 Okay, here we go. Welcome again everyone to tonight's installment of Laugh Out Loud. I'm Dan, he's Bijan. He's actually at the Playhouse tonight. So we're, are we streaming? I don't know if we're streaming, but... Hold on, I'll do it. We're talking tonight about, we decided, this one was picked because even though we're a week late for Veterans Day, we decided to do a military comedy. And so we picked Stripes with Bill Murray and Harold Ramis. And this movie actually has quite a bit of an interesting pedigree because Bijan, as I know you know, Harold Ramis, you know, before he really became an actor, he was the screenwriter, one of the screenwriters for Animal House, and he was the writer and director of Caddyshack. And he had worked with Bill Murray on Caddyshack, and they had a whole, you know, they were very close friends and had a whole working relationship. And Ivan Reitman, who directed this film, would then work with the two of them again on Ghostbusters. So this is sort of like three quarters with, you know, without Dan Ackroyd. Well, Ghostbusters too. Yeah. So like the movie was started, you know, I can't believe this movie is almost 40 years old because I spent a summer at camp running around doing like the graduation drill routine. Like I had it, we had it down pat, like the whole thing memorized, which was a long, longer time ago than I care to remember. But you know, it's considered to be like one of those movies, along with Caddyshack, that kind of broke Bill Murray. Because before this, the only movie he had really been the featured star in was Meatballs. If you remember Meatballs about the summer camp, where he's the head counselor. And then, and then this one. So this is like this is like only the second movie that he's ever been in, where he's been the featured lead. And because of that, you know, they wanted to, the original idea was Ivan Reitman was going to make a Cheech and Chong movie. It was supposed to be like Cheech and Chong joined the army. And that was the idea that he pitched. And what ended up happening, the reason it didn't become that was because the guy who was the manager for Cheech and Chong, without them knowing it, decided that like part of the deal he wanted in the project was that if they did the movie, they would get a percentage of like the next five movies that Ivan Reitman directed. And he was like, There's no way I'm going to ever I mean who in their right mind would do that. So that ended up getting passed along and then he realized that he had Bill Murray. And he originally wanted Dennis Quaid to be the other guy, the Harold Ramis part was gonna be Dennis Quaid, who incidentally was married if you remember the two, the two female MPs. Yes. And PJ souls Sean Young is one of them PJ souls is the other one. At that time Dennis Quaid and PJ souls were married. They were they were husband and wife. But he's actually, you blink and you miss him but in the graduation scene Dennis Quaid is like one of the guys in the crowd like you can like, you have to like freeze frame to find him. But he's there because they figured let's just stick them in the in the crowd scene. But they got Harold Ramis because it really it was Bill Murray insisted on Harold Ramis because he figured that Harold Ramis could get him through like a lot of its improv. And he was just more comfortable with him and he figured that you know Harold Ramis knows how to feed me dialogue and circumstances and so like so much of it is improvised like almost every scene. The scene where they're taught they sit around they introduce themselves, and they talk about who they're like all of that's made up on the spot. The bit where the scene where they have a confrontation he has the confrontation with the sergeant in the bathroom, which like the one serious scene they were actually going to cut that out but they left it in just to kind of show that bill Murray could act. Yeah. That was 1000. Yeah, I mean almost all of john candy stuff was improvised. Everything when they got their haircut. Ivan rightman didn't tell these guys that they were actually going to get buzzed. And so like the reaction that you see like when he comes out and he's like he's holding his hair like, like, that was his real that was john candy reacting to having like a buzz cut, and he purposely didn't buzz bill Murray and Harold Ramis so like they were sort of like everybody got ticked at them. But if you follow the threat I mean you think about all the people who made this is like their first movie bill Paxton is in this movie. I don't know if you remember seeing bill Paxton and he's one of the soldiers. Like he has no yes, no lines bill pass. Right judge or judge Reinhold. Reinhold is the guy actually because like when they when it got, when it was no longer a Cheech and Chong movie, they took all the stoner jokes and gave him to judge Reinhold. Yeah, you can kind of tell that those two characters though, like, you could almost swap out Cheech and Chong. Right. Right. Yeah, and and who else I mean John Larraquette, you know John Larraquette's playing that was like his first real big movie. John Deal, I don't know if you probably didn't watch Miami Vice like now when