Happy New Years, dear listener! Getting healthy is a classic New Years Resolution and what better way to get trim than with Thigh Master! Thigh Master had a major grip on early 90’s fitness, but it wouldn’t get to the top without the help of a wonderfully peppy spokesperson Suzanne Somers. Yes, Chrissy Snow from “Three’s Company”, herself! She “used to do aerobics ‘til she dropped! Then she found Thigh Master!”

This week, Ray teaches Rob the secret to shapely thighs, talks about an important meeting in Palm Springs, Suzanne’s storied career, and how a device designed for physical therapy took over at home exercise.

…and just what IS the right resistance?...

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TEAM:

Ray Hebel

Robert W Schneider

Mark Schroeder

Billy Recce

Daniel Schwartzberg

Gabe Crawford

Natalie DeSavia

WEBSITES

Suzanne Somers Website

Buy Thigh Master!

ARTICLES

New York Times

Los Angeles Times

Huffington Post

Entertainment Weekly

NBC News

American Express

Orange County Register

Entrepreneur

Shape

AUDIO/VISUAL

Thigh Master Commercial (1991)

Thigh Master Vibrato

Three's Company Opening

She's The Sheriff Opening

Step By Step Opening

Keeping Secrets (1991 TV Movie)

Reunion with Joyce DeWitt

Suzanne on her DWTS Elimination

Suzanne's Live Stream During Break In

Music and Sound Effects

90s TV Show Music by Dar Golan

“Happy Bee” by Kevin McLeod

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

Get out your tap shoes, Francis, we are going dancing tonight....and tomorrow....and for the next five months!

This week we look at the swinging and sadistic world of 1930s Dance Marathons which were ways for Depression Era Americans to make some money dancing for hours on end....while other Americans watched and waited for injuries, blood, and violence!

Rob gives Ray a lesson in the history of dancing in America, how Vernon and Irene Castle made sinful partner dancing wholesome, the Endurance Crazes of the 1920s, the sadistic Emcees and promoters who manipulated dancers and audiences, how audiences could see more blood if they paid more, and how these marathons laid the ground for reality television!

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

HistoryLink

 AtlasObscura

History Daily

LoveToKnow

BOOKS

Dance of the Sleepwalkers

 Dance Marathons

ARTICLES

 Pantagraph Dance Marathons

Renee Camus Dance Marathons

Black Dance Marathons

The Sun: Photos

The Spectator

AUDIO/VISUAL

Dance Marathon 1931

They Shoot Horses Marathon

Dance marathon contestants compete in the 1920s - Daily Mail

Jack "Legs" Diamond - Sound Version (1931)

"Shave 'em Dry" Song by Lucille Bogan (Bessie Jackson) 1935

Harry Roy & His Orchestra "My Girl's Pussy" (1931)

Masculine Women, Feminine Men

Harry Rose - Frankfurter Sandwiches

Billy Murray - Don't Bring Lulu 1925

Music and Sound Effects

“Light Fun Jazz” by Alex Khaskin, licensed from NEO Sounds.com

“Happy Bee” by Kevin McLeod

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

Our listeners have been nice this year so Santa has told us to give you all a gift!

Brody Karn, Esq. teaches us about one of the most intriguing fads of the 19th Century: Pedestrianism. There is a doping scandal, cheating accusations, Walkers becoming the faces of trading cards, ethnic turf walking wars, women breaking the glass ceiling of athleticism, and so much more! Plus, Nathan Lane stars in.......everything!

This episode is part of our Patreon only episode library so if you like this one then head over there, become a Patron, and get more exclusive episodes!

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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Remember Cabbage Patch Kids..... those odd looking dolls with hard plastic heads that took the 80’s by storm? And how that storm turned into riots? In 1983 Cabbage Patch Mania ruled the holiday season and parents just HAD to get their hands on one for Little Carol and even Littler Patti.

This week, Ray teaches Rob all about Bunny Bees, BabyLand General Hospital, and how creator Xavier Roberts MAY have stolen the idea for these dolls from a woman named Martha Nelson Thomas who he met at a small Kentucky craft fair. Plus discovering that Roberts' signature was on every doll’s bottom.....Yes, you read that correctly… The 80’s were weird…

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

Cabbage Patch Kids Official Site

BOOKS

Fantasy: The Incredible Cabbage Patch Phenomenon

ARTICLES

The New York Times 1

The New York Times 2

Time Magazine 1

Time Magazine 2

Consumer Product Safety Commission

Yahoo!

