The Wilder Ride

The remaining episodes of our breakdown of National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation are only available to our Patreon subscribers. However, we wanted to put out a short teaser of what you can expect to hear if you were to become a subscriber at the $10/month or higher level. In this excerpt, Clark Griswold is at the lingerie counter at the mall and has regressed to a 14 year old's brain. Hosts Alan Sanders and Walt Murray describe this scene and find a way to tie it to the theme of 2001: A Space Odyssey, aka, Also Sprach Zarathustra. You may never think of that piece of music the same way ever again.

If you want to get the entire episode, come join The Wilder Ride on Patreon by going to Patreon.com/TheWilderRide. Sign up at the, "You deserve a toast with the Waco Kid," level or higher and you can be guaranteed to get access to all of the remaining episodes of Christmas Vacation. And, if you missed it, you can go back and catch up on the Halloween special, Poltergeist.

And, regardless of subscriber status, make sure to join us on our Listeners Group on Facebook by going to Facebook.com/TheWilderRide and clicking on the JOIN GROUP button.

Our listeners have spoken! Our newest Patreon show will breakdown the holiday classic, National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation. From now until Christmas, we will release 7 episodes. The first one is free to everyone. The remaining six shows will drop weekly from now until Christmas Eve on our Patreon page. The main take away from the opening credits is a concept we call, the Griswold Effect.

In our first episode, we discover "The Griswold Effect" is able make even the best of us behave like total idiots. In the opening credits, we can see how Santa Claus falls victim to this effect. We end the episode just as Clark's boss is about to talk to him about his "crunch enhancer."

The opening credits transition to Clark Griswold picking a fight with two red necks in a pickup truck. This leads to a near-death event on the road before they launch through a snowbank and into a Christmas tree lot. They then hike the frozen Yukon and find the perfect Christmas tree, without any regard for its size. Once home, it becomes obvious the tree is far too big for their living room. However, Clark insists it is perfect, even after springing the limbs free, breaking two windows in the process.

While Clark and Ellen retire and he deals with sticky, sap on his hands, they begin to chat about the holidays. We learn they will be hosting each of their families for a huge holiday celebration. The next morning, we discover the main reason for Clark's actions is his hope to receive a large Christmas bonus. This detail is actually at the core of the events of the rest of the film. As we proceed throughout the next six episodes, we will break down the remainder of the movie, ending on Christmas Eve.

This is a teaser promo for our Patreon podcast where we breakdown the 1982 ghost story classic, Poltergeist, in five episodes. Alan and Walt give the film the Wilder Ride treatment, analyzing the movie while taking listeners on several side trips along the way. This promo is taken from the fifth episode. If you like what you hear, you'll love taking the deep-dive into all five episodes of Poltergeist.

As part of a Halloween-themed special bonus show, we decided to break down the 1982 ghost classic, Poltergeist, in a five-part series. We open with a discussion over how we chose this film and our earliest memories of the movie. We then start with the playing of the Star Spangled Banner. Once the static comes on the TV, something about it wakes young Carol Anne and she comes downstairs to have a conversation with someone on the other side of the screen. We are then introduced to a day-in-the-life of the Freeling family, culminating with the death of Tweetie, their yellow Canary and an eventual thunderstorm. The storm ends up getting Robbie and Carol Anne in mom and dad's bed. We end this episode as we began, with the playing of the Star Spangled Banner and a return to static. Carol Anne suddenly sits up in bed, interested in what sounds might be coming through the television.

This first episode is available free to all followers and subscribers of the regular seasons of The Wilder Ride. The remaining four episodes will only be available to subscribers at our associated Patreon page. Don't forget to follow us on Twitter, LIKE us on Facebook and then come join our closed Facebook Listener's Group!

This is a bonus to the end of season one where we spent time with Gene Wilder Biographer, Brian Scott Mednick. We discuss the impetus behind the biography and then focus on the big three films of Gene Wilder. We start with a short history of Gene Wilder, including the film, Bonnie and Clyde and The Producers before shifting to Willy Wonka, Blazing Saddles and Young Frankenstein.

Brian's book is called, Gene Wilder: Funny and Sad and it can be found on Amazon, Barnes and Nobles or by searching online. Brian Scott Mednick has been our guest today on the Wilder Ride. Like him on Facebook, follow him on Twitter and get a copy of his book.

Feel free to reach out to us anytime by going to our social media outlets or by using the contact form on our website. We are on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. We hope you are enjoying being on this Wilder Ride!

We have come to the end of Young Frankenstein. As part of our final thoughts on the movie, we brought back several of our guest hosts to provide their closing thoughts as well. Walt and Alan take time to intro and outro each guest, while providing some insight and commentary on the season. After going through all the guests, Alan and Walt then spend time revealing the film they will do in season two. With franchises, it is easy to know the next movie. But, when using the body of work of a particular actor, the audience has no idea what to expect next. We think everyone will be anxious for the return of The Wilder Ride in early 2019.

We need to thank the following folks who were able to join us in our final episode and for providing their thoughts on Young Frankenstein and our first season. Meeting so many extraordinary people has been a wonderful bonus to this Wilder ride!

