Sam and Beth opt for a little levity this episode, after 2 historic gold medal and thrilling performances by U.S. Women’s and Men’s Hockey in the Olympics. The playoff chase is also coming down to the wire in the NHL and PWHL.

Consider this episode our tribute to those winsome rapscallions- the kings and queens of municipal ice rinks, or frozen solid mill ponds, as well as their insanely devoted fan base.

No other duo has quite the unique talent of breaking the fourth wall without breaking it— taking us along for the ride on the inside, with a wink and a nod, to show us how things really are. This is Hill’s and Newman’s super power.

Nancy Dowd’s script is alive with the language of the locker room and the chirping of the ice. The film isn’t mired in the sentimentality of a bygone era of steel mills, union halls, and local minor league hockey. It lives and breathes, and is self-aware that the simplicity of that the microcosm, by 1977, was quickly slipping away. In subtle ways, Slap Shot is prophetic.

It’s a tale of Sisyphean struggle, and sometimes the only way out, is by using a little imagination.

Episode links:

“Slap Shot revisited with Dave Hanson” https://youtu.be/xA8G6omkAwI?si=n40YKWU53bEwGC3T

Author Says Her ‘Slap Shot’ , New York Times, Mar. 3, 1977. https://www.nytimes.com/1977/03/03/archives/author-says-her-slap-shot-talk-is-realistic.html?smid=url-share

Johnstown Hockey History https://youtu.be/EhxRR6mdtbs?si=l-4KXU9cTZ8M6nna

First of all, a plethora of apologies in advance for the technical difficulties we had both recording and editing this episode. We always try to do our best with every deposit we make in our listeners pod banks. We thought this film would be a fitting entry as winter (hopefully soon) comes to its conclusion. With spring comes renewed hope, and new chances to start again—to grow in a new direction.

Episode links:

https://www.battlefields.org/learn/civil-war/battles/crater

Source: National Park Service (.gov) https://share.google/oqwjlkwZQsvlCmmwn

https://youtu.be/0C0mDzFviro?si=pdwVab_jAHyk4Ef4

There is so much going on in the world right now, that Sam and I aren’t even going to attempt feigning blissful ignorance. Suffice to say that certain patterns in history repeat. Empires may rise and fall, and while it is frequently the so-called “small” lives that suffer and bear the burden of humanity’s hubris, it is those same small lives that pick up the pieces, one by one, to survive, to make, and to renew another day.

Please enjoy what we think is a timely episode—Warren Beatty’s magnum opus, Reds.

Episode links: Emma Goldman “An exceedingly dangerous woman” https://youtu.be/BviTcbeRz8o?si=N26oNL-FIOCHhsaM

Jerzy Kosinski’s fall from grace: Investigating a literary smear campaign https://www.vanityfair.com/style/2023/11/jerzy-kosinski-fall-from-grace

Red Milwaukee: America’s socialist experiment https://youtu.be/h8EmRZ3n9LQ?si=20VbHLlO3oT0bpj1

The Farmer Labor Movement: a Minnesota Story https://youtu.be/0jZi1BvK3-A?si=ergV62tJsiFpeq7z

What is Anarchism? https://youtu.be/5Ocv71Nt-Lo?si=sxJwcigc_jriKbjR

The Mischief of George Plimpton The Mischief of George Plimpton https://medium.com/@andrewszanton/the-mischief-of-george-plimpton-106b85b2abfe

2026 is here. Like many of you, Sam and I had both hoped that we could sweep up the negative detritus of the past year and heave it in the dustbin along with the torn bits of ribbon and holiday wrapping paper. In less than 30 days 2026 already feels like a future spiraling headlong and out of control. It makes one want to escape, and seek out a peaceful place where all of humanity can be welcome, but also healed.

Shangri-La is such a place.

Please join Sam and I for this in depth discussion of Frank Capra’s masterpiece based on James Hilton’s bestselling novel from 1933.

Human history has a very strange way of repeating itself.

