The Literary License Podcast

Season 6: Episode 285 - MAKE/REMAKE: Castle Freak (1995/2020)

Castle Freak (1995)
​
Castle Freak is a 1995 American direct-to-video horror film directed by Stuart Gordon. The film stars Jeffrey Combs as John Reilly, an American recovering alcoholic who inherits an Italian castle when a distant relative passes away. John travels to Italy with his estranged wife Susan (Barbara Crampton) and blind daughter Rebecca (Jessica Dollarhide). The three plan to stay at the castle, but unbeknownst to them, a freakish monster locked away in the basement of the castle is about to escape and commit a series of murders. The police place John as the prime suspect, leading him to confront his alcoholism, fight the demon and prove himself innocent. Castle Freak went into production in 1994 after Gordon noticed art for the film in producer Charles Band's office. Gordon agreed to develop the film on Band's condition that the film take place in a castle, contain a freak, and would be shot on a very low budget. Gordon obliged as he would be able to cast who he wanted in the film and would get the final cut. The film was shot in 1994 in a castle owned by Band in Italy, where Gordon had previously shot The Pit and the Pendulum.
 
Castle Freak (2020)
 
Castle Freak is a 2020 American direct-to-video horror film that was directed by Tate Steinsiek. It has been billed as a reboot of the 1995 Stuart Gordon film by the same name, which is a loose adaptation of the stories "The Outsider" and "The Dunwich Horror" by H.P. Lovecraft.
 
Opening Credits; Introduction (.40); Background History (29.18); Castle Freak (1995) Film Trailer (30.35); The Original (32.43); Let's Rate (1:10.15); Amazing Design Advertisement (1:30.27); Introducing a Remake (1:31.38); Castle Freak (2020) Film Trailer (1:32.06); The Remake (1:34.09); How Many Stars (2:18.31); End Credits (2:29.58); Closing Credits (2:31.48)
 
Opening Credits– Epidemic Sound – copyright 2021. All rights reserved
 
Closing Credits:  Freak Like Me by The Sugababes.  Taken from the album Angels With Dirty Faces.  Copyright 2002 Island/Universal Records.
​
Original Music copyrighted 2020 Dan Hughes Music and the Literary License Podcast. 
 
All rights reserved.  Used with Kind Permission.
 
All songs available through Amazon Music.

Season 6: Episode 284 - BATMAN: The Animated Series: See No Evil/Beware the Grey Ghost/Prophecy of Doom/Joker’s Favor

Batman: The Animated Series
 
See No Evil  
 
Lloyd "Eddie" Ventrix is on the verge of losing his daughter, Kimberly (Elisabeth Moss), to his ex-wife, Helen, due to his past as a con artist. Determined not to lose Kimberly, Ventrix dons a suit, stolen from where he used to work while on parole, which grants the user invisibility but also becomes highly toxic and drives him insane. He poses as Kimberly's imaginary friend, Mojo, and planning to abduct her from her mother, while in a crime spree as an invisible robber. Batman must solve the mystery crimes and stop Ventrix, despite the fact that he cannot even see him.
 
Beware the Gray Ghost
 
Simon Trent, an actor best known for his past role as "The Gray Ghost", is on the verge of bankruptcy thanks to his declining career. To save himself, he sells off all of his Gray Ghost merchandise. Immediately afterwards, a series of bombings related to the old show begin to occur. Batman, having himself been inspired partly by the show to become the crimefighter he now is, goes to Trent for help, and they team up to put an end to the crimes, and also revive Trent's career.
 
Prophecy of Doom 
 
Batman investigates a cult, called the Brotherhood, founded by the "mystic" Nostromos, after hearing about a number of stories from his colleagues about his ability to predict the future. Batman finds out that Nostromos is actually a con artist who was rigging near-fatal accidents to gain the confidence of Gotham's upper class citizens, and he must expose this ruse before it is too late.
 
Joker’s Favor
 
After a man named Charlie Collins curses at the Joker on the road for offensive driving, the Clown Prince of Crime corners him and intimidates him into doing him a "small favor". Two years pass, and the Joker finally decides how to use Charlie: to sneak a bomb into the Peregrinator's Club, where Commissioner Gordon is to give a speech at an award ceremony. Charlie, who merely has to open the door, is sceptical at first, but for the sake of his family, he reluctantly decides to obey.
 
We are joined by Mark Krawczyk, Host of The Spoiler Room podcast.  You can follow his show or himself by going to the following websites:
 
https://www.specialmarkproductions.com
https://anchor.fm/spoilerroompodcast
https://twitter.com/SpecialMarkPro
https://www.instagram.com/SpecialMarkProd
https://www.tiktok.com/@specialmarkproductions
 
 
Opening Credits; Introduction (1.29); Amazing Design Advertisement (32.25); Episode One See No Evil (33.37); Episode Two: Beware the Grey Ghost (47.24); Episode Three:  Prophecy of Doom (1:20.20); Episode Four: Joker’s Favor (1:45.57); Favourite and Least Favourite Character (2:34.15);Same Bat Time, Same Bat Channel (2:51.43); Closing Credits (2:54.37)
 
Opening Credits– Batman Animated Theme by Danny Elfman.  Copyright 1992 Warner Music 
 
Closing Credits:  My Hero by The Foo Fighters.  Taken from the album The Color and The Shape.  Copyright 1997 Roswell – Capitol Records.
​
Original Music copyrighted 2020 Dan Hughes Music and the Literary License Podcast. 
 