you were a kid, but John deal was the guy who plays the cruiser who's like kind of the really stupid one. Yeah, he was like he played this he was on Miami Vice for like several seasons and he played like this real intense cop. So like it's a complete 180 from the party plays in this. You know, and I remember like, when he showed up on Miami Vice, I was like, oh cruisers in this. And like it's the same. It's like it's so opposite from when he did he was a great actor he's still around he still works. And Warren Oates is the sergeant and Warren Oates was the guy. He did like tons of Westerns he was in the wild bunch. Like he made like all these big he was like a kind of a Clint Eastwood light type character. Like they brought him in because he was like the series he was the heavy you know he's like the serious actor. And, and there's a bit where, where remember where he gets dragged through the mud. That part, like, they didn't tell him they were going to do that like Ivan right and didn't tell him and like after he did it he like, was ready to kill him like they almost came to blows because he's like I'll do it if you asked me to do it. I've never like surprised me with crap like that. And the great thing about Warren Oates is that when you watch the scene where they're talking about like each other themselves and Bill Murray is going on. Warren Oates can't stop laughing you watch his face, because it's improvised right he doesn't know what's coming and he keeps, he keeps laughing. So they kept trying to do it like over and over and over again where he like you know you keep the stone face, and they couldn't do it. And there was a there was another subplot that they were going to have because you know he gets injured never gets injured during basic training. Yes. The original script, he was going to get killed. And then his twin brother was going to show up and like be the second half of the movie. And they were like no that's that's that's too stupid even for this. Yeah. We can't even, we can't even justify that. But like, they filmed they actually had permission. They had permission from the army to shoot at some bases that they shot in Louisville at Fort Knox, and a couple of other places, which they were shocked by because they're like they think they had a script like the army does not come off like so great. But I think they were trying to like, they were trying to show that they had a sense of humor. And so like they let them do it. And so a lot of the stuff you see in the background is completely real like except for the actors, and they drilled them like they were actually going to be in the military. And it's like, it's, you know, and all these you have all these great character actors and John Arquette actually if you remember I mean you probably don't remember watching night court either because you're too young but when he was on Well, there's a there's a there's a line that he has in my court when they talk about his character being like in the captain and like the army reserve. Like they're talking about his character in stripes and he says like, and there's a I'm trying to remember what the exact line was they said something about how he gets he was stationed in Alaska. But it's happening to his character in the movie. He gets thrown to Alaska. And actually, and Kirsten who's listening in says she joined the army because of this movie. That's amazing Kirsten I know you're in the military. That's a better experience. That's right. So, so, so Kirsten if you if you want to chime in. Oh it's her husband okay sorry. I guess we should we should say, you know how how accurate we should ask how accurate was it. The experience. But you know, and then the whole thing about the Winnebago like the suit up with a bag of like they've been that thing was awesome. It was that's where it kind of like it kind of goes off the rails a little bit. Yeah, and then crossing over the border. I mean, but like when you when you follow the thread like it kind of, you know, as a service comedy, you know what they used to call service comedies. Like, it was all about, you know, it's the same principle that these two guys who should never be in the military, or however whether are in the military and like what happens when they, and inevitably, they become you know, actually decent soldiers and there's some he says, the answer is they thought it reflected the army in a good light I agree. I think they I think they actually did a pretty good job. Yeah, it's like underdog story because I really liked how you know they're kind of like the typical, you know, slackers but they've got potential, and they end up turning it around to finish the basic training. Right, right and that whole thing do a diddy dumb now every time I march. So they say, I mean, apparently john candy was the only guy who knew all the words that song, like, yeah, teach you to teach them but they used it. He said they started using it I guess, and maybe they can, you know, we can get this verified that they use that now because of the cadence. Yeah, actually use that now. Yeah. So the movie, the movie actually started something. But you know, I've been writing you know they went out they