We here at “This Was A Thing” LOVE Ms. Liza May Minnelli! March 12th just happened to be her birthday, so we wanted to throw her a little birthday celebration! The woman DESERVES it, for heaven's sake!

Liza isn’t just known for being the daughter of Judy Garland and Vincente Minnelli, for her Oscar-winning performance in “Cabaret”, or for the greatest concert of all time, “Liza with a Z”. Ms. Minnelli isn’t even just known as one of the few EGOT (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, & Tony) winners.

Liza is also remembered for her collection of clothing and jewelry that she sold on the Home Shopping Network. “The Liza Collection” features a stunning variety of velvet jumpsuits, sequin jackets, and chunky bracelets molded from clay. Liza wouldn’t have it any other way…

This week Ray teaches Rob about how a song from the musical Gypsy fueled his Liza obsession, why Bobbi Ray Carter is the HSN MVP, and what other celebrities have risen to the occasion of selling their brands on cable television.

“The woman should wear the dress, not the dress wear the woman.” – Liza Minnelli

If you like what we’re doing, please support us on Patreon, or you can subscribe to our bonus content on Apple Podcasts. And we’d love to find even more listeners, so if you have time, please leave us a rating or review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts. And if you have any other thoughts or feedback you’d like to share with us, we’d love to hear from you - feel free to email us or send us a message on social media.

TEAM:

Ray Hebel

Robert W Schneider

Mark Schroeder

Billy Recce

Daniel Schwartzberg

Gabe Crawford

Natalie DeSavia

WEBSITES

Liza Minnelli - IMDb

Liza Minnelli - Playbill

Home Shopping Network Official Site 

ARTICLES

HSN

Entertainment Weekly

Daily Mail

Dallas Voice

AUDIO/VISUAL

Liza Minnelli on HSN Supercut

LizaOnHSN YouTube Channel

My Favorite Broadway: The Leading Ladies - Some People - Liza Minnelli

Liza Minnelli - Some People (Live From Radio City Music Hall, 1992)

Liza with a Z - Ring Them Bells

To start off the second half of season one, we decided to go for the most popular kind of podcast: TRUE CRIME! Hollywood is filled with scandals, but there haven’t been many bigger Tinsel Town scandals, than The Lana Turner Murder Trial.

In the 1950’s, Lana Turner was one of the biggest stars in Hollywood. Sadly, she was dating a violent mobster named Johnny Stompanato. Mr. Stompanto’s violence came to an end when he was discovered stabbed to death in 1958 in Turner’s home. The person holding the knife… Cheryl Crane, Lana Turner’s 14-year-old daughter.

This week, Rob teaches Ray about Lana Turner’s hairdresser, how the media took this story and ran with it, and why famous mobster Mickey Cohen was involved with Johnny Stompanato. Seems Fishy!

If you like what we are doing, please support us on Patreon

TEAM:

Ray Hebel

Robert W Schneider

Mark Schroeder

Billy Recce

Daniel Schwartzberg

Gabe Crawford

Natalie DeSavia

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Imagine if Marvel and Lucasfilm teamed up to make a movie nowadays. It would be huge! Well, back in 1986, that wasn’t the case… In fact, “Howard The Duck”, was the opposite of huge. What was supposed to be a comedy, hardly had audiences QUACKing up. Most Audiences thought it was rather FOWL. It wasn’t a success and Universal Pictures was stuck with the BILL.

George Lucas was the man that decided to turn a Marvel comic about a sassy, wise-cracking anthropomorphic duck into a summer blockbuster. Universal was ALL IN after previously turning George down for his previous mega hits. Lets just say, this didn’t turn out too well for some Universal Executives.

This week Ray teaches Rob all about how Lea Thompson went all out to get her roll in this film, how a love scene between a talking duck and a human woman was actually produced, and how George Lucas selling off his Animation Division to Steve Jobs, amid a contentious divorce, led to the creation of one of the biggest Animation studios of all time. Hint: Disney owns the animation studio. Second Hint: Rhymes with Bixar.