All rights reserved. Used with Kind Permission.
 
All songs available through Amazon Music.

Season 6: Episode 283 - AMERICA GOES DARK: We Need To Talk About Kevin (L. Shriver)/Film (2011)

Book:    We Need to Talk About Kevin
     By Lionel Shriver
​
Film:      We Need to Talk About Kevin (2011)
 
We Need to Talk About Kevin is a 2003 novel by Lionel Shriver, published by Serpent's Tail, about a fictional school massacre. It is written from the first person perspective of the teenage killer's mother, Eva Khatchadourian, and documents her attempt to come to terms with her psychopathic son Kevin and the murders he committed, as told in a series of letters from Eva to her husband. The novel, Shriver's seventh, won the 2005 Orange Prize, a UK-based prize for female authors of any country writing in English. In 2011 the novel was adapted into a film.
 
We Need to Talk About Kevin is a 2011 psychological thriller drama film directed by Lynne Ramsay from a screenplay she co-wrote with Rory Stewart Kinnear, based on the 2003 novel of the same name by Lionel Shriver. A long process of development and financing began in 2005, with filming commencing in April 2010.  Tilda Swinton stars as the mother of Kevin, struggling to come to terms with her psychopathic son and the horrors he has committed. The film premiered at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival and was released in the United Kingdom on 21 October 2011.
 
Opening Credits; Introduction (2.33); Amazing Design Advertisement (24.07); Background History (25.19); Plot Synopsis (26.24); Book Thoughts (32.24); Let's Rate (1:30.21); Introducing a Film (1:33.10); Film Trailer (1:34.34); Lights, Camera, Action (1:36.11); How Many Stars (2:36.00); End Credits (2:49.50); Closing Credits (2:51.34)
 
Opening Credits– Epidemic Sound – copyright 2021. All rights reserved
 
Closing Credits:  I Don’t Like Mondays by The Boomtown Rats. Taken from the album The Fine Art of Surfacing.  Copyright 1979 Ensign/Columbia Records
​
Original Music copyrighted 2020 Dan Hughes Music and the Literary License Podcast. 
 
All rights reserved.  Used with Kind Permission.
 
All songs available through Amazon Music.

Season 6: Episode 282 - M&M: Eating Raoul (1984)/Cannibal The Musical (1994)

Cannibal the Musical (1993)
​
Cannibal! The Musical (originally known as Alferd Packer: The Musical) is a 1993 American black comedy musical film directed, written, produced, co-scored by and starring Trey Parker in his directorial debut while studying at the University of Colorado at Boulder, before reaching fame with South Park alongside his friend Matt Stone who also stars in and produced the film. It is loosely based on the true story of Alferd Packer and the sordid details of the trip from Utah to Colorado that left his five fellow travelers dead and partially eaten. Trey Parker (credited as Juan Schwartz) stars as Alferd Packer, with frequent collaborators Stone, Dian Bachar, and others playing the supporting roles.  A live staged version was performed at Sierra College, in Rocklin, California, in May 1998. It was followed by Dad's Garage Theater, Atlanta Georgia, in the fall of 1998. The Dad's Garage version is highlighted in the special features of Troma's DVD release of the movie. The show has continued to find small theaters and audiences across America and beyond for many years. In 2001, a production was staged Off-Broadway at the Kraine Theater on East 4th Street in New York.  A large-scale stage production was produced by The Rival Theatre Company at the 2008 Edinburgh Festival Fringe. It featured West End performers. It was executive produced by Jason McHugh and directed by Frazer Brown
​
Eating Raoul (1982)
​
Eating Raoul is a 1982 American black comedy film written, directed by and starring Paul Bartel with Mary Woronov, Robert Beltran, Ed Begley Jr., Buck Henry, and Susan Saiger. It is about a prudish married couple (Bartel and Woronov) who resort to killing and robbing affluent swingers to earn money for their dream restaurant. The writers commissioned a single-issue comic book based on the film for promotion; it was created by underground comix creator Kim Deitch.  It would also become a hit off Broadway musical.
 
Opening Credits; Introduction (1.05); Amazing Design Advertisement (52.51); Background History (54.04); Eating Raoul Film Trailer (54.49); The Original (56.25); Let's Rate (1:42.42); Introducing the Double Feature (1:48.50); Cannibal – The Musical Film Trailer (1:51.11); The Attraction (1:52.53); How Many Stars (2:35.19); Over All Thought (2:36.09) End Credits (2:41.52; Closing Credits (2:43.21)
 
Opening Credits– Epidemic Sound – copyright 2021. All rights reserved
 
Closing Credits:  Eat Me – Demi Lovatto Featuring Ryan and Serpent. -. Taken from the forthcoming album ‘Holy Fvck’.  Copyright 2022 Island Records.
​
Original Music copyrighted 2020 Dan Hughes Music and the Literary License Podcast. 
 
All rights reserved.  Used With Kind Permission.
 
All songs available through Amazon Music.
 

