Really laughed at Urbaniak saying that the Tim Heidecker I Think You Should Leave jazz sketch is the most personally devastating to him, and then less than 30 minutes later he’s describing “an old Burns & Schreiber routine”
Then a minute later, "No, it *was* a Radio Shack" killed me too. I'm a little younger than JU and from the NYC area and it really probably was a Radio Shack.
If you haven't seen the show "Review with Forrest MacNeil", it's really really worth checking out.
It's a show about a man (the great Andy Daly) who hosts a show where he reviews different life events in the way someone might review a movie or a restaurant. But the show is serialized, and his test runs of these events slowly begins to destroy his life. And James Urbaniak is there as the shows producer, the devil on the host's shoulder, pushing him on further into madness for the good of the show.
It's unbelievably dark and funny, and anyone on this sub is going to enjoy a metacommentary about the foolishness of trying to review something definitively. The third episode "Pancakes, Divorce, Pancakes" is a perfect piece of television (which I often recommend as a starting point for the show). It's a pretty short series with a perfect ending.
The only downside is that not many people watched it, so it was tough to find for a while. Last I saw, it was on Crave up here in Canada (the HBO max-like service here)
Massive fan of Review. Pancakes, Divorce, Pancakes is one of the greatest episodes of TV ever. I also quote the Addiction episode a lot: "I give it a million stars!"
I needed help with this too. The name Red Skelton comes up and Griffin counters with the line "never had a dinner," which it seems was Red Buttons' signature bit. I'm older than most people here and I had never heard of this. So Urbaniak says "ah but 'never had a dinner' was Red Buttons' thing and we are talking about Red Skelton." And Griffin quite properly dies of sheer mortification (in fact, it's impressive that someone born in the late 1980s has any idea of this).
In my opinion this habit of confusing those 2 actors also happened in the 60s when they were both current.
[https://youtu.be/iqSaUDyg2WY?si=eDSBurne0EgPzuWX](https://youtu.be/iqSaUDyg2WY?si=eDSBurne0EgPzuWX)
This is the most Podcast: The Ride episode of Blank Check ever. Opening with a discussion about The Late Shift, Rich Little and Frank Gorshin. The only thing missing was a swerve into The Beach Boys and Mike Love.
I just listened to Griffin on the Toy Story: Midway Mania episode and was howling. Aggressive sexual innuendo, Phil Spector True Crime talk, and Baby Aladar.
The "Disneyland Paris Trip Report with Foreign Correspondent Griffin Newman" is probably my most-listened-to ep, and it starts with an extended digression into Rob Marshall and Art the Clown.
10/10 podcasting.
Willie’s death is just so fucking well-done in this. The shot of them peacefully watching the kids play descending into Willie having a heart attack all in a oner is just amazing.
Editing the content of this comment completely because I did the gang dirty — my idea had been that they ignored the Vegas section, but they did not.
I will use the space to amplify a comment Urbaniak makes about the apparent use of regular people, e.g. the casino teller. I looked up some of these people and it did seem like a lot of these actors had only this as a credit on IMDb. So he's probably right about that.
This is the first time I’ve seen George Burns actually act in something rather than being referenced by a mountain of pop culture in the 80s and 90s. Those Simpsons and Futurama jokes make slightly more sense now.
George Burns has a Muppets episode from 1977 that's delightful, and which works as a great lil' intro for his timing and wit.
Scooter: George Burns. George Burns. Twenty seconds to curtain, Mr. Burns.
George Burns: I'm ready.
\[noticing Gonzo playing a violin behind him\]
George Burns: Excuse me, but... But what is \*that\*?
The Great Gonzo: \[playing violin\] It's my new act. Gonzo fiddles while George Burns.
George Burns: I like that joke. It's a pleasure to hear something that's older than I am.
There was an episode of I Dream of Genie I saw on Nick at Nite where it ends on the punchline of a character wishing to be “the funniest man in the world” and he turns into George Burns. My mom had to explain who he was to me.
I've often wondered as a child of the 80s and 90s: was George burns a big deal in his day or just famous for outlasting his peers? I remember the huge fuss over him and Bob Hope as they both closed in on 100 years in age. I feel like Hope was a way bigger star than Burns in their prime.
Kind of like how we all loved Betty White for those last 15 years but if we're being honest, she was not a huge star.
Anyway, this movie is pretty good
george and gracie were big in radio and television. i'm not sure why nothing before lucy/honeymooners is in syndication, but that's why his early career is nearly forgotten.
> nothing before lucy/honeymooners is in syndication
they were shot on film? so many early tv broadcasts were live and not recorded at all. if anything, they pointed a film camera at a tv screen and recorded THAT. i *think* that's what they called a kinescope? or some such.
the kinescope recordings i've seen are pretty terrible. they reeplayed a World Series game from ~1950 on MLB network and it was gawdawful.
