Every day after school, I would take my little latchkey self home and immediately turn on the WAVE TV 3 afternoon movie. They were always things that were not meant for mine young eyes, and I was dealt more than a few traumas from them. Easily in my top three was the 1973 made-for-tv film Outrage with Robert Culp. The scene that did me in was when a group of thugs lured Culp's sweet St. Bernard into the street and ran him over. The drive of that car is today's guest! But don't worry, Tom Leopold is an actual dog lover, and he happens to have done a lot more than just harass Robert Culp.

As an actor he started with a Sidney Lumet film, worked with legends like George Burns and Steve Allen, and was almost The Fonz. As a writer he has written some of the most iconic episodes of beloved shows like Seinfeld and Cheers. He has stories for days and he shared many of them. We also talk about the process of writing for a tv show, the difference between a writer's room and flying solo, and what to do when a clown shows up late to the audition.

Find out more about Tom here:

Instagram

See him at his most dastardly here:

Outrage (Yes, it's cued to that scene, so viewer beware.)

Over the years, Bob Blackburn has become one of the de facto curators of the writings of Ed Wood, Jr. To the point that today he is one half of the Ed Wood, Jr. Estate. Starting with a chance meeting of his then neighbor, Kathy Wood (Pictured above with Bob), Bob has collected all things Eddie from books, to short stories, to unproduced screenplays. He even has one of Ed's last angora sweaters. Bob and I talk about his friendship with Kathy, how he began his collection, and, of course, a lot of Ed Wood, Jr.

His new book, Kathy Wood and I: How I Fell Down the Ed Wood, Jr. Angora Rabbit Hole is available wherever books are sold.

See Bob's Show-N-Tell of Eddie memorabilia here.

Find more Bob here:

Kathy Wood and I

Ed Wood, Jr. Facebook Group

If you would prefer to support one of the last truly independent bookstores in Indiana, you can order directly from Irvington Vinyl and Books, or from Bookshop.org which will support the store, as well.

Dana Gould, Fred Olen Ray, and Bob Blackburn join me to talk about one of the most misunderstood and unfairly maligned filmmakers of all time, Edward D. Wood, Jr. in celebration of what would have been Ed's 100th birthday. I could not have gotten a better group of people to talk to about this topic as Bob has compiled books of Ed's essays and short stories and has just released a book about his friendship with Kathy Wood, Ed's widow. Dana Gould has produced Ed's unproduced scripts and has staged readings of Plan 9 From Outer Space every year for some time now. A very young Fred Olen Ray commissioned an original screenplay from Ed when he first came to Hollywood.

Together, we talk about the movies, the writings, and the man, though we occasionally stray a little off topic. Listeners are bound to come away from this one with a completely different view of a man most people only know through the Tim Burton biopic. This episode was a complete joy for me and I think you will all feel the same.

Bob Blackburn runs the Ed Wood, Jr. Facebook group which can be found here. He also just released his memoir, Kathy Wood and I which you can order from one of the best bookstores around, Irvington Vinyl and Books.

Fred Olen Ray's new book, Hellbent for Hollywood: A Director's Journey, can be found here, and he also runs the incredibly deep catalogue of Retromedia.

Dana Gould can be found here where you can not only find merch, but also his fantastic podcast, The Dana Gould Hour. Also, be sure to check out Hangin' with Dr. Z.

A Ben Evans Film is a short movie that my son and I worked on back in 2019. We met and became friends with many of the movie's crew and talent, including one of the directors, James Henry Hall, and the star, Sky Elobar. Tody, James and Sky join me to tell me about their work in trying to make a feture length version of the movie happen.

Based on a story by Josh Malerman (Birdbox), A Ben Evans Film follows an obsessed amateur filmmaker determined to fulfill his cinematic vision, even though his two main stars, his own parents, are now dead. Both horrifying and funny, the short movie brings viewers into the world of Ben's madness.

To contribute, reach out to Anthony DiMaria at, [email protected]

See the short:

Vimeo

YouTube

Find out more about James here.

Find out more about Sky here.

Today I get to talk to one of my favorite artists and pop culture\sleaze encyclopedia, Mitch O'Connell. From a very early age, Mitch knew he wanted to be an artist, and his love of watching The Ghoul and Svenghoulie became his muse. From the utterly hilarious to the outright bizarre, if it's kitschy or cult, Mitch is likely going to draw it.