Season 6: Episode 281 - MAKE/REMAKE: West Side Story (1961/2021)

West Side Story (1961)
​
West Side Story is a 1961 American musical romantic drama film directed by Robert Wise and Jerome Robbins. With a screenplay by Ernest Lehman, the film is an adaptation of the 1957 Broadway musical of the same title, which in turn was inspired by Shakespeare's play Romeo and Juliet. It stars Natalie Wood, Richard Beymer, Russ Tamblyn, Rita Moreno, and George Chakiris, and was photographed by Daniel L. Fapp in Super Panavision 70. The music was composed by Leonard Bernstein, with lyrics by Stephen Sondheim.  Released on October 18, 1961, through United Artists, the film received high praise from critics and viewers, and became the highest-grossing film of 1961. It was nominated for 11 Academy Awards and won 10, including Best Picture (in addition to a special award for Robbins), becoming the record holder for the most wins for a musical.
​
West Side Story (2021)
​
West Side Story is a 2021 American musical romantic drama film directed and co-produced by Steven Spielberg from a screenplay by Tony Kushner. It is the second feature-length adaptation of the 1957 stage musical of the same name.It stars Ansel Elgort and Rachel Zegler in her film debut with Ariana DeBose, David Alvarez, Mike Faist, and Rita Moreno in supporting roles. Moreno, who starred in the 1961 film adaptation, also served as an executive producer alongside Kushner.[3] The film features music composed by Leonard Bernstein with lyrics by Stephen Sondheim.  The film entered development in 2014 at 20th Century Fox; Kushner began writing the screenplay in 2017. In January 2018, Spielberg was hired and casting began that September. Justin Peck choreographed the dance sequences. Principal photography occurred in New York and New Jersey; filming began in July 2019 and ran for two months.  The film was a box office bomb losing over $100million dollars at the box office.
 
Opening Credits; Introduction (.37); Background History (28.20); West Side Story (1961) Film Trailer (30.07); The Original (34.04); Let's Rate (1:55.39); Amazing Design Advertisement (2:06.54); Introducing a Remake (2:08.06); West Side Story (2021) Film Trailer (2:10.10); The Remake (2:12.25); How Many Stars (3:2128); End Credits (3:48.15); Closing Credits (3:50.01)
 
Opening Credits– Epidemic Sound – copyright 2021. All rights reserved
 
Closing Credits:  Welcome Christmas – performed by the MGM Chorus.  Taken from the 1966 How The Grinch Stole Christmas Television Soundtrack.  Copyright 1966 Leo The Lion Records
​
Original Music copyrighted 2020 Dan Hughes Music and the Literary License Podcast. 
 
All rights reserved.
 
All songs available through Amazon Music.

Season 6: Episode 280 - DOCTOR WHO: The Edge of Destruction

The Edge of Destruction
​
8 February – 15 February 1964
 
The Doctor, his granddaughter Susan and her teachers  are in the Doctor's time and space machine the TARDIS when it appears to be taken over by an outside force. The travellers begin acting strangely and turn against each other.
 
Opening Credits; Introduction (1.29); Plot Synopsis (8.39); Let's Discuss (10.51); Amazing Design Advertisement (25.15); Favourite and Least Favourite Character (26.26); Tune In Next Time (32.07); Closing Credits (34.07)
 
Opening Credits– Doctor Who Theme. composer Ron Grainer and realised by Delia Derbyshire at the BBC Radiophonic Workshop. Copyright 1963 BBC World Music.
 
Closing Credits:  Elf’s Lament by Barenaked Ladies with Michael Buble.  Taken from the album Barenaked For The Holidays.  Copyright 2004 Desperation Records.
​
Original Music copyrighted 2020 Dan Hughes Music and the Literary License Podcast. 
 
All rights reserved. 
 
Used with Kind Permission.
 
All songs available through Amazon Music.

Season 6: Episode 279 - BATMAN: The Animated Series: I Got Batman In My Basement /Heart of Ice/The Claw Part 1 &2

Batman: The Animated Series – I Got Batman In My Basement/Heart of Ice/Cat and the Claw Part 1 & 2
 
I’ve Got Batman In My Basement
 
During a fight with Batman over a stolen Fabergé egg, the Penguin incapacitates Batman with poison gas. The Dark Knight is rescued by a teenage amateur detective named Sherman Grant and his friend Roberta, who hide Batman in Sherman's basement long enough for him to recover before the Penguin finds them.
 
Heart of Ice
 
Bitter scientist Victor Fries, as Mr. Freeze, attacks several divisions of GothCorp, each time stealing a piece for a secret weapon he intends to build. Batman investigates the connections, and discovers that the start of Freeze's vendetta against GothCorp was a bitter falling out between Fries and GothCorp's CEO, Ferris Boyle (Mark Hamill), during which Boyle almost killed Fries (mutating him into Freeze) and presumably killed Fries' terminally ill wife, Nora. Batman must find a way to bring Boyle to justice before Freeze carries out his revenge.  This episode won the 1993 daytime Emmy for most Outstanding Script.
 
The Cat and the Claw Part 1
 
Batman encounters a new cat burglar calling herself Catwoman, and around the same time, meets a woman named Selina Kyle (as Bruce Wayne), to whom he is visibly attracted. When Selina runs into trouble with a terrorist group known as The Red Claw, who want the mountain lion sanctuary she was trying to protect, she decides to take matters into her own hands and investigate.
 
The Cat and the Claw Part 2
 
The leader of the Red Claw group (known herself only as Red Claw) attacks a military train and steals a viral plague, which she intends to release in Gotham if she isn't paid a ransom, and Batman and Catwoman must put aside their differences and work together to stop Red Claw before it is too late.
 
