Retroist Retro Podcast

I start this podcast episode by talking about my own trips to Action Park. I was so excited to go as a kid when I visited and got to go because it was close to where my uncle lived in Northern New Jersey. My mother was not a big fan of amusement parks unless they were connected to Disney, and she had started reading enough about Action Park to be worried. My uncle did not have the same concerns, so he took me there and I had a great time. I rode what I could, brought home brochures, talked about it all summer, and assumed I would keep going back. That didn’t happen. Then I talk about how Action Park came to be. The story starts with Gene Mulvihill, Great Gorge, Vernon Valley, and the problem of what a ski resort is supposed to do when the weather gets warm. The Alpine Slide came first, and from there the place kept growing into something much larger. Action Park was built around participation, which meant you were not simply strapped into a ride and moved along. You had some control, or at least the feeling of control, and that was a big part of what made the park so exciting. Of course, that same idea also made the place dangerous. In the episode, I get into the rides people still talk about, including the Alpine Slide and the Cannonball Loop. I also spend time on the wave pool, Motor World, and some of the other attractions that helped make Action Park feel less like a normal amusement park and more like its own strange world. Looking back now, it is much easier to see how quickly excitement could turn into something else. The darker part of the Action Park story is impossible to avoid. I talk about the deaths and injuries connected to the park, along with the lawsuits and insurance problems that followed it for years. Some of what happened there is shocking even if you already know the general reputation. The park has become famous as a place that probably should not have been allowed to operate the way it did, and there is plenty of truth in that version of the story. But I did not want this episode to be only about the worst things that happened there. For a lot of kids from New Jersey and the surrounding area, Action Park was a summer trip people talked about afterward. It was a place that felt enormous, especially if you were young enough to believe you could eventually get to everything. The danger is part of the story, but so is the memory of wanting to go back. That is what makes Action Park such a strange subject for me. The stories about the park are real, and some are worse than I understood when I was young. At the same time, my own connection to the place is still tied to being a kid who thought he had found the most exciting park in New Jersey. My last trip there had already happened before I knew it, which may be part of why the place stayed so large in my mind. Action Park does not fit neatly into one version of itself, and that is why it still feels worth talking about.

In 1967 Hanna-Barbera had a new show on Saturday Mornings, The Herculoids. This was before my time, but the show’s concept and characters were so enduring that nearly a decade and a half later they would be revived for a new show and I would be introduced to the great characters. Between and since then the have shown up in reruns, comic books, and more modern shows where they often appear for laughs. The design of the characters was by the great Alex Toth, who I haven’t really talk enough about on the show. So I start this episode with a bio of Toth after talking about my experience discovering and learning about the show over the years. Then I move onto thee show itself. I discuss the people in front of and behind the camera, the studio who made it, its release, the music, and much more. While the show combined elements of science fiction and fantasy, it was very easy to understand. A family of people and creatures come together to protect their home against anything that throw at them. Combine that simple and repeatable idea with great design and straightforward, but compelling animation and you have a memorable show that is still worth remembering today.

Prom Night, starry Jamie Curtis, is a movie that is often overshadowed by her more memorable turn in Halloween. While it might not be a classic, like Halloween, it is a film well-worth your time. A fun, low-budget slasher film, it is also has a nice whodunit, and a time-capsule of the late 1970s with its disco dancing and music. I begin the episode by discussing my own prom. It wasn’t memorable like all the proms I saw in the movies, but my friends and I did eventually manage to have some fun. Could our prom have used more disco? Probably, but all proms could use more disco. After discussing the prom, I move onto the film itself. Talking about how it got made, who made it, the actors, music, reception and much more. Prom Night is interesting as a bridge between the Halloween era and the more graphic slashers that followed. Its kills are relatively low-key compared to what came after, but its focus on teenage drama, secrets, and revenge foreshadowed many later films. Why should you watch it? Curtis’s performance, its place in slasher history, and its splendid mix of disco, high school nonsense, and a masked killer that makes it feel very much of its time.

1999 was a great year for movies. Almost too great. It didn’t help that I found myself so busy with work that my focus on film couldn’t be what it used to be. So while I am a big fan of “The Iron Giant,” I was also one of those people who didn’t go to see it in the theater and contributed to its “flop” status. That summer was stacked with films like “The Sixth Sense” and “The Blair Witch Project,” and it was easy for something quieter and more thoughtful to get lost. While that is bad, the good news is that I was also one of the people who took to it on home video and picked it up on DVD as soon as it was available. I can still remember watching it for the first time at home and being floored by how much heart it had. I start the episode talking about my experiences with the film before moving onto the film itself. I discuss the people who made the film, its source material, other adaptations, the people who lent their voices to the film, its reception, music, and much more. It’s worth noting that the director, Brad Bird, would later go on to make “The Incredibles” and “Ratatouille,” which shows just how much talent was already on display in this debut. Unfortunately, Warner Bros. had no idea how to market the film at the time, which didn’t help its chances at the box office. The Iron Giant has become a cult hit and is well loved, but it’s not enough. A surprising number of people have never seen the film, and I think that’s a shame. It’s a thoughtful film, filled with wonder and spectacle, that will capture the imagination of kids and adults alike. Its story of fear, empathy, and the power of choice feels even more relevant today. So if you haven’t seen it, prepare to fall in love with a giant robot.