If you like what we are doing, please support us on Patreon

TEAM:

Ray Hebel

Robert W Schneider

Mark Schroeder

Billy Recce

Daniel Schwartzberg

Gabe Crawford

Natalie DeSavia

WEBSITES

Rotten Tomatoes

Box Office Mojo

BOOKS

Howard The Duck Film Novelization

ARTICLES

The Hollywood Reporter - 1

The Hollywood Reporter - 2

Mental Floss

Screen Rant

Mouse Planet

Den Of Geek

AUDIO/VISUAL

Howard The Duck Teaser Trailer

Howard The Duck Trailer

Film Clip - No More Mr. Nice Duck

Film Clip - Intense Animal Magnetism

Howard The Duck "Duck Calls" Hotline

Bobbie Wygant Interviews Williard Huyck & Gloria Katz

Thomas Dolby - She Blinded Me With Science Music Video

Howard The Duck Music Video

Siskel & Ebert - Stinkers of 1986

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Pogs… or Milk Caps if you’re a boomer…. were like a flash in the pan in the mid 90’s. Collectable pieces of cardboard that ended up fading out just as quicky as they were introduced. Just like marbles before them, Pogs got banned from schools.

Pogs caused schoolyard scuffles and because kids were playing for keeps, they were essentially gambling… Playgrounds were becoming Las Vegas… Kids couldn’t get enough of that sweet, sweet circular cardboard.

This week, Ray teaches Rob all about how Pogs is an acronym for Passion Fruit, Orange, Guava, how Pogs got their origin from the ancient Japanese game Menko, what some of the weirder Pog collections are, and what made these kids go MILK CAP KRAZY!

If you like what we are doing, please support us on Patreon

TEAM:

Ray Hebel

Robert W Schneider

Mark Schroeder

Billy Recce

Daniel Schwartzberg

Gabe Crawford

Natalie DeSavia

WEBSITES

WikiHow - Pogs Rules (w/ Pictures)

Milk Cap Mania

Gambiter

BOOKS

Coverama: The Collector's Guide to Antique Hawaiian Milk Covers 

ARTICLES

Mental Floss

First We Feast

Grunge

BuzzFeed

Ranker - Most Valuable Pogs

The Virginian Pilot - 1995

AUDIO/VISUAL

Milkcap Krazy - 1994 VHS

POG Commercial

Pogs - The Game Commercial

POG Milk Cap Maker Commercial

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This week love is in the air and nothing says love like downloading Hinge, Tindr, Grindr, and FarmersOnly to find that perfect mate for you….until someone better comes along.

But before the technological revolution how did people meet one another? Through the personal ads of course.

This week Rob teaches Ray about 17th Century ways of mating, coded sexuality needs in Europe, why it was frowned on for women to seek love, the assholery of Benjamin Franklin, how people scammed others through love, and The Lonely Hearts Killer, of course.

If you like what we are doing, please support us on Patreon

TEAM:

Ray Hebel

Robert W Schneider

Mark Schroeder

Billy Recce

Daniel Schwartzberg

Gabe Crawford

Natalie DeSavia

WEBSITES

Timeline

The Evolution of Personal Ads

How Personal Ads Helped Conquer The American West

Brief History of Personal Ads

BOOKS

Buying a Bride

ARTICLES

Experimental Mate Choices

Lonely Hearts Club Viewed Sociologically

Courtship American Style

1980s Personal Ads

1990 Study of Personal Ads

NY Daily News 

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There hasn’t been anything quite like “The Super Bowl Shuffle”… And for good reason. Professional athletes can be boastful from time to time, but in 1985, it was taken to a whole new level! All lead by Bears Wide Receiver, Willie Gault.

The Chicago Bears would produce a single (the first of its kind on Audio Cassette), film a music video (Second in sales to “Thriller”), and win a Super Bowl (beating those darn Patriots!) all in the course of an NFL season. “The Super Bowl Shuffle” was a sensation! Most of the team wanted in, but there were some that had their doubts. But not Mike Ditka! Just don’t ask him to be involved….

This week Ray teaches Rob about the game of football, why they called William Perry “The Refrigerator”, what a touchdown is, how Mike Ditka did his own music video (of which he has no recollection), and why the Average Joe is now forever to be referred to as a “Grabowski”.

DAAAAA BEARS!

