September 23

The Rocketeer, 1991

Hello everyone, welcome back to another exciting and enthralling edition of Saturday Night Movie Sleepovers! This week J. Blake and Dion Baia are celebrating an epic milestone with an epic podcast! It’s SNMS’ two year anniversary and the boys have picked a film near and dear to their hearts, one that has gained a sizable cult following over the 25 years since it’s original release. This week they take on the classic action/adventure, The Rocketeer, from 1991.

The Rocketeer

Dion and Blake kick off the podcast with a pseudo-State of the Union, reflecting on the past year. They chat about the movies they’ve covered, the growing community of listeners and those who also frequent their Facebook page, and how humbling it has been for them. Then they seque into this epic anniversary cast, and setup the backstory of the Rocketeer. They discuss the creator Dave Stevens‘ journey getting character from comic to screen, and Disney‘s eventual involvement and the sparring that occurred between him and the company (aka the then Chairman and CEO Michael Eisner) over keeping the property as pure as possible with the transition to screen. The boys again explain the era of the 1980’s and how hard it really was to get a comic book movie done, let alone a character from an independent publisher. They also chat about the era the movie is set within, the pre-war 1930’s and the beautiful art movement that permeated almost every medium, Art DecoBlake and Dion also discuss the genius of creator Dave Stevens, and all the ‘historical fiction’ he injected into his original content. The guys go through the various details of the historical and famous figures involved in the material, leading them to another topic they have been waiting almost two years to talk about, and one of the things that they love about this film, the homage to the great B-movie actor Rondo Hatton. They explain his history, the illness that affected his physical appearance and how by the help of Rick Baker, Rondo was able to make a posthumous appearance in one more Hollywood film, albeit 49 years later (if you don’t count Scooby-Doo!). Well there’s a lot to unpack on this week’s episode and it’s admittedly a long one, but the boys have a lot to celebrate about: a fabulous film that the fans love, and lament about a growing audience that really blows the boy’s minds. So please come on down and have a listen to another hilarious, informative and engaging episode of Saturday Night Movie Sleepovers!

*Dion accidently named the Chicago-era gangster Hymie Weiss, when intending to instead reference Murder Inc. co-founder Meyer Lansky.

*Dion also accidently named the classic  1942 Humphrey Bogart film Across the Pacific, when he was actually referring to the 1941 great and little known Bogart film, All Through the Night.

EXTRAS:

Quickly mentioned in the podcast but completely forgotten to be brought up again before the conclusion and ripped from the headlines, check out this news story about a modern ‘Rocket man‘, that shows fiction becoming reality!

Take a look at this rarely seen 1991 television special entitled, Rocketeer: Excitement in the Air that aired to coincide with the theatrical release of The Rocketeer and help promote it. 

Check out the this now ended Rick Baker auction on PropStoreAuction.com for what they were selling from The Rocketeer concerning the Lothar makeup appliances, AND other items from the film, including one of the original Rocketeer helmets!

Have a read about the great Industrial Designer Henry Dreyfuss profiled by SNMS’ own Dion Baia for his old podcast site, Podwits.com!

Here’s actor Rondo Hatton’s 1913 High School senior yearbook photo circa 1913, before he was severely afflicted with acromegaly.

Take a look at the fabulous painting of Rondo Hatton by the legendary illustrator Basil Gogos, who was known for his covers for Famous Monsters of Filmland Magazine

Check out this amazing animated fan film, celebrating the 20th anniversary of The Rocketeer‘s release!

And Please check out the fabulous 2010 book mentioned in the cast, Over Here!: New York During World War II!


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Posted September 23, 2016 by admin in category "Action", "Adventure", "Animation", "Books", "Classic", "Comic Books", "Crime", "Disney", "Fantasy", "Film", "Gangster", "History", "Police", "Sci Fi", "Serial", "Television", "Uncategorized

2 COMMENTS :

  1. By Jose A. Rivera on

    I was so happy to see this as the anniversary episode! Also, congrats on two years. I’m an import from Junkfood Cinema. They had a shout out to you guys a few months back and I decided to check out a couple episodes…I haven’t looked back since. I love listening to you guys talk about the movies I grew up with and in some cases, enlighten me on movies I haven’t seen.

    The Rocketeer is very special to me. My dad took me to see it when it came out and I enjoyed it. Now that I’m older and armed with a love and affection for the 1930’s-40’s pulp adventure genre, I find myself loving this movie even more. There’s such a sincerity and earnestness to it. And I love James Horner’s score.

    I’m only 1/4 of the way through the episode but I wanted to pause it to let you guys know you’re doing an amazing job and happy anniversary. I hope 2017 brings even more fantastic episodes. And yes, I’m going to once again send out a request/recommendation for Walter Hill’s Streets of Fire. It’s one of my favorite movies and something I think you guys would enjoy.

    Happy Anniversary and thank you!

    Reply
    1. By admin (Post author) on

      Thanks Jose, that’s so nice of you to take the time to write us, and to listen to the podcast. We absolutely love The Rocketeer and are so glad there is an audience that still appreciates it. And thank you so much for the kind words. We’re so glad to have you listening, and we hope to keep you loving every episode. Take care, have a great Autumn, and talk to you soon!

      Reply

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