I have very mixed feeling about Jaws: The Revenge. On the one hand, I found it disappointing when compared to earlier films, on the other hand I am fascinated that it was made and audiences reaction or lack of reaction to it. It is the last of the Jaws film, but was it the killer of the franchise or was the franchise already dying and this was just the last gasp? I saw most of Jaws: The Revenge by myself. I don’t think I had a critical eye at the time, because even though I wanted it to be better, I was entertained enough by it, especially once it started. The FX did stand out as bad, but I liked the change in setting and the silliness of the shark seeking revenge. On this episode of the show, I will talk about the road to making the sequel, the writers, the director, the music, its reception and much more. Its a messy film that might not be critically great, but that doesn’t mean its not interesting. This was a weird movie for me to cover in that I don’t think its a great film. That is not something I usually do. The thing is, the more I started watching it, thinking about it, and reading the novelization, the more interesting I found it. As you move further along in the Jaws sequels, fewer and fewer people see them. With this one, things have flatlined. Its reputation precedes it so much that people have avoided it like a shark plagued Amity beach. So will you think the movie is great after listening to this? Probably not, and I am not trying to convince you, but I do hope it makes you think about the movie.

My family was very excited to see Jaws whenever it came on television, but never mustered the same enthusiasm for its first sequel. Because of this, I had an opportunity to read a copy of the Jaws 2 novelization before I saw the film. I really enjoyed the book and was hopeful that the film would match it, but I was surprised to find they were different. While many times after this it would happen, this was the first instance of where I found a book more enjoyable than a film. On today’s show I will discuss Jaws 2. I will talk about the road to making the sequel, the change of directors, the novelization, the music, its reception and much more. As you might remember if you listened to my Jaws podcast, it was fraught with problems. So it probably won’t surprise you to learn that the sequel might have had just as many. Over the years I have come to enjoy Jaws 2 for what it is, a lighter more over the top sequel to a much better film. As directed it is a great film to watch during any summer and I am pleased to finally be able to discuss it here on the podcast.

Over the years, I have been slowly trying to cover all of Atari’s console releases. The first one I talked about, the Atari 5200, was way back in 2009. Well, I am happy to announce that I have finally covered all of the released consoles now with this podcast about the Atari XEGS. This console was interesting in that it combined a computer and gaming console in an attractive and cohesive packages. Unfortunately for Atari, releasing it in 1987, was just too little too late. And while there was some initial enthusiasm for the system, it quickly faded, buried under the efforts of Nintendo and to a lesser extent Sega. Still, while it might have failed, it was an interesting effort and worth discussing. On today’s show, I talk all about the Atari XEGS. Discussing its designer, the company who made it, its reception, release, and much more. This being an Atari release, I found some great retro audio to include that I hope you enjoy. Many consoles have been released that didn’t set the world on fire. That doesn’t mean they should be forgotten. Atari was trying something that certainly had been attempted before, but I think you could argue that they did it best up to this point.

In the late 1980s, a new multiplayer beat-em-up hit arcades, Golden Axe. It took what other games had done and added new depth to combat, a healthy dose of magic, and wrapped it all in Conan-style sword & sorcery. It wasn’t just a hit with me and my friends, but an international success that spawned multiple ports and sequels, each adding something to the franchise and the brawler genre as whole. I loved playing this game in the arcade, but one of my best memories of it was wrapped up in the Sega Genesis version. So I start the show discussing how a game rental turned into the last all-night game sessions I ever had with a childhood friend. Then I move onto the game itself. I talk about the company and people who made it, its release, reception, and technology. While I might not be a Golden Axe master, I have played it through several times, so I also share some of my strategies for the game. Golden Axe remains significant for its role in shaping the beat 'em up genre. So significant that it looks like we might be getting a TV show based on it. One can hope that this will lead to future sequels or reimaginations of the original. And why not? With its blend of action, fantasy, and cooperative play, it helped set a new standard and one of its sequels was arguably even better. This is an important title in the history of video games, so I hope you give the show a listen and then go check out the game for yourself. If you can bring a friend, the experience will be all the better.