Opening Credits; Introduction (1.30); Amazing Design Advertisement (1:03.41)I Got Batman In My Basement (1:04.53); Heart of Ice (1:28.26); The Cat And The Claw Part 1 (2:02.09); The Cat and The Claw Part 2 (2:25.02); Favourite Episode (3:00.06); Favourite Character (3:03.19);Same Bat Time, Same Bat Channel (3:06.47); Closing Credits (3:08.13)
 
Opening Credits– Batman Animated Theme by Danny Elfman.  Copyright 1992 Warner Music 
 
Closing Credits:  God Rest Ye Merry Gentleman by Barenaked Ladies with Sarah McLaughlin.  Taken from the album Barenaked For The Holiday.  Copyright 2004 Concord Vangard Records.
​
Original Music copyrighted 2020 Dan Hughes Music and the Literary License Podcast. 
 
All rights reserved. 
 
Used with Kind Permission.
 
All songs available through Amazon Music.

Season 6: Episode 278 - AMERICA GOES DARK: We Have Always Lived In A Castle (S. Jackson)/Film (2018)

Book:   We Have Always Lived in The Castle
     By Shirley Jackson
 
Film:   We Have Always Live in the Castle
   (2018)
 
We Have Always Lived in the Castle is a 1962 mystery novel by American author Shirley Jackson. It was Jackson's final work, and was published with a dedication to Pascal Covici, the publisher, three years before the author's death in 1965. The novel is written in the voice of eighteen-year-old Mary Katherine "Merricat" Blackwood, who lives with her sister and uncle on an estate in Vermont. Six years before the events of the novel, the Blackwood family experienced a tragedy that left the three survivors isolated from their small village.  The novel was first published in hardcover in North America by Viking Press, and has since been released in paperback and as an audiobook and e-book.[2] It has been described as Jackson's masterpiece.
 
We Have Always Lived in the Castle is a 2018 American mystery thriller film directed by Stacie Passon, written by Mark Kruger, and starring Taissa Farmiga, Alexandra Daddario, Crispin Glover, and Sebastian Stan. It was based on the 1962 novel of the same name by Shirley Jackson.
 
 
Opening Credits; Introduction (2:31); Amazing Design Advertisement ( 19.14); Background History (20.26); Plot Synopsis (21.26); Book Thoughts (25.32); Let's Rate (1:07.56); Introducing a Film (1:16.06); We Have Always Lived In The Castle Film Trailer (1:17.11); Lights, Camera, Action (1:19.02); How Many Stars (1:59.49); End Credits (2:04.39); Closing Credits (2:06.26)
 
Opening Credits– Epidemic Sound – copyright 2021. All rights reserved
 
Closing Credits:  I’ll Be Home For Christmas by Elvis Presley and Carrie Underwood.  Taken from the album Christmas Duets.  Copyright 2008 RCA Victor Records
​
Original Music copyrighted 2020 Dan Hughes Music and the Literary License Podcast. 
 
All rights reserved.  Used with Kind Permission.
 
All songs available through Amazon Music.

Season 6: Episode 277 - M&M: Double Indemnity (1944)/Basic Instinct (1992)

Double Indemnity (1944)
​
​
Double Indemnity is a 1944 American crime film noir directed by Billy Wilder, co-written by Wilder and Raymond Chandler, and produced by Buddy DeSylva and Joseph Sistrom. The screenplay was based on James M. Cain's 1943 novel of the same title, which appeared as an eight-part serial for the Liberty magazine in February 1936.  The film stars Fred MacMurray as an insurance salesman, Barbara Stanwyck as a provocative housewife who is accused of killing her husband, and Edward G. Robinson as a claims adjuster whose job is to find phony claims. The term "double indemnity" refers to a clause in certain life insurance policies that doubles the payout in cases when the death is accidental.  Praised by many critics when first released, the film was nominated for seven Academy Awards but did not win any. Widely regarded as a classic, it often is cited as having set the standard for film noir.
​
Basic Instinct (1992)
 
Basic Instinct is a 1992 neo-noir erotic thriller film directed by Paul Verhoeven and written by Joe Eszterhas. The film follows San Francisco police detective Nick Curran (Michael Douglas), who is investigating the brutal murder of a wealthy rock star. During the investigation, Curran becomes involved in a torrid and intense relationship with the prime suspect, Catherine Tramell (Sharon Stone), an enigmatic writer.  Eszterhas developed the script in the 1980s. It became a subject of a bidding war until Carolco Pictures acquired the rights to the film. From there, Verhoeven signed on to direct and Douglas and Stone joined the project, after many actresses were considered for the role of Tramell. Before its release, Basic Instinct generated controversy due to its overt sexuality and violence, including a rape scene. Gay rights activists criticized the film's depiction of homosexual relationships and the portrayal of a bisexual woman as a murderous psychopath. In one scene, Stone's vulva was filmed as she crossed her legs, which she claimed was done without her knowledge, a claim denied by the director.  There are several cuts available. 
 