went on to do Ghostbusters and Harold Ramis and Bill Murray, you know, did Groundhog Day. And they were like you know they were very very sympatico in terms of how they thought. And, and they, and Harold Ramis had never really been an on screen actor. In fact, you know, except for, except for this and Ghostbusters. I mean he gets like he does little cameos like here and there but like, most of the time he's not a leading role. Yeah, this was before Ghostbusters right yeah the Ghostbusters was like the next thing they did after this. So they went from this to Ghostbusters. It was a good job though I thought he was a really good. I mean he's the perfect, you know, like it works with his, you know, deliveries and countering Bill Murray is a bit of a straight. Yeah. I mean but there's a there's a ton of little references that they make also like, again, because a lot of it was supervised the mud wrestling scene where John can he gets much wrestling the women completely improvised. And that's for sure. Well he didn't really didn't want to do it like they had to talk him into doing it like he really really didn't want to do it. Because John candy really had I mean what if he'd done at that point he did in the Blues Brothers he had that one little bit. But a lot of these guys were from sc TV, like Harold Ramis was from sc TV. And there are a couple of guys like Dave Tom, Dave Thomas he's the other half of the Mackenzie brothers. Yes, he's in this is his first movie. Yeah, he's the emcee right. You have, you know, Joe Flaherty who was the guy from sc TV played the count. You don't remember that either but he's he's got a bit part. So they drew on that you know that core SNL National Lampoon sc TV group so you know, a lot of people, you don't think of it as being one of those movies because it's not a National Lampoon movie like caddy shack was or animal house or vacation. But it's still because it has so many of the same actors people think of it that way. And, and, and the, you know, the, if, again, if you watch a lot of TV like I watched a ton of TV when I was a kid like a lot of these actors were typecast playing military roles. So the guy who plays the Colonel. There's a couple of guys who play will play officers who showed up on the team. They were military officers on the team because like they were typecast. You know, it had it had far reaching effects but I always wonder like, you know, judge Reinhold did went to do fast times original hi and and Conrad done Conrad done is the guy who plays psycho. Right. And you guys, that's my stuff I'll kill you. Yeah. Actually, he became like he's a very, very well respected stage actor, like, but everybody knows him from this. So like, I mean, it's got to be so impossible. You know, I like it must be like, I don't know, maybe he's learned to live with it. But like, it must be so disheartening to be like such an accomplished actor like on so many different soap operas. And he was on, you know, he's been like a lot of dramatic roles and like the thing that they remember him most were probably is this psycho. But you know the whole Bill Murray thing, like, they tried to you remember the beginning where he like, like his girlfriend dumps him he loses his job like all these things are happening to him. And they were trying to showcase him. Like, because they because there's this whole thing you will you know this like, there's this whole thing about Bill Murray and Chevy chase right because Bill Murray basically replaced Chevy chase on Saturday Night Live. And so like, you know, people some people argue about which one of them was funnier and who was the better comedian but like Bill Murray as always even now I mean you see if he's done it a lot and like the last several years, like he does a lot of more dramatic parts, like, you know, like he never lost in translation and so like they were trying to like not have him be just like a complete goofball. And he made a couple of movies. Actually, Bill Murray in between this movie and Ghostbusters makes a couple of different movies where like he's trying to be like serious. And he makes this movie called where the buffalo room where he plays Hunter s Thompson. Yes. Yeah, that's the other Hunter s Thompson movie besides the other one. Yeah, right. And Peter Boyle plays like his. Yeah, it's like lawyers. Yeah, I forget what he did. He did a he did a remake of this movie from the 40s called the razor's edge which was a straight drama like I mean like no one. No one bought it like because they were so used to him being like you know this cheesy crack up you know that when he tries to play it straight. They didn't. It wasn't popular like nobody really wanted to see a minute. So he ended up going back and doing stuff like Ghostbusters and all the stuff that followed but that's why in this movie they tried they kept that scene with the George in the bathroom where he tries to punch him and the whole bit at the beginning where he like he's lamenting the fact like I'm going to be dead before I'm 30 you know, and he actually was just turning 30. But he was was like 30 so like a lot of people speculate that like oh my god he really is talking about himself. And like