Until today I didn't know that the whales in Star Trek IV being named George and Gracie was a reference, something that most filmgoers in 1986 would have gotten right away but which to a younger person (me) was completely obscure.
they used to sell sets of audio cassette tapes with classic episodes of old radio shows. Burns & Allen, Fibber McGee & Molly (who you might've heard referenced on NewsRadio), Jack Benny, etc.
Burns & Allen were very funny. She was chaaaaarming (and funny) and he was adorable in that kinda stodgy way
Quick point on Burns reaching the age of 100. In the late 70s and 80s when he was very visible, the concept that "George Burns would live to 100" was a very very common trope in the culture, and I think it was a topic Burns cultivated and talked about a lot, that he was going to make it to 100. I don't really have any evidence for the idea but I think it was closely associated with him when he was still in his 80s. And he did make it!
So Griffin's comment about how far he outlived his old-age Oscar. The people at the time would have been less surprised that he had so many years left in him.
He had a TV special celebrating his 100th birthday seventeen years early (in 1979, when Going In Style came out). He also had a gig scheduled at the London Palladium for his actual 100th in 1996, but he decided he wasn’t up for it.
James is such an all timer guest and the way he said "watched me play with my little hat" is perhaps my favourite line delivery of the year. I could listen to him describe literally anything
The mentioning of both Heidecker on ITYSL then later Oh God! has me continuing to wonder if either of them have watched On Cinema at The Cinema as it would definitely alter their lives if they did
The thing about doing a George Burns impression is that he's not "earthy" like a gruff NYC shopkeeper. Burns' way of talking is more clipped and a little debonair, but in a way the main thing is, he delivers absolutely every line like a punchline, or -- maybe not punchline but as something directly out of showbiz patter. He's always after an audience reaction. I think this is the key to doing a Burns.
Is there any actor who you might find in a wider breadth of places than Urbaniak? Like he'll show up in a Christopher Nolan billion dollar movie or a speilberg masterpiece, and he'll also show up in a tiny improv space opera podcast playing a war criminal hiding as acting coach teaching acting to a sentient spaceship.
I was tickled to find him on my most watched actor list on Letterboxd last year, and he had such variety: two blockbusters, four indie films, and the Venture Bros movie.
Also has done a lot of theater. I saw him 3 times on the NY stage in the mid-90s to late 00s.
He was predictably a really good guest on the Kevin Pollak Chat Show if you want to check that out online. I remember him describing the process of being in a Richard Foreman play. I didn't see the one he was in but I did see a couple other Foremans and his description was fascinating.
If you are looking for another old "Old Guys do Crime" movie, I recommend [Tough Guys](https://letterboxd.com/film/tough-guys/), which is admittedly pretty hacky in a specifically 1986 kind of way, but it stars Kirk Douglas and Burt Lancaster.
This is definitely going on my list. After David Lowry's *The Old Man and the Gun* and *Going In Style*, I have a new favorite micro-genre.
On a quick scan looks like I should also add *King of Thieves* (2018) with Michael Caine, Jim Broadbent, and Michael Gambon. I welcome any other recommendations.
“I ain't … I ain’t never ever seen anything like this.”
“That's good sentence structure.”
This movie is super charming. Art Carney is really wonderful, there’s so much going on in his face and mannerisms throughout. His weird use of the slot machine as he flirts is super fun.
So random that they did ten minutes on The Late Shift because I just reread that book/rewatched the movie and have been on a history of late night tv kick for the last few weeks. I also read The War for Late Night (the follow up book about the Conan/Leno debacle) for the first time and it's even better imo.
Totally agree with their takes about that bizarre but highly watchable HBO movie... Higgins is very good as Letterman because he has a take, Roebuck is fine with the impossible task of performing Leno (in any way that is not pure impression), and Rich Little is very bad as Carson. Bob Balaban is also very good in it, but when is Balaban ever bad?
https://preview.redd.it/bwzv81mvny5d1.jpeg?width=640&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=34e4e8e69c54feb8a41be0ce43484ff33f1e6643
What was ringing in my head the whole time.
Is the remake a perfect example of how Hollywood screws up a good premise? Had never heard of this movie but checked it out and thought it was perfectly charming with some great performances by the leads. It also takes its 70’s cinema time and goes in some unexpected directions. I took a look at the remake trailer and synopsis and just rolled my eyes.
In the remake, they all live, cure Alan Arkins cancer, make friends with Latino gang members who help them launder the money and buy a puppy for the gang leaders kid. Then the real kicker, directed by Zach Braff. My eyes rolled all the way out of my head.
My hot take on Braff,
This comes from someone who generally likes Braff a lot more than most people here.