Opening Credits; Introduction (1.05); Amazing Design Advertisement (20.54); Background History (22.06); Double Indemnity (1944) Film Trailer (23.41); The Original (25.54); Let's Rate (1:19.08); Introducing the Double Feature (1:36.27); Basic Instinct (1992) Film Trailer (1:39.07); The Attraction (1:41.16); How Many Stars (2:37.14); End Credits (2:41.56); Closing Credits (2:43.10)
 
Opening Credits– Epidemic Sound – copyright 2021. All rights reserved
 
Closing Credits:  Man Smart, Women Smarter – by Harry Belafonte. Taken from the album Calypso.  Copyright 1955 RCA Victor
​
Original Music copyrighted 2020 Dan Hughes Music and the Literary License Podcast. 
 
All rights reserved.  Used by Kind Permission.
 
All songs available through Amazon Music.

Season 6: Episode 274 - MAKE/REMAKE: The Women (1939)/The Opposite Sex (1956)

The Women (1939)
​
The Women is a 1939 American comedy-drama film directed by George Cukor. The film is based on Clare Boothe Luce's 1936 play of the same name, and was adapted for the screen by Anita Loos and Jane Murfin, who had to make the film acceptable for the Production Code for it to be released.  The film stars Norma Shearer, Joan Crawford, Rosalind Russell, Paulette Goddard, Joan Fontaine, Lucile Watson, Mary Boland, Florence Nash, and Virginia Grey. Marjorie Main and Phyllis Povah also appear, reprising their stage roles from the play. Ruth Hussey, Virginia Weidler, Butterfly McQueen, and Hedda Hopper also appear in smaller roles. Fontaine was the last surviving actress with a credited role in the film; she died in 2013. It is also important to note that even the animals and pets are all female.  The film continued the play's all-female tradition—the entire cast of more than 130 speaking roles was female. Set in the glamorous Manhattan apartments of high society evoked by Cedric Gibbons, and in Reno, Nevada, where they obtain their divorces, it presents an acidic commentary on the pampered lives and power struggles of various rich, bored wives and other women they come into contact with.  Filmed in black and white, it includes a six-minute fashion parade filmed in Technicolor, featuring Adrian's most outré designs; often cut in modern screenings, it has been restored by Turner Classic Movies. On DVD, the original black-and-white fashion show, which is a different take, is available for the first time.
​
The Opposite Sex (1956)
 
The Opposite Sex is a 1956 American musical romantic comedy film shot in Metrocolor and CinemaScope.[3][4] The film was directed by David Miller and stars June Allyson, Joan Collins, Dolores Gray, Ann Sheridan, and Ann Miller, with Leslie Nielsen, Jeff Richards, Agnes Moorehead, Charlotte Greenwood, Joan Blondell, and Sam Levene.
​
The Opposite Sex is a remake of the 1939 comedy film The Women. Both films are based on Clare Boothe Luce's original 1936 play.
​
Unlike the 1936 play and the 1939 film adaptation, The Opposite Sex includes musical numbers and features male actors who portray the husbands and boyfriends, whose characters were only referred to in the previous film and stage versions.[6] This alters the structure and tone of the base storyline significantly.
 
Opening Credits; Introduction (.37); Background History (42.13);The Women (1939) Film Trailer (44.51); The Original (48.16); Let's Rate (1:43.07); Amazing Design (1:59.54); Introducing a Remake (2:01.07); The Opposite Sex (1956) Film Trailer (2:01.41); The Remake (2:05.22); How Many Stars (2:44.07); End Credits (2:58.26); Closing Credits (3:00.39)
 
Opening Credits– Epidemic Sound – copyright 2021. All rights reserved
 
Closing Credits:  There’s Always A Woman – by Kaye Ballard and Sally Mayes  Taken from the album Unsung Sondheim. Copyright 1993 Varese Sarabande
​
Original Music copyrighted 2020 Dan Hughes Music and the Literary License Podcast. 
 
All rights reserved.  Used with Kind Permission
 
All songs available through Amazon Music.

Season 6: Episode 276 - DOCTOR WHO: The Daleks Part 2

The Daleks – Part 2
 
21 December 1963 – 1 February 1964
 
Episodes 5 – 7
 
The Expedition
The Ordeal
The Rescue
 
The Doctor, his granddaughter Susan Foreman and her teachers Ian Chesterton and Barbara Wright land in an alien jungle and are captured by the Daleks, a race of mutated creatures who survive off the radiation that remains in the atmosphere after a nuclear war with their enemies. As the group attempt to escape the Daleks, they discover more about the planet and the ensuing war and attempt to broker a peace.
 
Opening Credits; Introduction (1.29); Plot Synopsis (8.19); Let's Discuss (10.49); Amazing Design Advertisement (57.27); Favourite and Least Favourite Character (58.39); Let's Rate (1:06.49); Tune In Next Time (1:12.41); Closing Credits (1:15.17)
 
Opening Credits– Doctor Who Theme. composer Ron Grainer and realised by Delia Derbyshire at the BBC Radiophonic Workshop. Copyright 1963 BBC World Music.
 
Closing Credits:  Cause I’m a Blonde – by Julie Brown.  Taken from the album Goddess in Progress.  Copyright 1984 Rhino Records
​
Original Music copyrighted 2020 Dan Hughes Music and the Literary License Podcast. 
 
All rights reserved
. 
Used with Kind Permission.
 
All songs available through Amazon Music.
 