If you like what we are doing, please support us on Patreon

TEAM:

Ray Hebel

Robert W Schneider

Mark Schroeder

Billy Recce

Daniel Schwartzberg

Gabe Crawford

Natalie DeSavia

WEBSITES

Chicago Bears

Pro Football Reference

The Super Bowl Shuffle Lyrics

ARTICLES

Grantland

ESPN

USA Today Bears Wire

NFL

Fly Paper

AUDIO/VISUAL

The Super Bowl Shuffle Music Video

Bill Swerski's Super Fans - SNL

Boost Mobile Shuffle

LA Dodgers - We Are The Champions (1981)

New England, The Patriots, and We Music Video

Packarena

Mike Ditka - The Grabowski Shuffle Music Video

The Curly Shuffle Music Video

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Zhere once waz a drink zhat made ze world ztand up and zake notice......Ok, we can't do this anymore. It was Zima, a clear malt beverage that intoxicated, barely, the entire world for a brief and shining moment.

This week Rob teaches Ray about the Clear Beverage Craze of the 1990s, the very bizarre commercials of Bartles & Jaymes, how the Russians changed the game of marketing, the sad trajectory of the Zima Man, the urban legend of breathalyzers and Zima, and how gender norms played a part in the failure of Zima. Zo zad.

If you like what we are doing, please support us on Patreon

TEAM:

Ray Hebel

Robert W Schneider

Mark Schroeder

Billy Recce

Daniel Schwartzberg

Gabe Crawford

Natalie DeSavia

AUDIO/VISUAL

 1980s Bartles & Jaymes wine cooler commercial

Miller Clear

1993 Zima Malt Beverage TV Commercial

1993 Zima "Thanksgiving, a zix pack delicious and festive" TV Commercial

1993 - Zima - Zaloon Commercial

Zima Commercial (1991) a unique alcohol beverage

Zima Gold Malt Beverage 1995 Commercial

Zima commercial for hot days

Roger Kabler Transformed: The Spirit of Robin Williams (Promo)

WEBSITES

Slate 

Mashed

Eater

Mental Floss

9 News

The Japan Times

Chicago Tribune

Milwaukee Journal 

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She was an Academy Award winning actress, one of the first AIDS activists, and an icon around the world for her stunning beauty. She also broke gender norms and societal expectations with eight trips down the aisle with seven different men.....not all at the same time, of course.

Rob teaches Ray about Elizabeth Taylor and her eclectic group of husbands which include: The great Uncle of Paris Hilton, a social climbing actor, an indomitable showman, America's sweetheart, an alcoholic Welshman, a Republican Senator, and a down on his luck construction worker. Not to mention a torrid affair with Frank Sinatra, a tumultuous Cleopatra, the audacity of Howard Hughes, the wicked humor of Joan Rivers, and the kindness of Debbie Reynolds.

If you like what we are doing, please support us on Patreon

TEAM:

Ray Hebel

Robert W Schneider

Mark Schroeder

Billy Recce

Daniel Schwartzberg

Gabe Crawford

Natalie DeSavia

WEBSITES

The Tragic Tales of Elizabeth Taylor's Marriages

 16 Things You Didn't Know About Liz Taylor's Marriages

BOOKS

 The Accidental Feminist

ARTICLES

8 Wedding Dresses

The Weddings of Elizabeth Taylor

Inside Elizabeth Taylor's Marriages

The Many Marriages of Elizabeth Taylor

The Many Loves of Elizabeth Taylor

LIFE: I Refuse To Cure My Public Image

Liz and Dick: The Ultimate Celebrity Couple

The Liz and Dick Show

People Magazine: Eight Is Enough

AUDIO/VISUAL

2004 - Elizabeth Taylor's White Diamonds

Fred and the Old Fossil

Elizabeth Taylor marries Conrad Hilton Junior (1950)

Elizabeth Taylor interview with Barbara Walters 20/20--1997

London wedding of actors Elizabeth Taylor to Michael Wilding (1952)

 Mike Todd talking about his marriage to Elizabeth Taylor

 Eddie Fisher - Oh! My PaPa 1954

 DEBBIE REYNOLDS on ELIZABETH TAYLOR — Diva on Diva

Joan Rivers Carson Tonight Show 1980

Elizabeth Taylor's Passion - perfume commercial 1991

Elizabeth Taylor Talks Marriage on Carson Tonight Show

liz taylor marriage response

ABC News

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Roscoe “Fatty” Arbuckle was one of the most popular silent film comedy stars of the 1910’s. After signing a big contract in 1920, it seemed that Arbuckle was on top of the world! That is until a wild party ended in the very suspicious death of a young actress named Virginia Rappe. Tabloid papers took the story and ran with it....without a true investigation. Faced with sexual assault and manslaughter charges....was Arbuckle able to prove his innocence?