Harold Ramis is like his lifeline. You know, and there's a whole there's a there's a whole bit of stuff that you can get I think you can find it on the DVD, like deleted scenes that got later intercut into the movie that you see now. Yeah, I watched the extended version that was like, almost two some two hours and something. I was like, wow. So on that version so okay so this is you saw it so on that version did they have the bit at the hotel like when when they go to Europe and they go a wall with the two MPs. There's that whole bit where they go to the hotel right yeah they're like they're in the hotel when they find out that the squad. So like there were scenes that they shot in the hotel that in the original version, they intercut to be like the scenes from the general's house remember when they go into the general's house. Yes, and they like you know kind of like mess it up. They took shots from that and they kind of spliced it together. So, but you would never know that unless you watch the extended version. Yeah, and, and I've been writing on the commentary was talking about how like the girl I mean they hired Sean young you know Sean young was in Ace Ventura. He's been a lot of stuff. Like this was her this was her first movie really to and they cast her because she had like you know they thought she had this very very innocent looking face. And then at the end when they show you know what happens to them after they land. She's the one who's on the like it's like the vehicle to RV magazine. PJ souls on the cover of penthouse. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And john candy's on the cover of tiger beat. Yes. So, and they were, you know, all those like you know what what happened to them after after this bit. But Sean young, you know, she wanted to, she's probably most people remember who she is now. It's because she wanted to be cat woman. That man returns and she lobbied like she went off the deep end like she lobbied Tim Burton to be cat woman, and like was like stalking him in the costume it was crazy like she she she lost her mind. But this is her first movie. It's PJ souls his first movie. I mean they got so many people who were really just television actors. But my favorite, my favorite is still john candy because he was just, you know, so for someone his size to be doing all that stuff. And then, I guess you know they utilize the whole thing about when they make them that you know we're going to go on a ton of five mile run now we're doing 10 miles. Yeah. And then they have and then when they do the whole graduation drill, because they overslept. That whole routine, the choreography if you watch it. Like, they really, you know, it was like dance. Yeah, they were pretty insane too for what it looked like it was a really cool like little production they I mean I have to believe that if they if there was no I mean it stretches you know the realm of plausibility they could ever get away with that. But if you look at when this movie came out. There was a stretch like in the early 80s early to like sort of mid 80s, when you had a lot of movies about the military coming out so like you had private Benjamin, and then there was this one. And then there was, you know that you had like, you had like some more serious moves like get platoon and full metal jacket and, you know, a couple of those. But it was real like there was a stretch where like every year, they were doing either service comedies or like serious films about like Vietnam they finally started making serious moves about Vietnam like, you know, after the deer hunter and all that. There was sort of like this change in attitude that, you know, some people, some critics are sort of like, well, they're trying to sort of, you know, show that, you know, the military is human, which I think comes across very much in this. The flip side, the mirror side, which is, you know, like movies like platoon, where they were like, we're going to show you how horrible, you know, the whole experience is. But we know to get a guy like Warren Oates and some with his pedigree, like is what gave it like some gravitas because I mean his, his filmography. I mean, he, you know, he did, I said before he did all these like westerns and the most famous one he was in was The Wild Bunch, which was like the first movie that really was like made like the late 60s and it's the first movie that had like the violence that you see now, like we take it for granted it was like, it was like a Tarantino movie that got made in 1969. You know, it like, I mean, it was bloody and it was like really, really violent. And it like it broke all these barriers like kind of after Bonnie and Clyde, Bonnie and Clyde had a little bit of that but like The Wild Bunch was beyond. And Warren Oates is one of them. And so there's a, you know, he's one of the four guys in that film who's who the heroes. And there's like this big shoot out at the end. And so like, he has that craggy face. You know, like the weather beaten face that he got from being in all those westerns outside. And so like he was, he was a real serious actor. He, he passed away like not too long after this movie was made because he had such a he