Pop Culture Retrorama Podcast – Pop Culture Retrorama

Friends, we have a very special episode for all three of the podcasts, a bonus episode as it were, that is meant to act as not only my official announcement but explanation for why I am retiring. I hope you will understand that for the past 12 years that I have been fortunate enough to be considered a blogger, writer, and podcaster…I have realized recently that I am very tired. I need more however than just a break or vacation from writing daily articles and producing podcasts – I truly need to step away from the laptop and microphone – it is the appropriate time to look back at what I, as well as my fellow Pop Culture Retrorama colleagues have accomplished.

As I state on the podcast itself, I am very proud of what Allison Venezio-Preston, Ashley Thomas, Rockford Jay, Earl Green, Brett Weiss, IseeRobots, Javier Ojst, Rob O’Hara, and Gary Burton have accomplished with this site. And while I will soon shutter the Pop Culture Retrorama site and step away from writing in general, I am extremely happy to announce that Earl Green has generously offered to host not only the content on this site – but any future articles that the Pop Culture Retrorama colleagues might decide to write – on theLogBook.com. So, while I am slipping into the shadows, Pop Culture Retrorama will most assuredly live on.

I do hope that those of you who have been so kind as to visit this page, or even remember my work on the Retroist, understand that I did not come to the decision to retire lightly. Having said that, it feels like this is right path to take, thanks in no small part to my new career.

Many thanks to all of you. You have made something that I originally tackled as a hobby feel far more important, giving me a desire to write over 6000 articles and produce over 300 podcasts in the past 11 -12 years. I am grateful for your time and support, but more importantly your friendship.

From the bottom of my heart, thank you.

“Good morning, and in case I don’t see ya, good afternoon, good evening, and good night!”

Feel free to keep in touch with me on Facebook or even Twitter. Or perhaps check out the Saturday Frights Facebook Page, and Diary of an Arcade Employee!

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Friends, the Holidays are upon us once again and my fellow Pop Culture Retrorama contributors felt that it was the perfect time to get together and put out a second Holiday Special. As I mention on the show itself, if 2020 had not thrown a monkey wrench into my podcasting plans, this second Holiday Special would have in fact been the start of the second season of the Pop Culture Retrorama podcast. At the very least we hope that this new episode of PCR will help a little in getting you into the Holiday Spirit – I am not ashamed to admit that being joined by Allison, Ashley, Earl, and Rockford – sharing thoughts and memories of some of our own favorite television Holiday Specials has really brightened my own Holidays. For what it might be worth, I start off the podcast with some information on the beloved Santa Claus Is Comin’ To Town – which just ten days ago celebrated it’s 50th anniversary!

In addition on this second Holiday Special we have Allison Venezio-Preston, who talks about a memorable episode of The Hogan Family – surprisingly for a sitcom of the time – it was the only Holiday themed episode.

Earl Green joins us once again to discuss the recently released The LEGO Star Wars Holiday Special – as well as giving you a glimpse at just how very much he appreciates Porgs!

Ashley Thomas aka The Nerdy Blogger of Fangirlish – talks about her love of A Disney Channel Christmas!!!! – which originally was broadcast back in 1983. This is a special that I am very sad to say that I missed, as we were not lucky enough to have The Disney Channel at that time.

Last but certainly not least is the esteemed Rockford Jay – considering he helps keep a lid on the madness over at the Haunted Drive-In, it might not shock you to learn that he has decided to discuss a classic episode of Kolchak: The Night Stalker. One that just so happens to take place during the Holidays… and features a Werewolf on a cruise ship!

Grab your favorite Holiday snack and beverage and join us for the second Holiday Special of the Pop Culture Retrorama podcast. And from all of us here at PCR – we wish you one and all – a very safe and happy Holidays!

If you have any suggestions for topics you would like for us to cover in a future episode – or possibly you have comments on the current show itself, email them to me at [email protected] You can also contact me on Twitter and on Facebook. In addition I certainly hope you will take the time to visit the Saturday Frights Facebook Page. There you can find posts from Rockford Jay, Preston Griffith and myself on a daily basis.

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Friends, as Halloween is nearly upon us, my fellow PCR contributors felt that it might not be such a bad idea to get together and produce our second Halloween Special for the Pop Culture Retrorama podcast. As the Projectionist and myself had no plans for such a special for the Saturday Frights podcast – this sounded like an excellent idea. Besides giving those of us on the site an opportunity to help you get into the spirit of the Season – this second Holiday Special when all is said and done focuses on a lot of spooky and Halloween themed television shows and specials. For example, Rockford Jay not only shares his memories of a time that his Family threw an impressive Halloween party – but catching Trick or Treat – the pilot episode for the Tales from the Darkside series.