Good director, bad auteur. His episodes of Scrubs and Ted Lasso are the best directed episodes of those series.
If he were like a Jack Bender to a TV show or like the go to TV pilot guy, he’d be great at it.
But he’s not ready an auteur and not really a for hire guy.
They did the remake on We Hate Movies a few years ago. The only thing I remember was them marveling that Anne Margret played the foxy love interest when she had also played the foxy love interest in Grumpy Old Men twenty years earlier. “She’s going to bury them all!”
I saw the remake in theatres because it was at the peak of moviepass’ reign and there was nothing else and oh fucking boy it wasn’t even worth the $0.50 it technically cost us at that point
Going to have to rewatch that and dreading it. Not seen it since it came out and remember literally nothing apart from… you know. Lawson is a great choice.
Did I miss something, or did they kind of skip over the actual bank robbery?
It felt like they were talking about the characters/actors, and then they immediately skipped to the Vegas part?
Yeah I found this one kinda tough to listen to with how much the all talked over each other and skipped around the plot, love how enthusiastic they all were though
The mention of The Jerk sent me on a trail that led to Bernadette Peters and, well....this -
https://preview.redd.it/pzll1pa8xv5d1.jpeg?width=563&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f1bab8bc8614cf30f9fee7e13e24478ab6de547a
This is a completely pointless story but the new Destiny 2 expansion came out this week. I was very excited to hear James Urbaniak voice a character and had the thought that I hoped he comes on the pod again soon. He must have heard me.
So weird that Pacino was the one who worshipped at the feet of Strasberg so much that he wanted him for Godfather II, when later years Pacino feels like it has gotten incredibly far away from what Strasberg was all about.
You should find his Tonight Show appearance from right after his Harry & Tonto nomination (1975), Bruce Dern and Ann-Margret I think were the other guests.... I think someone posted it on r/blankies
I didn't realize until watching that what a crazy guy he was, he's almost doing Andy-Kaufman-esque anti-comedy things
Carney is the path to the Dark Side.
*Harry and Tonto* leads to *The Honeymooners*.
*The Honeymooners* leads to *The Star Wars Holiday Special*.
*The Star Wars Holiday Special* leads to **suffering**.
Stumbled across it on HBO Max (before it became the other thing) and rather enjoyed it.
Griffin is right in that it is shockingly inside baseball for something made and shown to the relative general public.
In almost the slightest of defenses, the one-reel Gordon Douglas _Little Rascals/Our Gang_ shorts from late-1936 to mid-1938 are quite well directed and edited, foreshadowing the then very young Douglas’ very long career in directing features.
The ones before that from 1922-1936 are indeed junkily put together, which is meant to be charming and reflective of verisimilitude, but can also come off as sloppy and annoying to modern audiences ([Robert Klein’s classic stand-up routine](https://www.google.com/search?client=safari&sca_esv=2483f278acd04993&sca_upv=1&hl=en-us&sxsrf=ADLYWIKgZ8xdieuw3WgkhHO8ujtufKxsxw:1717983622503&q=robert+klein+our+gang&tbm=vid&source=lnms&prmd=ivnsmbtz&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiZhbLc88-GAxVSJNAFHSvRBikQ0pQJegQICBAB&biw=430&bih=739&dpr=3#fpstate=ive&ip=1&vld=cid:8f728f5f,vid:Y4U8vYWjpsI,st:0) about _The Little Rascals_ is rather accurate).
The ones after 1938 - first by an (also) very young George Sidney and then others - are often slickly _produced and shot_ but poorly directed. Sidney said the series made him hate kids and he threatened the consistently unruly and poorly behaved Carl “Alfalfa” Switzer with a thrashing when he turned 21 in a decade.
I would never have watched this movie without this show! Absolutely loved it.
Maybe it’s just where I am in my life but, this is barely a comedy? Outside of the visual comedy of the bank heist, mostly this film felt mournful. My parents are at the age right now where they’re doing okay but all their friends have started to pass away. During the film they called and we talked about one of their best friends who is dying of Parkinson’s. Had to wait a day before finishing the film.
I just wanna say I got the notification for this the second the credits ended and I was back on the Vudu page so that’s the best timing of anything ever
as someone that really looks forward to seeing new art it seems like it’s 50/50 to me? defo less likely to post it when it’s like last week’s and it isn’t for a full series but just a single episode but they don’t always post it beforehand
It is interesting to compare this to the 2017 Remake. In this day and age, do actions of a character have to have reasons behind them like in the remake and does a film where a character does something basically for the hell of it like in the Brest version not work with an audience today?
I think the big difference is that in the original, Brest is comfortable with the motivation being an underlying internal truth about aging rather than something external. I buy that these guys robbed a bank because they're bored and want to feel like their lives have one big adventure left and don't need someone to make them financially need to rob a bank.