This week Ray teaches Rob about the insane tactics of William Randolph Hearst’s newspapers, a woman named Bambina Maude Delmont made a speaking tour of defaming Arbuckle, how Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton stepped up for a friend in need, and why a jury felt it necessary to apologize to a defendant. 

And most importantly how over 100 years later, Hollywood Tabloid Gossip still goes mostly unchecked. We’re looking at you TMZ and Perez Hilton!

CW: Sexual Assault

If you like what we are doing, please support us on Patreon

TEAM:

Ray Hebel

Robert W Schneider

Mark Schroeder

Billy Recce

Daniel Schwartzberg

Gabe Crawford

Natalie DeSavia

WEBSITES

Britannica

ARTICLES

Smithsonian Magazine

BBC News

New York Daily News

The Evening News - 1921

The Pittsburgh Press - 1921

The Lewiston Daily Sun - 1921

St. Petersburg Times - 1933

AUDIO/VISUAL

Clips of Arbuckle's Work

The Knockout - 1914

The Cook - 1918

In The Dough - 1933

Hollywood Justice

My Name Is Roscoe

The 1920's Channel

Music and Sound Effects

“Noire #1”

• 
  
• Noire #1 by Music By Pedro https://goo.gl/sJT2e8 
• 
  
• 
  
• Promoted by MrSnooze https://youtu.be/iYOvAO1rAM0
• 
  

“Classic Radio Network News Sounders” by Audio Insanity

“Ticker Tape Machine Operating” by Keep Zero View

“Old Typewriter” by The Sound Experience

“Deadly Roulette” by Kevin MacLeod 

• 
  
• Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
• 
  
• 
  
• Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0
• 
  
• 
  
• http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
• 
  

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It's a mad, mad, mad, mad story about money, movies, and madcap mysteries! In 1963, one of the most serious film directors decided to prove to the world he could be funny......well, sort of........What he ended up creating was the The Treasure Hunt Comedy, a forgotten staple of film comedies.

Rob teaches Ray about It's A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World, Scavenger Hunt, Million Dollar Mystery, and Rat Race. Along the way we learn that Milton Berle's ego was as big as his cigar, the pretentiousness of Method Acting in comedy, Dino De Laurentiis' love of Glad trash bags, and the brilliance of Jon Lovitz and Kathy Najimy, as well as the wicked humor of Phil Silvers.

If you like what we are doing, please support us on Patreon

TEAM:

Ray Hebel

Robert W Schneider

Mark Schroeder

Billy Recce

Daniel Schwartzberg

Gabe Crawford

Natalie DeSavia

WEBSITES

CRITERION: MAD MAD.....

 MAD: 25 Years Later

Behind the Madness

ARTICLES

 Ebert on MAD

Variety Review of MAD

NY Times on MAD

NY Times on MAD: Bosley Crowther Review

Million Dollar Mystery Review: NY Times

Rat Race vs. Mad: People Magazine

AUDIO/VISUAL

IT'S A MAD,MAD,MAD,MAD WORLD DOCUMENTARY STORY

TV Ads 7Up W Magic Johnson & Scavenger Hunt Movie & Texas State Optical & Sage Furniture

"Dogs of the Week" Movie Reviews Part 4 (1979) - Sneak Previews with Roger Ebert and Gene Siskel

Million Dollar Mystery Trailer 1987

Siskel & Ebert - "Million Dollar Mystery"(1987)

1987 Glad Trash Bags TV Commercial With Tom Bosley

Rat Race - Movie Trailer

Rat Race - Prairie Doggin It 

RAT RACE ..HITLER'S CAR.. SO FUNNY!

Music and Sound Effects

“Games People Play” from “Hit Standards Bluegrass Style” by Nashville Acoustic All-Stars

“Happy Bee”

(Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

“Car Seatbelt Alarm Sound Effect” by Splice Sound

“Busy Traffic Sound Effects” by All Things Grammar

“Turn Signal/Blinker/Directional Sound Effect” by Paul’s Place

“Titanic - My Heart Will Go On (Piano Cover)” by Tom Mucenieks (originally composed by Celine Dion)

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