In addition on this second Halloween Special we have Ashley Thomas aka The Nerdy Blogger of Fangirlish – who shares her love for the 1993 animated adaptation of Ray Bradbury’s The Halloween Tree. A Holiday treat that I have shared my love for many times in the past.

Allison Venezio-Preston joins us once again, this time to talk about an episode of Quantum Leap, one that surprisingly wasn’t released in time for Halloween back in the day. But after hearing her segment, I think you will agree that it is a perfect episode to watch during the Season.

Earl Green shares his thoughts on the recently released Doctor Who: Fury From the Deep – a formerly lost episode during the Patrick Troughton era of the television show. A story that involves the Doctor and his companions getting mixed up in an investigation of an odd sort of seaweed – one capable of both mind control and even poisoning it’s victims.

As for myself, I talk a little about Walt Disney’s The Scarecrow of Romney Marsh, the 1963 adaptation featuring Patrick McGoohan (The Prisoner) as the Reverend Dr. Christopher Syn aka the Scarecrow. The character who first appeared in the 1915 book entitled Dr. Syn: A Tale of Romney Marsh by Russell Thorndike.

While the official release of the second season of the Pop Culture Retrorama podcast is still a month or so away – we hope you are enjoying the new direction of the show so far. Without further ado, have a safe and Happy Halloween as you listen to our second Halloween Special.

If you have any suggestions for topics you would like for us to cover in a future episode – or possibly you have comments on the current show itself, email them to me at [email protected] You can also contact me on Twitter and on Facebook. In addition I certainly hope you will take the time to visit the Saturday Frights Facebook Page. There you can find posts from Rockford Jay, Preston Griffith and myself on a daily basis.

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Friends, as the last episode of the first season for the Pop Culture Retrorama podcast was back in March – I am willing to bet that waking up to find a brand new episode was pretty low on your list of things to expect today. The reason for this new show as I mention in the podcast itself, is to not only remind folks that the show is still being produced – but to also give you a taste of the new direction the podcast is taking. I will still be doing in depth episodes on all manner of pop culture related subjects – case in point for this show – the animated Saturday Morning Godzilla series from 1978. However, for the second season of the Pop Culture Retrorama podcast I will be joined by fellow writers from this site – all discussing their own subjects. For example, Rockford Jay shares some history on Queen’s memorable “Don’t Stop Me Now” – which just so happens to have been released in 1978.

Also joining us on this episode we have Ashley Thomas aka The Nerdy Blogger of Fangirlish – who shares the sad news that we have lost Norm Spencer – the voice of Cyclops from the X-Men animated series. Thomas provides her own memories of the talented Spencer but also provides some remembrances of those who worked with him – such as Cal Dodd (Wolverine) and Lenore Zann (Rogue).

Allison Venezio-Preston has decided to give everyone the lowdown on the updated Mall Madness board game – which includes new characters and stores – but still sounds like it is just as fun as the original 1989 game.

The esteemed Earl Green is also on this episode – taking time out of his busy schedule at The Log Book and writing for this site to discuss 1978’s Star Bird by Milton Bradley. A science fiction toy that I too coveted in my youth.

Bear in mind that the second season of the Pop Culture Retrorama podcast will not start until we are finished with the current season of the Saturday Frights podcast. So we hope you will enjoy this sneak peek at how the new PCR show will presented in the near future.

If you have any suggestions for topics you would like for us to cover in a future episode -or possibly you have comments on the current show itself, email them to me at [email protected] You can also contact me on Twitter and on Facebook. In addition I certainly hope you will take the time to visit the Saturday Frights Facebook Page. There you can find posts from Rockford Jay, Preston Griffith and myself on a daily basis.

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Friends, with the end of March fast approaching I’ve found myself running out of time on producing the latest Pop Culture Retrorama podcast – which means in the end that it has been nearly two months since the last episode. Quite frankly with the way things have been going of late I haven’t quite felt I possessed the energy to do all of the research for the new show – that goes for both Diary of An Arcade Employee as well as the Saturday Frights podcast. So I thought I would sit down in front of the microphone and talk about the state of the shows and what has been weighing on my mind in regard to their direction and possible futures. Don’t worry, as I state in this bonus episode for all three podcasts (crosses fingers that it uploads to all three properly) – I’m not doing anything drastic like quitting writing or podcasting. This is just a situation where I can sit down and say “Hey, let’s talk about the podcasts”!