I do think the worse measure of judging the movie landscape is comparing a modern remake to the original. A remake is a studio board taking apart a hit original movie and saying “but these things are weird” and removing and sanitizing those elements because they think that would make the movie more mainstream. But those unique elements are often what made the movie a hit in the first place
I really liked this episode! I realized that I had confused James Urbaniak for [James Adomian](https://comedybangbang.fandom.com/wiki/James_Adomian) and [Anthony Atamanuik](https://comedybangbang.fandom.com/wiki/Anthony_Atamanuik), from one CBB episode I heard years ago.
The brief Carol Burnett discussion at the end reminded me of a thing I read about George Burns getting cast as God, and not knowing how to do it, so he went around asking other comedians how they would approach it, and when he asked Carol Burnett she said, "Well.. I would play her very motherly."
Loved this movie but I’m a little torn on the ending. I was ready for the movie to end on that shot of Burns sitting alone at the table, leaving us wondering if this was all worth it. The final 10 minutes are a good comedy ending but it loses a bit of the emotional impact. Still, great movie.
Did I mishear them at the end of the episode or are they talking about Tom Crean, college basketball coach? I listened back and I still heard that name, but that is such an out of character reference for Griffin.
OKAY. Hot Take here so please bear with me. So I thought Beverley Hills Cop was better than Beverley Hills Cop 2. But I didn't spend the entire time watching II whining "THIS ISN'T ONE!!"
I *specifically* did the opposite, being delighted that, while II is not as good as One it's UNIQUE.
I understand that for James Urbaniak who is so specialized on Zach Braff, that might be hard to do. But that's why he's an awful choice for a guest on a podcast who generally is good and focusing on a film makers strengths.
Comparing this to the Zach Braff remake is unavoidable, but ENDLESSLY comparing it to the Remake does both Brest and the Going In Style franchise very dirty.
Really laughed at Urbaniak saying that the Tim Heidecker I Think You Should Leave jazz sketch is the most personally devastating to him, and then less than 30 minutes later he’s describing “an old Burns & Schreiber routine”
God Urbaniak is funny. His whole "you know there was a carpenter who would tell parables" just slayed me.
Then a minute later, "No, it *was* a Radio Shack" killed me too. I'm a little younger than JU and from the NYC area and it really probably was a Radio Shack.
If you haven't seen the show "Review with Forrest MacNeil", it's really really worth checking out. It's a show about a man (the great Andy Daly) who hosts a show where he reviews different life events in the way someone might review a movie or a restaurant. But the show is serialized, and his test runs of these events slowly begins to destroy his life. And James Urbaniak is there as the shows producer, the devil on the host's shoulder, pushing him on further into madness for the good of the show. It's unbelievably dark and funny, and anyone on this sub is going to enjoy a metacommentary about the foolishness of trying to review something definitively. The third episode "Pancakes, Divorce, Pancakes" is a perfect piece of television (which I often recommend as a starting point for the show). It's a pretty short series with a perfect ending. The only downside is that not many people watched it, so it was tough to find for a while. Last I saw, it was on Crave up here in Canada (the HBO max-like service here)
Massive fan of Review. Pancakes, Divorce, Pancakes is one of the greatest episodes of TV ever. I also quote the Addiction episode a lot: "I give it a million stars!"
There All Is Aching
100% agree, best episode of television, I can't believe it only got 2.5 seasons
That joke structure never misses with me.
Classic mistake, passing off Red Skelton for Red Buttons
At least it wasn’t Redd Foxx
I'm dining, Elizabeth!
What was the thing Griffin confused? I couldn’t make out the audio.
I needed help with this too. The name Red Skelton comes up and Griffin counters with the line "never had a dinner," which it seems was Red Buttons' signature bit. I'm older than most people here and I had never heard of this. So Urbaniak says "ah but 'never had a dinner' was Red Buttons' thing and we are talking about Red Skelton." And Griffin quite properly dies of sheer mortification (in fact, it's impressive that someone born in the late 1980s has any idea of this). In my opinion this habit of confusing those 2 actors also happened in the 60s when they were both current. [https://youtu.be/iqSaUDyg2WY?si=eDSBurne0EgPzuWX](https://youtu.be/iqSaUDyg2WY?si=eDSBurne0EgPzuWX)
Thank you so much for this. I’m listening to the episode now and came here looking for an explanation.
Urbaniak's "Mickey, thank you for not playing Asian in this one" during the Oscar conversation absolutely killed me.
It was the Brest of times, It was the Blurst of times
Stupid monkey!
This is the most Podcast: The Ride episode of Blank Check ever. Opening with a discussion about The Late Shift, Rich Little and Frank Gorshin. The only thing missing was a swerve into The Beach Boys and Mike Love.