 

Season 6: Episode 275 - BATMAN: Be A Clown/Two Face Part 1 & 2/It’s Never Too Late

Be A Clown 
 
Mayor Hamilton Hill's miserable son, Jordan, becomes even sadder when his father uses his birthday party as a political gathering rather than a normal celebration, and ends up stowing away in the truck of the party clown hired by Hill for the party, whom he doesn't know is actually the Joker in disguise. It is now up to Batman, whom Mayor Hill distrusts, to rescue the boy before it is too late.
Two Face Part 1
 
Mobster Rupert Thorne attempts to use Harvey Dent's secret split personality to blackmail him. But when Dent meets with Thorne at a chemical plant, "Big Bad Harv" takes over, and the resulting confrontation leads to an explosion that horribly scars half of Dent's face and his entire body.
Two Face Part 2
 
Harvey Dent, now calling himself Two-Face, resurfaces and starts robbing Rupert Thorne's illegal businesses, preparing for a final confrontation with the crime boss, and Batman must stop his former friend before he and Thorne kill each other.
It’s Never Too Late
 
A mob war between crime bosses Rupert Thorne and Arnold Stromwell is nearing its end, and comes to a climax when Stromwell is set up to be killed in an exploding restaurant by Thorne. Batman saves him at the last moment, and aided by Stromwell's brother (now a priest who lost his leg years before, an accident for which Stromwell carries a secret guilt), tries to persuade him to give up his life of crime and help the police bring Thorne down by testifying against him.
Opening Credits; Introduction (1.29); Amazing Design Advertisement (45.31); Episode One:  Be A Clown (46.42); Episode Two:  Two-Face Part 1 (1:02.15); Episode Three:  Two-Face Part 2 (1:23.59); Episode Four:  It’s Never Too Late (1:48.34); Favourite Character (2:15.33); Favourite Episode (2:30.03); Same Bat Time, Same Bat Channel (2:34.11); Closing Credits (2:35.46)
 
Opening Credits– Batman Animated Theme by Danny Elfman.  Copyright 1992 Warner Music 
 
Closing Credits:  It’s Never Too Late by Kylie Minogue.  Taken from the album Enjoy Yourself.  Copyright 1989 PWL Records
​
Original Music copyrighted 2020 Dan Hughes Music and the Literary License Podcast. 
 
Incidental Music:  Batman: The Animated Series by Shirley Walker. Copyright 1995 Warner Music International.
 
All rights reserved.  Used with Kind Permission.
 
All songs available through Amazon Music.

Season 6: Episode 273 - AMERICA GOES DARK: Gone Girl (G Flynn)/Gone Girl (2014)

Book:  Gone Girl
    By Gillian Flynn
 
Film:    Gone Girl (2014)
 
 
Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn was published in June 2012 and become an instant success.  The sense of suspense in the novel would come whether Nick Dunne is responsible for the disappearance of his wife Amy.  The book would be told in three parts changing the point of view between the different parts.
 
The film, directed by David Fincher and starring Rosamund Pike and Ben Affleck.  Set in Missouri, the story is a postmodern mystery that follows the events surrounding Nick Dunne who becomes the prime suspect in the sudden disappearance of his wife, Amy. The film also stars Neil Patrick Harris and Tyler Perry.  It would be the highest grossing film of David Fincher’s career earning $369million at the box office.
 
Opening Credits; Introduction (2.33); Background History (6.50); Gone Girl Plot Synopsis (7.52); Book Thoughts(14.51); Let's Rate (41.41); Amazing Design Advertisement (42.33); Introducing a Film (43.44); Gone Girl Film Trailer (45.01); Lights, Camera, Action (47.28); How Many Stars (1:24.18); End Credits (1:26.06); Closing Credits (1:27.54)
 
Opening Credits– Epidemic Sound – copyright 2021. All rights reserved
 
Closing Credits:  Bitch by Meredith Brookes.  Taken from the album Blurring the Edges.  Copyright 1997 Capitol-EMI Records
​
Original Music copyrighted 2020 Dan Hughes Music and the Literary License Podcast. 
 
All rights reserved.  Used by Kind Permission
 
All songs available through Amazon Music.

Season 6: Episode 272 - M&M: Adele Blanc-Sec (2010)/A&C Meet The Mummy (1955)

The Extraordinary Adventures of Adele Blanc-Sec (2010)
​
 
The Extraordinary Adventures of Adèle Blanc-Sec  is a 2010 French fantasy adventure feature film written and directed by Luc Besson. It is loosely based on the comic book series The Extraordinary Adventures of Adèle Blanc-Sec by Jacques Tardi and, as in the comic, follows the eponymous writer and a number of recurring side characters in a succession of far-fetched incidents in 1910s Paris and beyond, in this episode revolving around parapsychology and ultra-advanced Ancient Egyptian technology, which both pastiche and subvert adventure and speculative fiction of the period. The primarily live-action film, shot in Super 35, incorporates much use of computer animation to portray its fanciful elements and contemporary action film special and visual effects within the form of the older-style adventure films they have largely superseded.
​
Abbott and Costello Meet the Mummy (1955)
 
Abbott and Costello Meet the Mummy is a 1955 horror comedy that would star the legendary team of Abbott and Costello making their final appearance in the Universal-International feature.  The film would also star stuntman Eddie Parker as the mummy who was Lon Chaney’s double in the previous mummy films.
 
