Sometimes repeating the same joke over and over makes you go from laughing at it to hating it to laughing at it again. Sometimes it makes you wonder why an episode was nominated for an Emmy. Join Pete and Ben as they lose their patience for short jokes, but stand tall for the performance chops … Continue reading Guest-starring Paul Williams!
Episodes
Guest-starring Joel Grey!
Ben and Pete experience continuity whiplash as they revisit an episode from earlier in production that doesn't quite mesh in tone or format with the other episodes reviewed so far. So they break format as well, and plunge straight through the running order, with only a minor detour where Ryu, Ken, and Gonzo each try … Continue reading Guest-starring Joel Grey!
Guest-starring Ruth Buzzi!
Pete and Ben find some giant legs of mutton to chew on, as well as other topics of conversation: namely, whether Scooter's origin is too far from what his character evolves into, what is or isn't actually a joke, and just how good Ruth Buzzi's Twitter feed is. https://audioboom.com/posts/7958556-henson-perspective-guest-starring-ruth-buzzi Sources and References: Pete makes a … Continue reading Guest-starring Ruth Buzzi!
Guest-starring Sandy Duncan!
Ben and Pete try to figure out what it means to enjoy an episode and yet still feel like the guest-star is a mismatch with the material. And how is that possible when the guest is clearly giving it her all? Come for the central question, stay for diversions into ALF, Love Never Dies, and … Continue reading Guest-starring Sandy Duncan!
Guest-starring Jim Nabors!
Pete takes control of the mic and the guest trivia as he and Ben discuss the second US broadcast of The Muppet Show and which segments worked, along with the vicissitudes of lip-syncing, the inherent comedy of an upright piano, and Disney's warning labels. https://audioboom.com/posts/7951018 Sources and References: The use of "Indian Love Call" in … Continue reading Guest-starring Jim Nabors!
Guest-starring Rita Moreno!
From the third leg of the unstable milking stool that is The Perspective umbrella of podcasts comes an analysis of the first season of The Muppet Show on this, the occasion of its 45th anniversary. (We were too impatient to wait another five years!) Join Ben and his new co-host Pete for an analysis of … Continue reading Guest-starring Rita Moreno!
7 July 1971: Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory
In this super-sized anniversary analysis, enjoy Anna and Ben's discussion about whether children's entertainment has a duty to be moral, whether Gene WIlder was scripted or unhinged, and whether this film holds up to either scrutiny or our childhood memories. And try not to count how many times Ben says something is "Fascinating..." https://audioboom.com/posts/7902224-7-july-1971-willy-wonka-and-the-chocolate-factory Sources … Continue reading 7 July 1971: Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory
Episode 18: Live from the Grill-O-Mat
For the low, low cost of your entire savings, Ben and Nathan will remove this broadcast containing "sponsored" content by the University of Edinburgh Press, musings on the academic definition of satire, and pointed trivia about Royal societies, all of which could add up to divorce, premature retirement, and criminal proceedings for a company director … Continue reading Episode 18: Live from the Grill-O-Mat
19 February, 1971: Cold Turkey
Anna and Ben cough, gasp, and wheeze their way through the 1971 Norman Lear satire about a whole town that tries to quit smoking, Cold Turkey. Will they come to a consensus about whether the film unfairly judges the characters or successfully establishes stakes, or will Big Tobacco keep their findings from the light of … Continue reading 19 February, 1971: Cold Turkey
9 February, 1971: Little Murders
Anna and Ben venture into the heretofore unknown territory of 1971, and investigate Jules Feiffer's and Alan Arkin's Little Murders. They forensically dissect the romantic power dynamics between Elliot Gould's and Marcia Rodd's characters, but come to very different conclusions about the essence and impact of Donald Sutherland's satirical preacher. If they agree, fine; if … Continue reading 9 February, 1971: Little Murders
Farced Perspective 