Episode links:

Lost Horizon DVD-Special Feature https://youtu.be/3s6p5weJrwE?si=y6EoBdrL_igBIJ7-

The Road to Shangri-La https://youtu.be/Xrpo1_GQp04?si=loTJGS9OrXBm11ia

Shangri-La Lost Treasures of Tibet https://youtu.be/HSSU58ZrqwE?si=7MoG0jW7EpZc70Bj

Three Dog Night - Shambala (song) https://open.spotify.com/track/0P6fEgTn3cxLLyYTJYoYGj?si=Rou6YezLRgqGvkmT1Z3opg

Sam and Beth have pulled out all the stops for this Christmas Special EXTRAVAGANZA!

We take a meandering deep dive into the 1951 Christmas classic, and make our lists for some of the best versions of this time honored tale, as well as examine the ancient traditions celebrated during this time of year.

But wait, there’s more!

We have fashioned, by our own humble hands and feeble minds—Christmas gifts for you dear listeners, that await you, and that we lovingly tucked under the tree.

Please grab a cup of warming grog or nog, and sit with us by the fire, won’t you?

May all your holiday prayers and wishes be realized with the coming of the New Year.

Kids, it’s that time of year again. Who needs hunky bachelors decked out in flannel in some quaint little New England or Midwestern hamlet oozing Christmas drip?

Not us.

Sam picked out a nice alternative to the typical film faire for the Yuletide season. Dead End is a strange little film, but well crafted given its modest budget, and wonderfully acted by veterans Ray Wise and Lin Shaye.

The film plays with the gruesomeness possessed in one’s imagination. It doesn’t go for the cheap jump scares, but instead builds on atmosphere and the tension of the mundane, like getting lost on a never ending lonely two lane road, and wondering what will happen in the dark when the needle hits “E” .

For those of you who are purists about your Christmas scares, fear not, because we have a classic to follow up this episode, right before the fat man in the red suit arrives. Have fun this holiday season, be safe, and most of all, don’t take any shortcuts.

Welp it’s that time of year again, when the panoply of denizens of this great country hustle and bustle to jump to that first flag drop that sets us all on course for the madness that is the holiday season. Some will sojourn home from school, some will head to the airport, and some will cram the spousal and kids (both furry or unfurry) into the car and head up the road, or maybe just around the block, to partake in the gustatory bacchanalia we know as Thanksgiving.

Sam and I have picked out a special film that we hope will whet and prep our listener’s appetites for the holiday onslaught. Thanksgiving has a complicated history, and maybe that’s why the very nature of this holiday forces us as good citizens, to be tolerant and civil towards our drunken and opinionated kinfolk over the green bean casserole. It’s only one day out of the year, and there is always something to be thankful for (like maybe not having to host the chaos).

We hope everyone has a warm, safe, and contented celebration surrounded by the people that matter the most to them.

Episode links: “Tasting History with Max Miller” https://youtu.be/ixTkzBuD-cw?si=Vexgk1vZ8tGhDhR5

Film locations Hannah and Her Sisters https://www.woodyallenpages.com/2015/02/votw-every-location-hannah-sisters-architecture-tour/

“BA Kitchen makes the perfect Thanksgiving” https://youtu.be/iV3p2P7jA2A?si=GlwYCKKaBi8hmURO

Not much to say other than this film was groundbreaking in creating a new genre, and responsible for introducing one of the most iconic heroes in cinema. Rick Tetrault joins Beth for this episode.

We also close the episode with our recommendations for Halloween viewing, some titles both familiar and obscure, but with guaranteed creep factor.

Happy Halloween kids, and may all your candy be delicious. 🎃👻💀🪦

Do you struggle with emotional upsets? Are you self-conscious, or chronically shy? Are you missing out on all the good weenie roasts? If you don’t want your friends to think you are a “drip” then put those ear buds in and check out our latest episode featuring our in depth discussion on Coronet Films. These films were extremely popular and common tools in public school classrooms from the 1940s all the way up to the 1980s. With production based in Chicago, the films were extremely homogeneous and saturated with Midwest sensibilities. While Coronet was not the only company producing educational social guidance films, they are probably the most widely known. It is easy to criticize these films for their lack of diversity, sexism, and obvious whitewashing of the social landscape. However, they did provide some sound fundamental life strategies especially when addressing issues like self-confidence, communication, and interpersonal relationships with friends and family. In this episode we look at all of it —the good, the bad, and the ugly. These films are great to poke fun at, but they are also an important frame of reference to see both how far, or how little we have grown as one American community.

May we all buy ranges with “Deep Well Cookers” in the future.