I just listened to Griffin on the Toy Story: Midway Mania episode and was howling. Aggressive sexual innuendo, Phil Spector True Crime talk, and Baby Aladar.
The "Disneyland Paris Trip Report with Foreign Correspondent Griffin Newman" is probably my most-listened-to ep, and it starts with an extended digression into Rob Marshall and Art the Clown. 10/10 podcasting.
Can’t wait for Griffin to call all of these movies “Big Brest Hits”
Griff getting the permission to make the joke and immediately taking it too far and getting permission revoked is the best shit.
The Ben giveth and the Ben taketh away
Cracked up when Urbaniak was the one to start the punning. What a guest.
Not all of Martin Brest's movies are hits. Sometimes Brest's movies bounce, baby.
...on his italian leather sooooffaaaaa
Yay Urbaniak brought Oppenheimer stories!
Three elderly criminals? What is this, a movie about the frickin’ 2024 presidential election?
Dead Bob Hope is rising from his grave to read this off a cue card.
*the big sign comes on telling the studio audience to laugh*
Five comedy points
Willie’s death is just so fucking well-done in this. The shot of them peacefully watching the kids play descending into Willie having a heart attack all in a oner is just amazing.
Editing the content of this comment completely because I did the gang dirty — my idea had been that they ignored the Vegas section, but they did not. I will use the space to amplify a comment Urbaniak makes about the apparent use of regular people, e.g. the casino teller. I looked up some of these people and it did seem like a lot of these actors had only this as a credit on IMDb. So he's probably right about that.
This is the first time I’ve seen George Burns actually act in something rather than being referenced by a mountain of pop culture in the 80s and 90s. Those Simpsons and Futurama jokes make slightly more sense now.
George Burns has a Muppets episode from 1977 that's delightful, and which works as a great lil' intro for his timing and wit. Scooter: George Burns. George Burns. Twenty seconds to curtain, Mr. Burns. George Burns: I'm ready. \[noticing Gonzo playing a violin behind him\] George Burns: Excuse me, but... But what is \*that\*? The Great Gonzo: \[playing violin\] It's my new act. Gonzo fiddles while George Burns. George Burns: I like that joke. It's a pleasure to hear something that's older than I am.
There was an episode of I Dream of Genie I saw on Nick at Nite where it ends on the punchline of a character wishing to be “the funniest man in the world” and he turns into George Burns. My mom had to explain who he was to me.
I've often wondered as a child of the 80s and 90s: was George burns a big deal in his day or just famous for outlasting his peers? I remember the huge fuss over him and Bob Hope as they both closed in on 100 years in age. I feel like Hope was a way bigger star than Burns in their prime. Kind of like how we all loved Betty White for those last 15 years but if we're being honest, she was not a huge star. Anyway, this movie is pretty good
george and gracie were big in radio and television. i'm not sure why nothing before lucy/honeymooners is in syndication, but that's why his early career is nearly forgotten.
> nothing before lucy/honeymooners is in syndication they were shot on film? so many early tv broadcasts were live and not recorded at all. if anything, they pointed a film camera at a tv screen and recorded THAT. i *think* that's what they called a kinescope? or some such. the kinescope recordings i've seen are pretty terrible. they reeplayed a World Series game from ~1950 on MLB network and it was gawdawful.
Until today I didn't know that the whales in Star Trek IV being named George and Gracie was a reference, something that most filmgoers in 1986 would have gotten right away but which to a younger person (me) was completely obscure.
they used to sell sets of audio cassette tapes with classic episodes of old radio shows. Burns & Allen, Fibber McGee & Molly (who you might've heard referenced on NewsRadio), Jack Benny, etc. Burns & Allen were very funny. She was chaaaaarming (and funny) and he was adorable in that kinda stodgy way
Quick point on Burns reaching the age of 100. In the late 70s and 80s when he was very visible, the concept that "George Burns would live to 100" was a very very common trope in the culture, and I think it was a topic Burns cultivated and talked about a lot, that he was going to make it to 100. I don't really have any evidence for the idea but I think it was closely associated with him when he was still in his 80s. And he did make it! So Griffin's comment about how far he outlived his old-age Oscar. The people at the time would have been less surprised that he had so many years left in him.
https://preview.redd.it/5dsxklr1ll5d1.png?width=580&format=png&auto=webp&s=a1881e309481707adf78957600056006fd9a7892
He had a TV special celebrating his 100th birthday seventeen years early (in 1979, when Going In Style came out). He also had a gig scheduled at the London Palladium for his actual 100th in 1996, but he decided he wasn’t up for it.
That makes total sense, I was nine years old, so I missed that one. But that was very much part of his schtick during that time.
James is such an all timer guest and the way he said "watched me play with my little hat" is perhaps my favourite line delivery of the year. I could listen to him describe literally anything
"hat the size of a volkswagen"
feel very similarly
Agreed. A gem. Might rewatch American Splendor...