In addition I hope besides acting as an apology to all of you that have been loyal to the podcasts – you will understand the circumstances that have delayed the shows. As well perhaps as some new directions I might take – if you the listeners think that is prudent – with each podcast. As always with an episode I am honest with you – although in this case I hope in addition I been able to properly explain the situation I find myself in as a creator. Actually even though it is addressed in this bonus episode, if you possibly have thought about becoming a writer and might like to share your personal memories and experiences on pop culture or retro related subjects – throw me a line at [email protected]!

All right then, I want to thank you for taking the time out of your busy schedule to listen to this Let’s talk about the podcasts episode – to say nothing of your support and understanding in the matter of tardiness of said shows.

You can also contact me on Facebook or even Twitter. Or perhaps check out the Saturday Frights Facebook Page, Diary of an Arcade Employee, and Pop Culture Retrorama Facebook page?

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For this first episode of the Pop Culture Retrorama Podcast of 2020 – we are taking a trip back to 1987 to discuss Hasbro’s Visionaries: Knights of the Magical Light toy line. An action figure series that managed to combine both a science fiction and fantasy setting with a line of medieval action figures who were sporting holographic stickers. As I explain in the episode itself by 1987 3D hologram stickers were quite in fashion – giving kids and fans of pop culture the ability to slap holographic images of their favorite Autobots and Decepticons or members of The A-Team on whatever they might wish. Although as I attempt to explain on this show – that popularity sadly did not extend itself to the Visionaries: Knights of the Magical Light line of toy and vehicles.

Now I am obviously not saying that Visionaries: Knights of the Magical Light was a bad toy line – quite the opposite – it was quite amazing, however it failed back in 1987 to find the audience that Hasbro was seeking. One other thing I feel I need to add is that compared to most of the shows I’ve done for the Pop Culture Retrorama podcast – this was one a beast to research. With the Visionaries not finding success it was like pulling teeth to find any real information on who was responsible for the creation of the toy line – as well as those stunning 3D holograms used on the toys and vehicles themselves. Thankfully I stumbled upon The Visionaries.Net – who gave me my first big piece of knowledge to work with. As promised in the episode I also must give thanks to Bot Talk.Com for a wonderful interview with one of the sculptors for said holograms – David Dann.

Also on this show I reveal that for 33 years I was under the impression that Marvel Comics had a hand in the creation of The Visionaries – much like they had with both G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero and The Transformers. Turns out I’ve been quite wrong all these years… sort of… but in the show I share how Hasbro and Marvel Comics did become successful partners – a story shared by Jim Shooter with the Graphic NYC site.

If you have any suggestions for topics you would like for us to cover in a future episode – or possibly you have comments on the current show itself, email them to me at [email protected] You can also contact me on Facebook or even Twitter. Or perhaps check out the Pop Culture Retrorama Facebook page? There you can find posts a couple of times a day – featuring vintage commercials, comic book ads and toys.

The theme used at the beginning and ending of this episode was provided by Earl Green, if you enjoy his work, make sure to check out his exceptional spot on the internet – TheLogBook.com – let him know we sent you.

As always I have done my best to give you information on those behind the scenes who made the Visionaries a memorable brand – in particular with the excellent animated series. That includes letting you know the ridiculous amount of talent they had with the voice actors – such as Roscoe Lee Brown, Jonathan Harris, Jim Cumming, Neil Ross, Chris Latta, Peter Cullen, Susan Blu and more.

All right then, I want to thank you for taking the time out of your busy schedule to listen to the show – now come with me to the Planet Prysmos and learn of the Visonaries: Knights of the Magical Light!

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While this latest episode of the Pop Culture Retrorama podcast was indeed intended to be published on Christmas Eve, it just did not work out that way – having said that the message of the 1977 A Cosmic Christmas obviously is perfect for today. With the Holidays upon us it just felt right to tackle this particular television Holiday special that was produced by Nelvana Ltd. for the Canadian Broadcasting Company back in the day – although as I mention in the episode itself, I came to love it thanks to a local video store in the early ’80s. It was packaged with three additional Holiday TV specials that Nelvana had produced… it was a VHS tape that I was so attached to that my Father at one point refused to ever rent it for me again. As I attempt on every podcast – I shine a light on the creation of not only A Cosmic Christmas but in this case the founding of Nelvana – the extremely prolific Canadian animation studio. In addition I share with you a little history on the original three founders of the studio and the rather impressive projects they had a hand in. A Cosmic Christmas is an animated treat for the Holidays with a delightful and most assuredly different style of animation!