Justia US Law

AUDIO/VISUAL

American Obsessions - VICE

Riots News Report 1

Riots News Report 2

Totally Obsessed

Garbage Pail Kids Report

Music and Sound Effects

“Wish Background,” “Jingle Bells,” and “Up on a Housetop” 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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A legend stuck in the past or a victim of ageism?

To celebrate Being the Ricardos, we take a look at Lucille Ball's last sitcom, Life With Lucy,...from which she was fired. Yes, the Queen of Comedy was fired!

Rob teaches Ray about Lucille Ball's career post I Love Lucy, her bizarre television movies in the 1970s (including Lucy becoming President of NBC), how Lucy was courted by ABC, why The Cosby Show and The Golden Girls created Life with Lucy, Lucy's loyalty to her staff, and how she was brutally dismissed by a network then stole her schtick!

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

TVParty.com

ABC Fandom

BOOKS

Lucy in the Afternoon

ARTICLES

Medium 

Life With Lucy Deserved a Better Chance

You Can't Go Home Again, Lucy- The LA Times

Compulsively Lucy- The LA Times

Life With Lucy- New York Times

Lucille Ball Dusts Off Her Slapstick

AUDIO/VISUAL

Lucille Ball & Barbara Walters: An Interview of a LifeTime (FULL)

Gary Morton roasts Lucille Ball

Life with Lucy (1986) Opening Theme

Life With Lucy 1986 E01 One Good Grandparent Deserves Another SVkBbV2cGKc

Life With Lucy | Television Academy Interviews

1986 ABC Life with Lucy Promo

 Lucille Ball on Joan Rivers (Part 1)

September 1986 - Promo for Premieres of 'Webster' and 'Sidekicks'

Music and Sound Effects

“Laughter Burst,” “All Choked Up,” and “Laugh and Clap” by Hollywood Laugh Tracks

“Sitcom Laugh Track”

“Happy Bee”

Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0

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

 

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Can you put together a meaningful thought or idea in six seconds or less? What about a moderately funny video? It’s hard! But there was some GOLD in them there Vine hills!

Ray teaches Rob about how Vine helped launch the careers of Shawn Mendes, King Bach, and yes, even Jake and Logan Paul. We also revisit some of our favorite Vines of years past including Rob’s favorite – a teacher’s reaction to having a piece of paper thrown at them. “Whoever threw that paper, your mom’s a…”

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

ARTICLES

The Verge

BBC

The Guardian

Pitchfork

Ad Week

Media Post

Medium

The Verge

AUDIO/VISUAL

Iconic Vine Compilation

"Whoever threw that paper..." Vine

"I'm in my Mum's Car" Vine

Paul Brother Vine Compilation

Brittany Furlan Vine Compilation

King Bach Vine Compilation

Shawn Mendes Vine Compilation

Finatticz - Don't Drop That Thun Thun Video

Music and Sound Effects

“Club Diver” by Kevin MacLeod

Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0

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

“Walkie-Talkie Radio Static” by Everyday Cinematic Sounds

“Various Intercom Tones” by STS Technologies

"Fast Ticking clock sound effect" by Silhouette Gears

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A dirty old man or the first victim of cancel culture?

Benny Hill was one of the world's most recognizable comedians. In the 1970s, he dominated UK television. In the 1980s, he was either loved/loathed in over 140 different countries. By the 1990s, he was cancelled, metaphorically and physically.

Rob introduces Ray to the naughty world of Benny Hill, how Benny revolutionized television comedy, the international acclaim of Benny's visual brilliance, the little bald man Benny loved to slap on the head, the hypocrisy of "comedian" Ben Elton (Bio Pic starring John Oliver needed ASAP), the feminist revolution setting their sights on Benny, the creepiness of producer Dennis Kirkland, and looking at Benny's defense of his own comedy through a 21st Century lens.

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

CW: Sexual Assault

TEAM:

Ray Hebel

Robert W Schneider

Mark Schroeder

Billy Recce

Daniel Schwartzberg

Gabe Crawford

Natalie DeSavia

AUDIO/VISUAL

Benny Hill A&E Biography

Benny Hill - Egyptian Flu

Benny Hill Theme Tune

Benny Hill Sketch (Interview gone wrong)

Benny Hill as Mr. Chow Mein

Benny Hill as Fred Scuttle

Benny Hill as The Fire Brigade

Ernie

Ben Elton's 'Benny Hill' Slanderous Comments Debunked

Ben Elton's 'Benny Hill' Hypocrisy

Benny Hill is a Kinky Brat.