A voice made for podcasting
Gene Siskel's Chicago Tribune review, 12/26/79 https://preview.redd.it/n5k6kiyu0i5d1.png?width=819&format=png&auto=webp&s=c6060a8382e8c1c646b2a9ff3bee8adcb9879a28
I hope this doesn't delay the Tits Magee miniseries. That guy's filmography is twisted
McGee*
The Griffin Newman as Axel Foley Jr. joke has come full circle thanks to the artwork! 10 comedy points!
Really enjoyed this one. Found it very moving at the end.
The mentioning of both Heidecker on ITYSL then later Oh God! has me continuing to wonder if either of them have watched On Cinema at The Cinema as it would definitely alter their lives if they did
I gotta find an entry point for that
[You can get started right here](https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLoNT68a21gfd6-vUS9GXG_MO1hkrdE6zu&feature=shared)
The thing about doing a George Burns impression is that he's not "earthy" like a gruff NYC shopkeeper. Burns' way of talking is more clipped and a little debonair, but in a way the main thing is, he delivers absolutely every line like a punchline, or -- maybe not punchline but as something directly out of showbiz patter. He's always after an audience reaction. I think this is the key to doing a Burns.
Better Off Ted mentioned
an all time great
Dozens of us.
Go team Venture!
What a fun episode. I love talking about old comedy so I would have liked another half hour on Burns' career.
Is there any actor who you might find in a wider breadth of places than Urbaniak? Like he'll show up in a Christopher Nolan billion dollar movie or a speilberg masterpiece, and he'll also show up in a tiny improv space opera podcast playing a war criminal hiding as acting coach teaching acting to a sentient spaceship.
I was tickled to find him on my most watched actor list on Letterboxd last year, and he had such variety: two blockbusters, four indie films, and the Venture Bros movie.
He's also the living embodiment of a Hal Hartley movie.
Also has done a lot of theater. I saw him 3 times on the NY stage in the mid-90s to late 00s. He was predictably a really good guest on the Kevin Pollak Chat Show if you want to check that out online. I remember him describing the process of being in a Richard Foreman play. I didn't see the one he was in but I did see a couple other Foremans and his description was fascinating.
Coming to this late, but I genuinely can't tell if that last part was a bit or if I need to catch up on my thrilling adventure hour one-offs
 Urbaniak is back!!!
Urbaniak is THE MAN
Meet Pod Cast
If you are looking for another old "Old Guys do Crime" movie, I recommend [Tough Guys](https://letterboxd.com/film/tough-guys/), which is admittedly pretty hacky in a specifically 1986 kind of way, but it stars Kirk Douglas and Burt Lancaster.
This is definitely going on my list. After David Lowry's *The Old Man and the Gun* and *Going In Style*, I have a new favorite micro-genre. On a quick scan looks like I should also add *King of Thieves* (2018) with Michael Caine, Jim Broadbent, and Michael Gambon. I welcome any other recommendations.
“I ain't … I ain’t never ever seen anything like this.” “That's good sentence structure.” This movie is super charming. Art Carney is really wonderful, there’s so much going on in his face and mannerisms throughout. His weird use of the slot machine as he flirts is super fun.
A movie about some of my best friends
*brest friends.
So random that they did ten minutes on The Late Shift because I just reread that book/rewatched the movie and have been on a history of late night tv kick for the last few weeks. I also read The War for Late Night (the follow up book about the Conan/Leno debacle) for the first time and it's even better imo. Totally agree with their takes about that bizarre but highly watchable HBO movie... Higgins is very good as Letterman because he has a take, Roebuck is fine with the impossible task of performing Leno (in any way that is not pure impression), and Rich Little is very bad as Carson. Bob Balaban is also very good in it, but when is Balaban ever bad?
Props to David for pronouncing Arzt correctly, with Griffin following up with "Artz" (it's a running joke on Lost).
Arzt Urlaub was a great character in Tombstone.
Agreed! Although he did also say....Sha-pie-ro. but nothing can make me mad at that handsome mylodon.
Both pronunciations are common.
[удалено]
Said with condescension more like
The Late Shift ran so the Jay Roach political drama could run face first to tunnels painted on the side of a mountain by wile e coyote.
I really like that movie but I have to say Roebuck's "Mac Tonight" makeup was a bit distracting
Shoutout to the Many Loves of Dobie Gillis for casting Yvonne Craig as 5 different love interests on a 4 season show.
Severn Urbaniak and Charlie Rich, podcast partners of the future
https://preview.redd.it/bwzv81mvny5d1.jpeg?width=640&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=34e4e8e69c54feb8a41be0ce43484ff33f1e6643 What was ringing in my head the whole time.