was like so worn down by life. But you know, without him I mean that they talk a little bit about who would have played that part. If it hadn't been him. And some of the names that they toss out like you just, you can't picture. You know, one guy was like, you know, Ernest Borgman, who was also in The Wild Bunch. He was another member of that. Like you can't, you just can't picture it, you know, like he owns that part so well. I was concerned when they blew him up. Right. And then, but you remember, the only reason that happens is because John Larraket orders the guy to fire the mortar. Yes, without without like aiming it like that direction. Right. But we don't know where it's going just fire the weapon. And the guy who plays, you know, there was a lot of tell these guys all went into television, the guy who played. John Larraket's assistant, the corporal. John John Volstead, he was on that he was on that show with Bob Newhart where he plays one of the back woodsman. And people might remember like they always came in they never talked. The guy says you know I'm Larry this is my brother Darrell this is my other brother, he was the other brother Darrell. And so like he had that face that really recognizable character actors face. And notice at the end of the movie, he actually has been promoted he goes from a corporal to a sergeant he's got three stripes, and John Larraket's gone from being a captain to a first lieutenant he's been demoted. You know, like, I love when they drop these little like Easter eggs in there I mean now they're called Easter eggs but like when they would drop these little things there to see if you would notice. I think you have to watch the movie. A lot to notice these things. And this is a movie I watched a lot. I watched a lot. Like every time it's on television. I always I at least watch the graduation scene, because you know that's just the most famous part that was the whole trailer was built around that if I remember back when I was a kid. So I had, what was the other, there was another Easter egg that they had. Where Joe, the scene where John Larraket spying on the women in the shower, which again was improvised. He says, he says, his line is he goes I wish I was a loofa. Yeah. So like, I've been right and didn't know what a loofa was like he had to explain it to him like keep it in keep it in. This is what it means this is what it is. Can you imagine like a, you know, I mean, like John Larraket is another guy who I always think is so underappreciated, because he always plays I mean yeah night court he was great and he won a ton of Emmys. But he, he shows up in movies, where he plays like he's in this movie blind date with Bruce Willis. He's the first like starring role as a comedy. And he plays sort of like the other BX boyfriend of the guys date at the moment he's dating. And he always he's always hysterical. And, and I don't know like where he's been lately like he's kind of he does. He still works but like, he's not as prominent as he used to be back in the day and I always wonder why because I always thought he was really really great and there was a lot of these guys ended up on the West Wing right so John deal was on Miami Vice, John Larraket ended up on the West Wing Timothy bus field is in this movie. He plays one of the plays the guy who was going to fire the mortar ended up on the West Wing. You know, like, I guess if you get these big enough cast and these guys hang around long enough, they all start to show up like in everything together. I mean, I always thought it was it was fantastic and I you know it's, I remember going to see meatballs because I that was the first time I was, I was way too young to stay up for Saturday Night Live like back back then but like I remember Bill Murray from meatballs. And then when this movie came out, I'm sure I probably was not old enough to see it but somehow I got into see it. And I remember just like being a big, becoming a huge Bill Murray fan. And then, you know, certainly Ghostbusters is the one that everybody, everybody, everybody knows all the lines from Ghostbusters. I had a proton pack when I was, I'm sure, and it's too bad, you know, and Harold Ramis is no longer with us, which is really a shame because you know all the greats I mean Groundhog Day, Ghostbusters and Groundhog Day alone would be enough. You know, you're throwing caddy shack and animal house and some of the other stuff that he did and he, you know, he tried his hand a little bit at doing like more serious stuff and which is all right, you know, just, it's just not the same you know he had that really like sarcastic, you know, sense of humor, satirical sense of humor. And, you know, there was a point where there was a point before he passed away that he and Bill Murray did not speak for many many years. Because I think they had, they had come to some sort of disagreement over Groundhog Day. And I think it was over the idea of whether Groundhog Day was like a comedy, or was it a philosophical movie. It could not agree and it kind of ruined their friendship. I mean, of all the things that you could argue about, you know, what difference does it really make. But, you know, I guess they