Benny Hill - Benny's Quickies (1989)

BOOKS

 Amazon List of Benny Biographies

ARTICLES

Benny Hill Remembered 20 Years After His Death

4 Benny Hill Jokes That Were Hilarious in the 1970s and Horrendous Now

The Benny Hill Show Returns

Benny Hill: British Comedy That Americans Embraced

The Sad Life Of Benny Hill

Benny Hill's Sex Controversy And Legacy

WEBSITES

http://bennyhill.co.uk/

Music and Sound Effects

“Rule, Britannia!”  as played by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra

Paper Rustling Sound Effect by All Sounds

Shuffling Cards Sound Effect by Everyday Cinematic Sounds

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The Beach Boys were pioneers of the 1960s Surf Rock movement. When they felt it was time to move on from the sound the world loved, there was one main person standing in the way: Founding Member Mike Love.

Mike Love wasn’t keen on changing their sound….to be honest, Mike Love wasn’t really keen on much of anything.....well except for Meditation and material possessions… Oh, and lawsuits! Mike Love really enjoyed taking his bandmates to court…...

Ray tells Rob why Mike Love said things like “Don’t f**k with the formula”, and lets him hear Mike Love call out everyone from The Beatles to Bruce Springsteen in The Beach Boys Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction speech.

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 Beach Boys

Mike Love

ARTICLES

Rolling Stone Magazine

Ultimate Classic Rock

VISUAL

Beach Boys Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Inductions 1988

AUDIO

Surfin'

Surfin' Safari

Surfin' USA

I Get Around

Help Me Rhonda

Wouldn't It Be Nice

Good Vibrations

Kokomo

Music and Sound Effects

Electric Guitar Tuning

Vintage Surf Music by Dar Golan

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Batman has defeated countless crooks and criminals but there was one he could not defeat: Consumerism.

Learn about the the 1997 summer blockbuster that made people question the merits of super hero movies and one so poorly received, it nearly killed the genre: Batman & Robin (1997)

Rob gives Ray a lesson in the history of the Caped Crusader, the brilliance of Tim Burton, the Danny DeVito nightmares of McDonald's happy meals, bat nipples, the villainous toy manufacturers who became screenwriters, the body shaming of Alicia Silverstone, and Arnold Schwarzenegger bullies Richard Kind.

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 50 Worst Movies Ever Made

Filmscouts

Adage: Batman Returns

ARTICLES

Alicia Silverstone in Entertainment Weekly

Coolio Was Courted To Play Scarecrow

AUDIO/VISUAL

How McDonalds Got Tim Burton Fired From Batman (Cracked)

The Best of Adam West

Every Holy Catchphrase

Trailer

Toy Commercial

Siskel and Ebert Review 

George Clooney Interview

Alicia Silverstone Interview

The Iceman Cometh Scene

The End Is The Beginning Is The End

Music and Sound Effects

City Street Ambience by VideoPlasty

Party Crowd Ambience by BerlinAtmospheres

Movie Theatre Ambience by Mr. Daggers 2

"Fast Ticking clock sound effect" by Silhouette Gears

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McDonald’s. One of the most beautiful words in any language. It’s a franchise known around the world for all of it’s success! Sometimes they’ll even bring back menu items that are fan favorites, because that’s what the people want! McRib, anyone?

But for all of this success, there were bound to be some failures… Or as we like to call them, McFailures.

This week Ray teaches Rob about everything from the Hula Burger to McSalad Shakers. Onion Nuggets to the McLobster. Mighty Wings to the McPizza. You’re taste buds are going to have a PARTY! (Metaphorically speaking.)

And this isn’t just a USA deep dive. No, we’re going WORLD WIDE! Could I interest you in a Corn Shrimp Burger? Maybe a McGratin Croquette? Don’t forget to say “Super Size Me” when you start the episode!

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

McDonald's

ARTICLES

Reader's Digest

Insider

Eat This, Not That

Feast

The Daily Meal

AUDIO/VISUAL

Chopped Beef Steak Sandwich Commercial

McDLT Commercial

McJordan Special Commercial

McLobster Commercial

McStuffins Commercial

Super Hero Burger Commercial

Arch Deluxe Commercial

McSalad Shaker Commercial

Angus Third Pounder Commercial

Music and Sound Effects

Old MacDonald (Trap Remix) by Patrick McNeill

“Amazing Grace” by Bagpipe Master

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