I'm watching 18 Again and Red Buttons is in it
Is the remake a perfect example of how Hollywood screws up a good premise? Had never heard of this movie but checked it out and thought it was perfectly charming with some great performances by the leads. It also takes its 70’s cinema time and goes in some unexpected directions. I took a look at the remake trailer and synopsis and just rolled my eyes. In the remake, they all live, cure Alan Arkins cancer, make friends with Latino gang members who help them launder the money and buy a puppy for the gang leaders kid. Then the real kicker, directed by Zach Braff. My eyes rolled all the way out of my head.
My hot take on Braff, This comes from someone who generally likes Braff a lot more than most people here. Good director, bad auteur. His episodes of Scrubs and Ted Lasso are the best directed episodes of those series. If he were like a Jack Bender to a TV show or like the go to TV pilot guy, he’d be great at it. But he’s not ready an auteur and not really a for hire guy.
That Wizard of Oz “Scrubs” episode is lovely.
They did the remake on We Hate Movies a few years ago. The only thing I remember was them marveling that Anne Margret played the foxy love interest when she had also played the foxy love interest in Grumpy Old Men twenty years earlier. “She’s going to bury them all!”
I just hope I live long enough for Ann-Margaret to play my foxy love interest.
I saw the remake in theatres because it was at the peak of moviepass’ reign and there was nothing else and oh fucking boy it wasn’t even worth the $0.50 it technically cost us at that point
So what are the current guesses on who the guests are going to be for the rest of the series?
Sepinwall confirmed for Midnight Run
Dolly Parton confirmed for Midnight Run.
We riot if Richard Lawson doesn’t get to meet Joe Black.
Going to have to rewatch that and dreading it. Not seen it since it came out and remember literally nothing apart from… you know. Lawson is a great choice.
That doesn’t narrow it down enough, are you referring to Brad Pitt doing patois or Brad Pitt getting ping-ponged between two cars?
Oh God. I definitely don’t remember the patois.
Oh if you haven't taken the meeting, you gotta
Did he bring Venture stories?
Did I miss something, or did they kind of skip over the actual bank robbery? It felt like they were talking about the characters/actors, and then they immediately skipped to the Vegas part?
Yeah I found this one kinda tough to listen to with how much the all talked over each other and skipped around the plot, love how enthusiastic they all were though
The mention of The Jerk sent me on a trail that led to Bernadette Peters and, well....this - https://preview.redd.it/pzll1pa8xv5d1.jpeg?width=563&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f1bab8bc8614cf30f9fee7e13e24478ab6de547a
It can't be any worse than that turd Michael Showalter crapped out in 2021.
This is a completely pointless story but the new Destiny 2 expansion came out this week. I was very excited to hear James Urbaniak voice a character and had the thought that I hoped he comes on the pod again soon. He must have heard me.
You can't cut out Gödel from a movie, it'd be Incomplete.
That's just a theorem.
Late, but: Aleph null comedy points.
So weird that Pacino was the one who worshipped at the feet of Strasberg so much that he wanted him for Godfather II, when later years Pacino feels like it has gotten incredibly far away from what Strasberg was all about.
Been doing a Venture Bros rewatch and now this.... I could listen to Urbaniak speak for forever. He is just so great
Doing a double bill of both Oppenheimer and this Blank Check episodes.
Ready to be Carney-pilled
You should find his Tonight Show appearance from right after his Harry & Tonto nomination (1975), Bruce Dern and Ann-Margret I think were the other guests.... I think someone posted it on r/blankies I didn't realize until watching that what a crazy guy he was, he's almost doing Andy-Kaufman-esque anti-comedy things
Carney is the path to the Dark Side. *Harry and Tonto* leads to *The Honeymooners*. *The Honeymooners* leads to *The Star Wars Holiday Special*. *The Star Wars Holiday Special* leads to **suffering**.
Starting off with a discussion of classic TV movie The Late Shift? Glorious.
Stumbled across it on HBO Max (before it became the other thing) and rather enjoyed it. Griffin is right in that it is shockingly inside baseball for something made and shown to the relative general public.
I remember watching it on HBO as a kid and loved how Kathy Bates went off for 90 minutes. She was terrifying and hilarious.