reconciled at the end but you know it's a shame that he's not around anymore because I can only imagine what kind of stuff like they would be doing. You know, the new, did you ever see the trailer for the Ghostbusters reboot, not the all female version the other one. Because it's supposedly it's like the official the officially sanctioned reboot. And it's supposed to follow like it's supposed to pick up where the original first two movies left off. They have a new one coming out. And that's the one if you guys are watching, find the trailer on YouTube. That's where they drive to like the barn. And yes, Paul Rudd and Paul Rudd is in it. And, and it follows like Harold the character, you know, like it basically references the fact that Harold Ramis is deceased. But it follows like it's his it's his family. It's his character's family living out in the Midwest somewhere. And they start experiencing like supernatural phenomenon. So it's the same, you know, like universe as the first two movies, but it looks a lot darker. Like it's not. It's not like this slapstick comedy I think it's more like a horror comedy. But the trailer looked great I don't know whatever. I mean, with everything else going on in the world, Lord only knows what happened to it or when it's going to ever come out but the trade if you find the trailer on YouTube, it's really awesome. I think that you know we should just we should mention, by the way, because we have talked about this before that with everything else that's going on in the right now, especially locally with the uptick in cases. We are still going to be virtual for a little while. We're going to be doing these and our classic Tuesday series and a few other things online. But that being said, our cafe is operational. We do have a few other things that we're going to be able to do. So, if folks are interested in those we have tomorrow night is the wine tasting. And then Saturday is the Copia cocktails and cornucopia with the Bedford flower shop. That'll be a lot of fun and there's still spots available for that. We have a more bourbon tastings coming up in the next couple of weeks. Tuesday, classic Tuesdays we're going to be doing the African Queen, which again will be virtual but that is available for free if you go to our website the link there takes to a fritz. We're going to be viewing of the film Humphrey Bogart and Catherine Hepburn really really great movie John directed by John Houston who did the Maltese Falcon and so many other great movies. It's a movie that one Humphrey Bogart is only Oscar. That's a real that's a real great one great adventure movie. That'll be a lot that's gonna be a lot of fun to talk about because there's a lot of different stuff that was going on with the making of that movie. That movie has backstories, backstories, which are going to be fun to talk about. Yeah, films coming out also. We got tomorrow we've got team Marco, which is looks like an awesome film about a kid playing bachi with his grandfather. It's a little bit more than that but that's the overall and then we've got modern persuasion which is the retelling of a Jane Austen film it's modernize which looks really good. And then we've got a documentary called Soros about George Soros and Jungle Land which is a boxing movie in a nutshell but all films look really good. And I'm not just saying that because when is when we get in front the Frank Zappa documentary. That's gonna be great. The Zappa documentary is next week. It's the 27th. Right so next week. And they just told me to their, when you purchase the film, they're actually is going to be bonus content of concert footage you can exclusive content, concert footage that you can watch afterwards which got really excited because I am a huge Zappa fan. Yeah, me too. That's gonna be great. You know, Abhijan, I know Kirsten is still has also commented that they came to see Harry Potter when we were open for a bit we will we will reopen again we will. We totally will we're actually to be to be completely honest we were being a little proactive this time around because we wanted to just be sure that everything was was safe and in place and you know hopefully by the time we get past the holidays, and we'll be able to start ramping back up and start doing these either. Hopefully in the theater again. Well, we will be able to do them in the theater again, but offering them in some sort of hybrid fashion as well so it's not going to be completely mandatory that you come in to see some of these we are going to stream them as much as we possibly can so thank you very much to everybody for tuning in. We'll be back on Tuesday for the African Queen. But if not, we will be back next month we're doing we're doing Christmas Vacation next month I think right. Yes, that's our last I was going to be Christmas Vacation, which is always always fun another classic. That is a national lamp movie, as we all know. And certainly deserves to be mentioned in the same breath with a lot of other holiday classics that we're going to be showing and streaming and talking about so. We're very safe and happy Thanksgiving if we don't see before that but hopefully we will have a good night everybody.