As a first fully animated half hour project for Nelvana – A Cosmic Christmas has a few rough spots but the amount of talent involved with the special shines through. Not the least of which includes having Sylvia Tyson providing the songs – she is probably best known for penning the incredibly catchy “You Were On My Mind” – a chart topping ditty covered by The We Five!

I point this out on the show itself but for some reason A Cosmic Christmas is not available on DVD or Blu-Ray at this time but at the very least you can pick up a copy on Amazon Streaming. And for what it’s worth if you really want a deep dive into the history of Nelvana, you will want to put aside a little bit of time and read this 2001 article from Kidscreen – like with many groundbreaking ideas – it is kind of amazing just how much luck and self-confidence played into the company making it big.

The story for A Cosmic Christmas involves three alien visitors arriving on Earth in modern times – trying to find an answer to a question their people have been seeking for a very long time. The good news is thanks to Keep It Weird‘s YouTube Channel you can actually watch A Cosmic Christmas for yourself – although there are some slight edits to this version of the animated special.

If you have any suggestions for topics you would like for us to cover in a future episode – or possibly you have comments on the current show itself, email them to me at [email protected] You can also contact me on Facebook or even Twitter. Or perhaps check out the Pop Culture Retrorama Facebook page? There you can find posts a couple of times a day – featuring vintage commercials, comic book ads and toys.

The theme used at the beginning and ending of this episode was provided by Earl Green, if you enjoy his work, make sure to check out his exceptional spot on the internet – TheLogBook.com – let him know we sent you.

As always thank you for taking the time to listen to the show – from all of us at Pop Culture Retrorama we wish you a very Happy Holiday!

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While it is most certainly a couple of days after Thanksgiving I felt I should do my best to get a Pop Culture Retrorama podcast out today – a look at the top 5 Thanksgiving Specials that helped me through this month. If you are a fan of the Saturday Frights podcast you might have realized that sadly there was no new show for the month of November, in this Pop Culture Retrorama special episode I explain why that is. It is a very valid reason and as I mention in the show itself – this special today is in part an apology for not being able to get more podcasts out this month. As I also mention, not all of the specials are the kind we think of during this Holiday season – say like 1968’s The Mouse on the Mayflower – in fact some of the offerings on this top 5 list are just Thanksgiving themed television episodes. I do feel however after saying all of that you won’t be too shocked by what made my list of must-see Thanksgiving Specials.

Being a special podcast episode, this year’s Top 5 Thanksgiving Specials runs just a little shorter than a standard show. I have done my best to give you a brief synopsis for each entry on the list as well as bring along a few audio treats for your listening pleasure. In addition I fervently hope you will share your own must-see Thanksgiving Specials that you watched this Holiday season in the comments section below. Furthermore I hope there might be one or two on the list that you’ve not had the pleasure of catching before – maybe you can track them down while you are taking a break from shopping or throwing that big Thanksgiving get together.

As I always do I share my personal recollections and connections with each of the entries on the Top 5 Thanksgiving Specials list. I also take a moment at the end of this podcast to share a few of the things that I am extremely grateful for – which not to be a spoiler most assuredly includes you – for taking the time out of your busy schedule to listen to the show.

If you have any suggestions for topics you would like for us to cover in a future episode -or possibly you have comments on the current show itself, email them to me at [email protected] You can also contact me on Facebook or even Twitter. Or perhaps check out the Pop Culture Retrorama Facebook page? There you can find posts a couple of times a day – featuring vintage commercials, comic book ads and toys.

The theme used at the beginning and ending of this episode was provided by Earl Green, if you enjoy his work, make sure to check out his exceptional spot on the internet – TheLogBook.com – let him know we sent you.

Subscribe to the Pop Culture Retrorama Podcast:

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As I made mention on the previous Pop Culture Retrorama podcast for 1980’s The Blues Brothers – I felt that since this was the month of October, there needed to be a special episode. Which is why I chose to talk a bit about the 1980 monster-themed Saturday morning animated series known as the Drak Pack. A show in which the teenage descendants of the likes of Dracula, the Wolf Man, and Frankenstein’s Monster have teamed up to protect the World their forefathers menaced. As I touch upon in the podcast the Drak Pack was part of CBS’ line up for 1980 which actually included quite a few animated shows that I used to watch. Personally what stands out about the Drak Pack is the almost ridiculous amount of talent in regards to the actors who lent their voices for the characters. I want to add that since this is a Halloween Special – the format of this particular podcast is a little different than the standard show, for one thing it is not as long as the other Pop Culture Retrorama podcasts. Furthermore I felt there should be more examples of the voice work of that talent on the Drak Pack – perhaps you should think of this as a bonus episode.