• • Matt "Madman" Gray never saw the film before and gave us several minutes of guest-hosting from a millennial's perspective.
  • Tim Andrews and Jeff Leiboff have a podcast of their own called, Radio Labyrinth. Tim is also a daily voice heard on The Von Haessler Doctrine on WSB Radio in Atlanta. The guys had Alan and Walt on their podcast to help tease season one of The Wilder Ride.
  • Barry King of B.K. on the Air has his own weekly radio show heard on WBHF Radio. B.K. along with co-host Commander Clark joined us for 10 episodes of The Wilder Ride, providing their trademark humor and knowledge of the MeTV generation to our inaugural season.
  • Sean German hosts Five Mintues of Mime, co-hosts Spinal Tap Minute and co-hosts Groundhog Minute. Sean not only gave us fantastic analysis of the film, but also a full thesis on the three types of immortality.
  • Tom Taylor is one of the hosts of the Indiana Jones Minute, reminded us Mel Brooks did a familiar mad scientist bit in The Muppet Movie! Tom is also part of The Movie Hole and ABCDevo and was the first of all three hosts of Indian Jones Minute to join us on The Wilder Ride.
  • Doug Greenberg is the host of the Rocky Minute and was the only guest we kept over for a weekend sleepover. Doug helped us break down the scene with Harold, the blind man.
  • Dave Dalessandro is host of the Seinfeld Minute and got the lucky draw of wrapping up the last two live-action minutes of the movie, Young Frankenstein.
  • Pete Mummert is a co-host on the Indiana Jones Minute and provided the calm, cool, and collected intellectual voice during the single-most uncomfortable minute of the film.

Even though our first film has concluded, you can still reach out to us anytime by going to our social media outlets or by using the contact form on our website. We are on Facebook, Twitterand Instagram. We hope you are enjoying being on this Wilder Ride!

The Wilder Ride will return in 2019 with Season Two as we break down another Gene Wilder film, one glorious minute at a time.

Check out this episode!

So we thought we had just one uncomfortable moment in the movie, but it turns out we have another. The final moments mirror the scene between Elizabeth and the monster. This time, Dr. Frankenstein, still in a trance, makes his way into bed with Inga. Inga wonders if the doctor gave some of his wonderful brain to his creature, what did he get in return? The doctor smiles and as the camera pushes in, he rolls over onto Inga in an embrace. The camera cuts to the fireplace where we initially here what sounds like protestations. The filmmakers pull one last trick, getting us to believe the doctor has turned into the villain. However, after a moment, Inga begins to sing the same song lyric from Naughty Marietta and we realize just what it was the doctor has from his monster. As the penultimate episode comes to a close, we cut to Igor playing his silly rams horn on the edge of the castle wall. The music swells and we begin to pull away from the castle with the credits rolling.

Our guest today, as we wrap up the live-action portion of the Wilder Ride, is Dave Dalessandro of Seinfeld Minute.

Feel free to reach out to us anytime by going to our social media outlets or by using the contact form on our website. We are on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. We hope you are enjoying being on this Wilder Ride!

We begin with Inga still singing from the bathroom and Freddy seeming to be falling into a stupor. We then shift to a brightly lit New York apartment. The monster is dressed in leopard print jammies and is in bed, reading the Wall Street Journal. From their bathroom, Elizabeth asks if he had a good evening and if he enjoyed meeting the parents. Then she asks if he saw the two hampers: one for shirt and the other for socks and poo-poo undies. When she exits the bathroom, she has the full-on beehive of the classic Bride of Frankenstein. She hisses like the classic, then struts toward him with her own jazz cymbal riff, kicking off her shoes. The monster can only shake his head and roll his eyes. We return to Transylvania with Freddy, now in his jammies, doing the zombie walk to his bed where Inga is now seated.

Our returning guest today on the Wilder Ride is Dave Dalessandro of Seinfeld Minute. He was last with us, the monster was being taken into custody and Inga was helping to relieve the Doctor's stress by kissing his fingers.

Feel free to reach out to us anytime by going to our social media outlets or by using the contact form on our website. We are on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. We hope you are enjoying being on this Wilder Ride!

Inga opens the minute expressing her love of the name, Mrs. Frankenstein. After a playful kiss, she tells Freddy to keep his hat on as she moves into the bathroom. Dr. Frankenstein begins to undress, but makes sure to keep his hat on his head. As he unbuttons his collar and starts to grab his pajamas, Inga starts to hum the Trasylvanian lullaby. Freddy becomes momentarily transfixed. In his pose, we are given a viusal reminder of so many of the elements of Young Frankenstein in this one shot. As we end the minute, we discuss many of the films other moments with Crystal Beth, who leaves us after today.

Our guest today on the Wilder Ride is the one and only, Crystal Beth, one of the most guested hosts across all of the movies-by-minutes podcasts. She is such an important voice she is mentioned specifically in the movies-by-minutes FAQ as being a mandatory guest for all new shows! She was an amazing guest and such a pleasure to have, given that we helped introduce her to the film Young Frankenstein for the first time ever. She can be heard on the Unlimited Lives podcast as well as her own MxM, The Fifth Eleminute.

Feel free to reach out to us anytime by going to our social media outlets or by using the contact form on our website. We are on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. We hope you are enjoying being on this Wilder Ride!

We continue from yesterday with Inspector Kemp declaring that this is an entirely different situation. He offers his hand to the creature in friendship, welcoming him to the community. They shake and the villagers begin to cheer in earnest, perhaps none as much as Igor. The inspector then begins to invite everyone over to his house for a little sponge cake and a little wine, when suddenly his arm pops off. Kemp grabs it from the monster, utters a brief dirty word and then triumphantly yells, "To the lumber yard!" The villagers begin to leave as the monster, Inga and Igor all lean down to see if there is a heartbeat inside the doctor. We do a quick dissolve and then Dr. Frankenstein carries Inga, both of them dressed as bride and groom, across the threshold of his room. We end with him saying, "Hello, Mrs. Frankenstein."

Joining us today for the first time as our guest on the Wilder Ride is the perpetual guest herself, Crystal Beth! Crystal is one of the hosts on The Fifth Eleminute and thanks to agreeing to be on our podcast we got her to watch the film Young Frankenstein for the very first time!

Feel free to reach out to us anytime by going to our social media outlets or by using the contact form on our website. We are on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. We hope you are enjoying being on this Wilder Ride!