He tells me about being a teenager travelling alone to NYC to schlep his portfolio to comic book publishers, magazines, and anywhere else he thought might need art, all while taking time out to avoid the rats in the movie theaters of Time's Square. He tells me about dropping out of art school, because he had begun working professionally, which was way better. We talk Tor Johnson, John Waters, and the spritual joy and comfort we both find in the cheapest of B-movies. He also tells me about his wonderfully infamous Time's Square billboard mocking the then Presidential candidate Trump.

Find out more about Mitch here:

Mitch O'Connell

Etsy

Threadless

Instagram

You can also hit up my friend Elysia at Irvington Vinyl and Books. She can get you a copy of any of Mitch's books, and you'll be supporting one of the last independent book stores in Indiana.

Part two of my chat with the great Michael J Weldon continues as it left off, with me acting like a complete fanboy, because I totally am! Michael tells me about founding the magazine and running a record store in prime era NYC. He tells me about what types of movies are even too tasteless for him, how watching everything being sent to him eventually became wearing, and the joys of Devo. Getting to finally spend time with him was a true delight.

If you don't have the Psychotronic Video Guide, what are you waiting for? Hit up my friend Elysia at Irvington Vinyl and Books and see if she can scrounge up a used copy for you. Support one of the last independent book stores in Indiana.

Find out more about what Michael is up to, check out his store in Augusta, GA here:

Psychotronic Augusta

Psychotronic Magazine founder and all around cool guy, Michael J. Weldon has long been a wishlist guest for me and I finally got him! Michael joins me to talk about seeing The Cramps at a house party in 1978, watching b-horror movies as a kid, opening Psychotronic Video, and being one of the first vendors outside of Seattle to carry movies from Something Weird Video. (Now led by previous podcast guest, Lisa Petrucci.) We talk about the joys of nudie cuties, music, and I learn of the existence of an Orgy of the Dead paperback book. Michael is an encyclopedia of all the things we love and he's happy to share it with us all.

If you don't have the Psychotronic Video Guide, what are you waiting for? Hit up my friend Elysia at Irvington Vinyl and Books and see if she can scrounge up a used copy for you. Support one of the last independent book stores in Indiana.

Find out more about what Michael is up to, check out his store in Augusta, GA here:

Psychotronic Augusta

It's the one and only Brue Vilanch! One of the most prolific and versatile comedy writers of his or any generation joins me to talk about his incredible career that began over five decades ago and is still going strong today. Bruce talks about his youth in Patterson, NJ, the joy of seeing his first Broadway show, writing for some of the most iconic voices of the times, and being the go to person when a joke needs to be punched up. He tells me about meeting Bette Midler, which led to their decades long working relationship and personal friendship. And of course, we talk about The Paul Lynde Halloween Special and the notorious, yet legendary, Star Wars Holiday Special. It was a true treat to get to talk to him and I am thrilled to finally share it with all of you!

Find more about Bruce here:

Bruce!: My Adventures in the Skin Trade and Other Essays

If you would prefer to support one of the last truly independent bookstores in Indiana, you can order directly from Irvington Vinyl and Books, or from Bookshop.org which will support the store, as well.

You can also follow Bruce on Facebook.

I am back after a bit of an unplanned hiatus! (Sorry, gang. I started a new job and it has been an adjustment for me.) Today, Steve Stoliar and I continue our conversation picking up with him telling me how he got the job with Groucho. He tells me about his time in the house, his struggles with Erin Flemming, and his joys at meeting legends of old Hollywood. He also tells me about his life after Groucho, his freindships with Dick Cavett and Woody Allen, and his work as a writer and voiceover artist.

Find out more about Steve, and even order an autographed copy of his books here.

If you would prefer to support one of the last truly independent bookstores in Indiana, you can order directly from Irvington Vinyl and Books, or from Bookshop.org which will support the store, as well.

Steve Stoliar is a man of many talents. He's a gifted mimic, voiceover artist, writer, and pop culture historian. At the age of 19, he was hired on as an assistant to the legendary Groucho Marx. Soon, he was working as the comedian's principal archivist and friend, spending evenings with the likes of Mae West, S.J. Perlman, and Zeppo. His book, Raised Eyebrows, My Years Inside Groucho's House, details his time with Groucho and is a compelling read.

In this episode, we tlak about Steve's youth in St. Louis, moving to Los Angeles at a young age, being terrified by The Shaggy Dog, and all things Marx Brothers. We also talk about the joys of discovering old things like movies and books.

Find out more about Steve, and even order an autographed copy of his books here.

If you would prefer to support one of the last truly independent bookstores in Indiana, you can order directly from Irvington Vinyl and Books, or from Bookshop.org which will support the store, as well.