In almost the slightest of defenses, the one-reel Gordon Douglas _Little Rascals/Our Gang_ shorts from late-1936 to mid-1938 are quite well directed and edited, foreshadowing the then very young Douglas’ very long career in directing features. The ones before that from 1922-1936 are indeed junkily put together, which is meant to be charming and reflective of verisimilitude, but can also come off as sloppy and annoying to modern audiences ([Robert Klein’s classic stand-up routine](https://www.google.com/search?client=safari&sca_esv=2483f278acd04993&sca_upv=1&hl=en-us&sxsrf=ADLYWIKgZ8xdieuw3WgkhHO8ujtufKxsxw:1717983622503&q=robert+klein+our+gang&tbm=vid&source=lnms&prmd=ivnsmbtz&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiZhbLc88-GAxVSJNAFHSvRBikQ0pQJegQICBAB&biw=430&bih=739&dpr=3#fpstate=ive&ip=1&vld=cid:8f728f5f,vid:Y4U8vYWjpsI,st:0) about _The Little Rascals_ is rather accurate). The ones after 1938 - first by an (also) very young George Sidney and then others - are often slickly _produced and shot_ but poorly directed. Sidney said the series made him hate kids and he threatened the consistently unruly and poorly behaved Carl “Alfalfa” Switzer with a thrashing when he turned 21 in a decade.
Me knowing nothing about Brest would not have minded them going into more detail about him before this Movie
I would never have watched this movie without this show! Absolutely loved it. Maybe it’s just where I am in my life but, this is barely a comedy? Outside of the visual comedy of the bank heist, mostly this film felt mournful. My parents are at the age right now where they’re doing okay but all their friends have started to pass away. During the film they called and we talked about one of their best friends who is dying of Parkinson’s. Had to wait a day before finishing the film.
I just wanna say I got the notification for this the second the credits ended and I was back on the Vudu page so that’s the best timing of anything ever
This movie makes a great double feature with Lowery's The Old Man and The Gun.
and The Maiden Heist
have they kept the art til last minute like this before?
as someone that really looks forward to seeing new art it seems like it’s 50/50 to me? defo less likely to post it when it’s like last week’s and it isn’t for a full series but just a single episode but they don’t always post it beforehand
It is interesting to compare this to the 2017 Remake. In this day and age, do actions of a character have to have reasons behind them like in the remake and does a film where a character does something basically for the hell of it like in the Brest version not work with an audience today?
I think the big difference is that in the original, Brest is comfortable with the motivation being an underlying internal truth about aging rather than something external. I buy that these guys robbed a bank because they're bored and want to feel like their lives have one big adventure left and don't need someone to make them financially need to rob a bank.
I do think the worse measure of judging the movie landscape is comparing a modern remake to the original. A remake is a studio board taking apart a hit original movie and saying “but these things are weird” and removing and sanitizing those elements because they think that would make the movie more mainstream. But those unique elements are often what made the movie a hit in the first place
Art Carney? Is that like a clown in black and white?
Anyone else YouTube Deep Diving George Burns?
I really liked this episode! I realized that I had confused James Urbaniak for [James Adomian](https://comedybangbang.fandom.com/wiki/James_Adomian) and [Anthony Atamanuik](https://comedybangbang.fandom.com/wiki/Anthony_Atamanuik), from one CBB episode I heard years ago.
The brief Carol Burnett discussion at the end reminded me of a thing I read about George Burns getting cast as God, and not knowing how to do it, so he went around asking other comedians how they would approach it, and when he asked Carol Burnett she said, "Well.. I would play her very motherly."
Loved this movie but I’m a little torn on the ending. I was ready for the movie to end on that shot of Burns sitting alone at the table, leaving us wondering if this was all worth it. The final 10 minutes are a good comedy ending but it loses a bit of the emotional impact. Still, great movie.
Did I mishear them at the end of the episode or are they talking about Tom Crean, college basketball coach? I listened back and I still heard that name, but that is such an out of character reference for Griffin.
It was Tom Green
Between this episode and Destiny 2: The Final Shape, it's a great time to listen to the wonderful voice of James Urbaniak!
Who else was yelling "Conti-nental breakfast!!" at their phone during James Urbaniak's anecdote about seeing Tom Conti eating breakfast at the hotel?
Some say a Brest bounce is more captivating than a double brested hit
i actually kinda like Gigli, so i'm looking forward to the floppy brest as well
OKAY. Hot Take here so please bear with me. So I thought Beverley Hills Cop was better than Beverley Hills Cop 2. But I didn't spend the entire time watching II whining "THIS ISN'T ONE!!" I *specifically* did the opposite, being delighted that, while II is not as good as One it's UNIQUE. I understand that for James Urbaniak who is so specialized on Zach Braff, that might be hard to do. But that's why he's an awful choice for a guest on a podcast who generally is good and focusing on a film makers strengths. Comparing this to the Zach Braff remake is unavoidable, but ENDLESSLY comparing it to the Remake does both Brest and the Going In Style franchise very dirty.
>the Going In Style franchise what
Weird bit.
very normal to be so mad that people disliked an episode of your favourite podcast that you're still fixated on it and making fun of them a week later
Based on your comment I'm beginning to piece together that they're paraphrasing something from the Mad Max: Furiosa thread? Weird bit...
Yes, a week is not a long time for something to cease being funny.
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