As I point out on this show, the Drak Pack was a very short lived Hanna-Barbera animated series. Only 16 episodes were produced but I still find it to be quite fun – I do however give my theory on why the show wasn’t picked up for a second season. Unlike some of the other subjects I have tackled for the podcast there is not a whole lot of behind the scenes information to share with you. Although having said that there is one in particular I discovered about the Drak Pack that will probably surprise you as much as it did me.

As I always try to do on the Pop Culture Retroram shows, I share my personal connections to the subject matter – in this case how I first learned of the The Drak Pack and how it influenced me as a child. I hope you will enjoy this brief look at that 1980 animated series and perhaps it might cause you to seek it out for yourself – it is at least the perfect thing to check out on Halloween!

Speaking of things you should check out on Halloween – I mention a handful of podcasts that you will probably enjoy:
Anthony Rotolo’s TV Terror Podcast – focusing on made for TV horror films and series.
Post Mortem with Mick Garris – the Director, Writer, and Producer of many horror films as well as some made for TV fare always has interesting guests on his show – from the likes of Tony Todd to Stephen King. Be warned there is sometimes adult language from Mick’s guests so it might be considered NSFW.
The Retroist – one of the oldest and most well respected retro podcasts that you will find – his latest show is about 1987’s Werewolf.
The Horrified Chicken Podcast – featuring both Sean and Nicole Johnson who tackle all manner of horror films from all eras – the likes of Silver Bullet to Rob Zombie’s take on the Halloween franchise. It too has adult language and should be considered NSFW.

If you have any suggestions for topics you would like for us to cover

The theme used at the beginning and ending of this episode was provided by Earl Green, if you enjoy his work, make sure to check out his exceptional spot on the internet – TheLogBook.com – let him know we sent you.

Subscribe to the Pop Culture Retrorama Podcast:

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Friends, this particular Pop Culture Retrorama podcast is running a bit late to say the very least. The show today is all about 1980’s The Blues Brothers in addition to how the likes of Dan Aykroyd and the late and great John Belushi came up with the characters of Elwood and Jake Blues. In truth this show should have been out weeks ago but as I touch upon in the episode itself there was quite a bit of research to be done in addition to the fact there is a whole lot of stories that have been told about the making of this cult classic musical. That is what The Blues Brothers is by the way, sure there is comedy and some amazing car chases and a record breaking number of vehicle pile-ups – but at it’s heart this still amazing film is 100% a musical. If nothing else after listening to the podcast I hope I am able to help you see the light on that matter.

For this podcast on The Blues Brothers I delve into the rather interesting backstory of how John and Dan met and became friends – it might surprise you how long the basic idea of the characters were gestating in the mind of Aykroyd. I also discuss some of the hurdles the duo had to overcome before getting the chance to bring Jake and Elwood to the big screen – as mentioned in the show some of the mind-boggling troubles with the production of the film itself was revealed thanks to an amazing 2012 article I found from Vanity Fair by Ned Zeman. If you really want to learn about some of the more heavier aspects of 1980’s The Blues Brothers you owe it to yourself to read Zeman’s article.

As I always do with the Pop Culture Retrorama podcast – I have shared my personal connection to the subject matter. In this case when I first saw the film and my happy recollections of how my Father responded to the film’s humor. In addition I have provided a few brief clips from the film itself and even a little bit of audio goodness by way of the Blues Brothers band.

If you have any suggestions for topics you would like for us to cover in a future episode -or possibly you have comments on the current show itself, email them to me at [email protected] You can also contact me on Facebook or even Twitter. Or perhaps check out the Pop Culture Retrorama Facebook page? There you can find posts a couple of times a day – featuring vintage commercials, comic book ads and toys.

The theme used at the beginning and ending of this episode was provided by Earl Green, if you enjoy his work, make sure to check out his exceptional spot on the internet – TheLogBook.com – let him know we sent you.

Subscribe to the Pop Culture Retrorama Podcast:

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Episode Mirror #1 (MP3)

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