About this episode

The episode explores the theory that 'Who Framed Roger Rabbit' serves as the lost third film of the Chinatown trilogy.

Roman Polanski wrote Chinatown as a trilogy, then fled the country before he could finish it. Jack Nicholson salvaged The Two Jakes, but the third script, titled Cloverleaf after the land-grabbing company at its heart, supposedly vanished. Only it didn't. It hit theaters in 1988 wrapped in a toon costume. Same detective setup, same mid-case beatdown, same loyal femme fatale, same wrong-culprit twist, and a plot that secretly hinges on infrastructure, red trolley cars and a freeway land grab. Grab your magnifying glass as we prove Who Framed Roger Rabbit is the lost finale of the Chinatown trilogy. Do you like what we do? You can support us at Patreon and get access to exclusive behind the scenes outtakes: https://www.patreon.com/thepopcornisntreal

People in this episode

Host: The Popcorn Isn't Real

Topics covered

• film theory
• Chinatown trilogy
• animation
• detective stories
• hidden narratives

Keywords

• Chinatown
• Who Framed Roger Rabbit
• Roman Polanski
• Jack Nicholson
• film theory

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: Chinatown, The Two Jakes, Cloverleaf, Who Framed Roger Rabbit

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