 
Opening Credits; Introduction (1.03); Background History (19.17); The Extraordinary Adventures of Adele Blanc-Sec (2010) Film Trailer (20.50); Discussing Our First Feature (22.21); Let's Rate (40.12); Amazing Design Advertisement (48.58); Introducing the Double Feature (50.09); The Abbott and Costello Meet The Mummy (1955) Film Trailer (50.28); The Attraction (52.34); How Many Stars (1:38.18);  End Credits (1:51.35); Closing Credits (1:52.58)
 
Opening Credits– Epidemic Sound – copyright 2021. All rights reserved
 
Closing Credits:  Walk Like An Egyptian 12” remix – The Bangles from the album Different Light.  Copyright 1987 Columbia Bang-a-Lang Music
​
Original Music copyrighted 2020 Dan Hughes Music and the Literary License Podcast. 
 
All rights reserved.
 
All songs available through Amazon Music.

Season 6: Episode 271 - MAKE/REMAKE: The Mummy (1932)/The Mummy (1999)

The Mummy (1932)
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The Mummy is a 1932 pre-code American supernatural horror film directed by Karl Freund and stars Boris Karloff.  In the film, Karloff stars as an ancient Egyptian mummy named Imhotep, who is discovered by a team of archaeologists and inadvertently brought back to life by a magic scroll being read aloud. Disguised as a modern Egyptian named Ardeth Bey, Imhotep searches for his lost love, who he believes has been reincarnated as a modern girl.  In recent times, the film has drawn criticisms for orientalism and the “othering” of Egyptian culture.
 
The Mummy (1999)
 
The Mummy, the 1999 American fantasy action-adventure film is a remake of the 1932 film starring Brendan Fraser, Rachel Weisz, John Hannah and  Kevin J O’Connor.  he film follows adventurer Rick O'Connell as he travels to Hamunaptra, the City of the Dead, with a librarian and her older brother, where they accidentally awaken Imhotep, a cursed high priest with supernatural powers.  The film would spawn three sequels and be a box office success making over $416.4million worldwide. 
 
Opening Credits; Introduction (1.05); Background History (20.03); The Mummy (1932) Film Trailer (21.44); The Original (23.18); Amazing Design Advertisement (52.37); Introducing a Remake (53.49); The Mummy (1999) Film Trailer (55.36); The Remake (57.43); How Many Stars (2.05.29); End Credits (2:20.01); Closing Credits (2:21.37)
 
Opening Credits– Epidemic Sound – copyright 2021. All rights reserved
 
Closing Credits:  The Mummy Song (Egyptian Trilogy 1) by Colin Buchanan.  Taken from the album I Want My Mummy.  Copyright 1993 Wanaaring Road Music.. 
​
Original Music copyrighted 2020 Dan Hughes Music and the Literary License Podcast. 
 
All rights reserved.  Used with Kind Permission.
 
All songs available through Amazon Music.

Season 6: Episode 270 - DOCTOR WHO: The Daleks Part 1

The Daleks – Part 1
 
21 December 1963 – 1 February 1964
 
Episode 1 – 4:
​
The Dead Planet
The Survivors
The Escape
The Ambush
 
The First Doctor, his granddaughter Susan Foreman and her teachers Ian Chesterton and Barbara Wright land in an alien jungle and are captured by the Daleks, a race of mutated creatures who survive off the radiation that remains in the atmosphere after a nuclear war with their enemies. As the group attempt to escape the Daleks, they discover more about the planet and the ensuing war, and attempt to broker a peace.
 
Opening Credits; Introduction (1.29(); The Daleks Part 1: Plot Synopsis (12.14); Let's Discuss (15.01); Amazing Designs Advertisement (52.48); Favourite Character, Least Favourite Character (54.00); Let's Rate (1:11.24); Tune In Next Time (1:15.36); Closing Credits (1:18.03)
 
Opening Credits– Doctor Who Theme. composer Ron Grainer and realised by Delia Derbyshire at the BBC Radiophonic Workshop. Copyright 1963 BBC World Music.
 
Closing Credits:  Doctorin’ The Tardis by The Timelords – taken from the album The KLF – History of the JAM aka The Timelords.  1988 copyright TVT Records.
​
Original Music copyrighted 2020 Dan Hughes Music and the Literary License Podcast. 
 
All rights reserved.  Used with Kind Permission.
 
All songs available through Amazon Music.

Season 6: Episode 269: BATMAN: TAS: Pretty Poison, The Underdwellers, POV, The Forgotten

Pretty Poison
 
When District Attorney Harvey Dent collapses after a meal with his finance Pamela Isley and friend Bruce Wayne, doctors discover that he has been poisoned and it is up to Batman to find the culprit and find the antidote before time runs out.
 
The Underdwellers 
 
Batman traces a series of bizarre robberies on the streets of Gotham back to a band of homeless children, who have been raised to do the bidding of their master, the Sewer King.
 
P.O.V. 
 
A botched police operation results in the suspension of those involved: Officer Wilkes, Officer Montoya, and Detective Bullock. Confronted by their superiors, each of them is forced to tell their tale of what happened that night.
 
The Forgotten 
​
While investigating the disappearances of Gotham's homeless in an undercover disguise, Bruce Wayne is kidnapped and imprisoned in a chain gang mining camp, suffering from amnesia. Alfred must thus track him down, help him escape, and free the rest of the prisoners.
 
