Theater of Trash on Radio Misfits

Tom and Nick take a look at the fantastically awful 80’s video store classic “Hard Ticket to Hawaii.” The plot: Two drug enforcement agents are killed on a private Hawaiian island. Donna and Taryn, two operatives for The Agency, accidentally intercept a delivery of diamonds intended for drug lord Seth Romero, who takes exception and tries to get them back. Soon, other Agency operatives get involved, and a full-scale fight to the finish ensues, complicated here and there by a very dangerous snake infected by deadly toxins from cancer-infested rats. “Hard Ticket to Hawaii” is one of the defining films of Andy Sidaris’ “Triple-B” movies: Bullets, Bombs and Babes. It embraces the philosophy of giving audiences exactly what the title promises—and then throwing a bunch of completely insane stuff on top….and it is an absolute blast. [Ep 3]

Not to be confused with that stupid Jimmy Fallon/Drew Barrymore nonsense. Tom and Nick have a blast talking about the notorious 1985 bomb “Fever Pitch,” starring Ryan O’Neal. O’Neal plays Steve Taggart, a Los Angeles newspaper sports reporter assigned to investigate compulsive gambling. He travels to Las Vegas and immerses himself in the gambling world, only to become increasingly addicted himself. His gambling begins to affect his career, finances and relationships, turning his journalistic investigation into a personal battle with addiction. This is widely considered one of the worst movies ever made, and, unintentionally, one of the funniest films of all time. Tom and Nick dissect what went wrong, talk about the previously acclaimed work of director Richard Brooks, why the movie is so incredibly hilarious, and how it’s been unavailable for decades, but is now, inexplicably, being broadcast on Turner Classic Movies next week!! Also, Nick has seen this movie dozens of times, and it is truly his favorite bad movie of all time. [Ep 2]

Tom Hush and Nick Digilio kick off Theater of Trash with the insane beauty of the greatest robot dinosaur love story ever told, 1994’s Tammy and the T-Rex. Denise Richards, Paul Walker, and Terry Kiser lead a cast delivering performances so completely ridiculous and over-the-top that they’re glorious. Tom and Nick dig into what makes this bizarre movie work on so many levels, along with the fascinating story of how it ever got made.

They also get into the movie’s 2 very different versions: the straight-to-video, PG-13 family-friendly cut and the absolutely bonkers unrated “gore cut,” packed with outrageous kills and ridiculous violence. Both are awesome. Both are also terrible…and that’s exactly the point! [Ep 1]

Tom Hush and Nick Digilio, hosts of the new Radio Misfits Podcast “The Theater of Trash,” tease and preview their upcoming podcast, which is described as:

“In the history of cinema, countless films have earned critical acclaim and cemented their place as masterpieces. These are not those movies. Enter The Theater of Trash, where hosts Tom Hush and Nick Digilio celebrate the wonderfully weird, the gloriously misguided and the irresistibly trashy side of filmmaking.

From Italian cannibal exploitation flicks and forgotten grindhouse classics to notorious box office disasters and cult oddities, Tom and Nick dig through cinema’s bargain bin in search of hidden gems—and spectacular train wrecks. The Theater of Trash is your front-row seat to the movies Hollywood would rather you forget.”

The Theater of Trash debuts on the Radio Misfits Podcast Network on Wednesday, September 2nd 2026