Let's see how his research in...

  
• 12.13.2021

  Home Sweet Home Alone, Featuring Tis the Podcast, Christmas Conversations, & Feliz Christmas Merry Navidad

  "I don't know why they are always trying to remake the classics. Never as good as the originals" Today we've got a special treat! Joining me are Anthony from Tis the Podcast, C.J. from Christmas Conversations and Manny from Feliz...

  
• 11.30.2021

  Doug: Doug's Christmas Story (Nickelodeon) & Doug's Secret Christmas (Disney)

  “This is supposed to be a happy time. This isn’t happy” In our first editorial episode, rather then doing a deep dive, we'll be looking into my general thoughts and opinions on whatever I want. Today I'd thought we'd...

  
• 11.22.2021

  Robert's Christmas Interviews: Ed Daly

  Merry Monday everyone! We've got something special for today! We have our first interview with Ed Daly, the author of the recently published ultimate guide on the season, "The Christmas Book". The first part has us talking about how he...

  
• 10.31.2021

  Krampus Part 1: Christmas Monsters, Shadow of St. Nicholas, Orgins of Krampus and Rise on the Internet

  "It's Christmas. Nothing Bad is going to happen on Christmas!" Happy Halloween!! Before we go into the movie, learn of Krampus' origin in Alpine Pagan Winter Traditions, how Christmas Cards gave him expansion, how the Austrian political climate may have...

  
• 09.20.2021

  Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer Part 2: Beginning of Rankin Bass, Expanding the Song, Japanese Puppeteering, and TV Airing

  "Rudolph, with your nose so bright, will you guide my sleigh tonight?" We get to the point where Arthur Rankin Jr. and songwriter Johnny Marks meet to discuss turning the classic song into an animated TV special. Time to learn...

  
• 08.23.2021

  Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer Part 1: Stop Motion Animation, From a Department Store to the North Pole, Nazi-Hunting Songwriter and a Singing Cowboy

  "Whats the matter with misfits, thats where we fit in!" Time to dive into the stop motion world of Rankin/Bass! Before we get into the special itself, it's important to go into the history of the story and song...which explains...

  
• 07.27.2021

  The Ref Part 2: Jerry Bruckheimer, From an A$$H0!E to Actor, Alternate Ending and Almost Cult Status

  "Hey! The only one who yells is me!" Film Producer Jerry Bruckheimer was about to come on because of...NASCAR. Denis Leary wanted to go from a risqué standup comic to actor and MTV commercial director Ted Demme was ready to...

  
• 07.13.2021

  The Ref Part 1: Christmas...in March, Richard Lagravenese, The Fisher King, and a 20 Minute Pitch

  "You know what this family needs? A mute" Writer Richard Lagravenense, who was raised in New York, wanted to be a playwright like Neil Simon or Eugune O' Neil. It just so happened that he also loved movies with sharp...

  
• 06.28.2021

  Mickey's Christmas Carol Part 2: Team of Animators, Getting Donald Back, Beating the Smurfs and TV Airings

  "One hundred gold pieces, and not a penny more!" Burny not only gathered his best crew, he assigned people to whichever character they wanted. So why did Disney not want them to hire back the original voice of Donald Duck?...

  
• 06.15.2021

  Mickey's Christmas Carol Part 1: Decline of Animation, Burny Mattinson's Rise and the Return of Mickey

  "If I give money to the poor, then they won't be poor anymore" At a point when Disney was putting out fewer animated projects, a young animator Burny Mattinson pitched a retelling of a Christmas Carol with Mickey and the...

  
• 05.24.2021

  Holiday Inn Part 2: Bing and Fred Together, Pearl Harbor, Fireworks and Controversial Lincoln

  "Open Holidays Only!" Irving Berlin was now ready to work with Bing Crosby and Fred Astaire to bring his story of a hotel only open on holidays to life. But there was concern to see how well their personalities would...

  
• 05.04.2021

  Holiday Inn Part 1: Irving Berlin's Success, Birth of White Christmas, and Bing Crosby, the First Multimedia Star

  "Don't Ask Why. Just go and God Bless America." Irving Berlin went from being the youngest of eight children to an immediate hit songwriter whose song "Blue Skies" would be one of the first pieces of music on film. But...

  
• 04.13.2021

  Home Alone Part 2: Daniel Stern Fired, Production Shut Down, Joe Pesci's Swear Jar and getting John Williams

  "This is it! Don't get scared now." At the start of production in Winnetka, Illinois, Home Alone seemed to have things ready to go with the entire production being done in a gym. But Daniel Stern would be fired early...

  
• 03.29.2021

  Home Alone Part 1: John Hughes, Script, Hiring Chris Columbus, and Casting a Culkin

  "Peter! We slept in!" John Hughes was in a point in his career where he would exit directing to focus on writing and producing. Though Uncle Buck would provide some help, it was actually a vacation where John got the...

  
• 03.15.2021

  Kiss Kiss Bang Bang Part 2: Casting, Shooting, and a Botched Release

  "Is she dead? No, she's just resting her eyes for a minute. Of course she's f**king dead, her neck's broken" Despite the casting of Robert Downey Jr. (the studio had hoped to cast Johnny Knoxville instead) and Val Kilmer, the...

  
• 02.22.2021

  Kiss Kiss Bang Bang Part 1: Shane Black's Failures, Pulp Detective Novels & a Romance Comedy

  "Hey, hey, hey! It's Christmas, wheres my present, Slick?" Time to go into detail of one of my favorite cult Christmas movies, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang. See how despite having a good track record, Shane Black's ego is lowered with...

  
• 02.09.2021

  Ernest Saves Christmas Part 2: Going to Camp, Disney and Christmas Production

  "I am one with the Yuletide, knowwhatImean?" Ernest Goes to Camp would prove to be a larger hit then Disney anticipated. The sequel would get a larger budget and a new location. See how the first major production in Orlando...

  
• 01.18.2021

  Ernest Saves Christmas Part 1: Birth of Ernest, First Commercials and Signing with Disney

  "Trust people. It pays off more then you think" In order to talk about Ernest Saves Christmas, I felt it was important to discuss Jim Varney's background, how he started to do commercials, how Ernest got his start, and why...

  
• 01.04.2021

  Scrooged Part 2: Shooting, Post & Release

  "It's Christmas Eve. It's... it's the one night of the year when we all act a little nicer, we... we... we smile a little easier, we... we... we cheer a little more" Richard Donner is ready to go. Bill Murray...

  
• 12.21.2020

  Scrooged Part 1: Writers, Script, Bill Murray and Richard Donner

  "I get it. You're taking me back in time to show me my mother and father, and I'm supposed to get all goosey and blubbery. Well forget it, pal, you got the wrong guy!" Today we discover that Scrooged was...

  
• 12.15.2020

  The Santa Clause Part 2: Shooting, Post, & Release

  "It is Santa! You killed him!" The shooting in Canada wasn't only warmer then expected, but Tim Allen discovers being in a fat suit in the middle of summer isn't  as pleasant as it sounds. Plus, what did Michael Eisner...

  
• 12.11.2020

  Behind the Bells Podcast Trailer

  Here's a sneak peak at what your in for. Join us each week as we explore the behind the scenes stories of your favorite Christmas movies and TV specials. 

  
• 12.07.2020

  The Santa Clause Part 1: Story, Script, Casting & Preproduction

  "Seeing isn't believing, beliving is seeing" Come join our holiday movie expert Robert Nicholas as he dwells into the history of Tim Allen's original Disney Christmas movie, The Santa Clause. Learn about how two comics originally wanted Santa to be...