Opening Credits; Introduction 1.30(); Episode One: Pretty Poison (23.35); Episode Two:  The Underdwellers (39.49); Episode Three:  P.O.V. (1:04.11); Episode Four: The Forgotten (1:19.57); Amazing Designs Advertisement (1:45.47); Favourite Episode (1:46.59); Favourite  and Least Favourite Character (1:50.07); Same Bat Time, Same Bat Channel (2:01.53); Closing Credits (2:03.33)
 
Opening Credits– Batman Animated Theme by Danny Elfman.  Copyright 1992 Warner Music 
 
Closing Credits:  A Kiss Is A Terrible Thing To Waste by Meatloaf and Bonnie Tyler.  Taken from the album The Very Best of Meatloaf.  Copyright: 1998 Epic Records.
​
Original Music copyrighted 2020 Dan Hughes Music and the Literary License Podcast. 
 
All rights reserved.  Used with Kind Permission.
 
All songs available through Amazon Music.

Season 6: Episode 268 - America Goes Dark: Whatever Happened to Cousin Charlotte (H. Farrell)/Hush Hush Sweet Charlotte (1964)

Book: Whatever Happened to Cousin Charlotte?
            By Henry Farrell
 
Film:  Hush, Hush Sweet Charlotte (1964)
 
Whatever Happened to Cousin Charlotte was a short story that was never published until years later as part of the novel Whatever Happened to Baby Jane novel.
The film was supposed to be the follow-up from Whatever Happened to Baby Jane bring back the two stars but due to the complications and problems between Bette Davis and Joan Crawford, Crawford dropped out after the start of filming to be replaced by Olivia de Haviland.  The film follows a middle-aged Southern woman, suspected in the unsolved murder of her lover from decades before, who is plagued by bizarre occurrences after summoning her cousin to help challenge the local government's impending demolition of her home.  The film would be nominated for seven Academy Awards and would co star Agnes Moorhead and Mary Astor in her last film role
 
Opening Credits; Introduction (2.31); Background History (28.49); Whatever Happened To Cousin Charlotte Plot Synopsis (29.44); Book Thoughts(34.10); Let's Rate (49.13); Introducing a Film (57.07); Hush Hush Sweet Charlotte Film Trailer (58.31); Lights, Camera, Action (1:01.22); How Many Stars (1:57.17); End Credits (2:08.03); Closing Credits (2:09.49)
 
Opening Credits– Epidemic Sound – co2:08/93pyright 2021. All rights reserved
 
Closing Credits:  Deadly Valentine by LVCRFT, Scary Ana Grande, Deja Vudu & Count Tracukla.  From the album Deadly Valentine. Copyright 2022 Spooky Never Sleeps
​
Original Music copyrighted 2020 Dan Hughes Music and the Literary License Podcast. 
 
All rights reserved.  Used by Kind Permission.
 
All songs available through Amazon Music.

Season 6: Episode 267: The Ivy Austin Interview

Ivy Austin (born Ivy Lynn Epstein; January 19, 1958 in Brooklyn, New York) is an American actress, singer, and voice-over artist, known for her performances on Garrison Keillor's A Prairie Home Companion, Grease 2, and her Sesame Street voices. She also starred on Broadway as Raggedy Ann. She has also acted as producer, director and artistic director on numerous productions. She also works as a marriage counsellor. She gives new meaning to the words multi-talented and her interview will be coming your way as we celebrate her career.

Season 6: Episode 266 - M&M: Creature From The Black Lagoon (1954)/Shape of Water (2017)

Creature From the Black Lagoon (1954)
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The Creature From the Black Lagoon is a black and white 3D monster horror film directed by Jack Arnold.  The film's plot follows a group of scientists who encounter a piscine amphibious humanoid in the waters of the Amazon; the Creature, also known as the Gill-man, was played by Ben Chapman on land and by Ricou Browning underwater. The film was filmed in 3D using a black and white polarised light method which is used today.  On the video and beta version released in the 80s they would change this to the red and blue tinted glasses.
 
​Shape of Water (2017)
 
​Shape of Water is a 2017 romantic fantasy film directed by Guillermo Del Toro and is his love letter to The Creature From the Black Lagoon.  Set in 1962, Baltimore, Maryland, the film follows a mute cleaner at a high security government facility who falls in love with a humanoid amphibian creature.  She decides to help him escape from the hands of the evil colonel.  The film would be nominated for 13 Academy Awards and would win three including Best Picture.  After viewing Creature from a young age, Del Toro wanted to make a film where the creature and woman end up together at the end.
 
Opening Credits; Introduction (1.06); Background History (23.05);Creature from the Black Lagoon Film Trailer (25.09); The Horror (26.48); Amazing Design Advertisement (1:02.02); Introducing the Double Feature (1:03.13); Shape of Water Film Trailer (1:05.11); The Attraction (1:08.05);  How Many Stars (2:07.15); End Credits (2:16.20); Closing Credits (2:18.29)
 
Opening Credits– Epidemic Sound – copyright 2021. All rights reserved
 
Closing Credits:  You’ll Never Know by Renee Fleming. Taken from the Shape of Water Soundtrack.  Copyright 2017 Decca Records
​
Original Music copyrighted 2020 Dan Hughes Music and the Literary License Podcast. 
 
All rights reserved. Used by Kind Permission.
 
All songs available through Amazon Music.