915 – Beetlejuice | Tale of the Tape

EPISODE 915 – Beetlejuice | Tale of the Tape

 

[START OF RECORDING]

SCOOTER:        Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, friends beyond the binary, and my patron peeps, this is the episode so nice you don't have to name me thrice, patrons, 'cause it's time for Sleep With Me, the podcast that puts you to sleep.

 

INTRO: [INTRO MUSIC] Hey, are you up all night tossing, turning, mind racing?  Trouble getting to sleep?  Trouble staying asleep?  Well, welcome.  This is Sleep With Me, the podcast that puts you to sleep.  We do it with a bedtime story.  Alls you need to do is get in bed, turn out the lights, and press play.  I'm gonna do the rest.  What I'm going to attempt to do is create a safe place where you could set aside whatever is keeping you awake whether it's thoughts, things you're thinking about on your mind, feelings, any emotions coming up for you, so things you're feeling; physical sensations.  Anything on your mind, past, present, or future, anything emotionally coming up or physically.  Whatever's keeping you awake.  It could be something else, something you can't quite put your finger on or someone lying next to you be it human or in pet form that's either generating snores, heat, gas, movement.

 

This is probably something you can only say within the confines of a sleep podcast but if you listen to the show, you probably relate to it and I'll just say it for you because you can't say it in public; you say to that snoring, sweet, sweet one right next to you, your comfort is really making me uncomfortable.  Oh, you're resting so sweetly…is really not helping me get any sleep.  It could be…that's what I'm really here for.  I guess I'm making a joke about it kinda but really, that's why I'm here.  I'm here to take your mind off whatever's keeping you awake.  If it's that, you say man, this is frustrating.  How can this person fall asleep instantly and snore like a dump truck while the dump truck's going by right…you know how it is.  But it could also be changes in time, temperature, routine.  Whatever it is that is keeping you awake, I'm here to…yeah, take your mind off of stuff, to distract you.

 

What I'm gonna do or what I propose to…what I propose and intend to do is create a safe place where you could set all that aside.  I'm gonna smooth it, I'm gonna pat it, I'm gonna rub it down, and then what I'm gonna do is I'm gonna send my voice across the deep, dark night.  I'm gonna use lulling, soothing, creaky dulcet tones, pointless meanders, superfluous tangents.  I'm gonna go off-topic, I'm not gonna make a whole lot of sense and not get to the point.  I'm gonna do all those things so you don't have to pay attention to me and you can fall asleep.  Now, if you're a regular listener, thanks again for coming back.  I'm so glad I can help you and be here to try to create this safe place for you and really make…I hope I'm doing my best to give you the nice…can I pat it?  Smooth it, pat it, rub it down?  You want me to air anything out?  Move anything around?  Do you have any pets I could pet for you?

 

You want me to just look at the fish and talk comforting to your fish or your plants or to you?  How about that?  You say pets…fish, they…that fish got fed four hours ago.  I say no, don't worry, fish.  I'll talk comforting to…how about I talk comforting to everyone or just to you?  Also, there's no wrong answer.  You could say yeah, forget the fish and the pets and the snoring lumberer next to me.  Please just Scoots, can you be here…?  I say yeah, don't worry, I'm here for you.  I just said that other stuff because of the…there's cultural norms I'm supposed to follow.  But you don't…that's the best part of this show; you don't have to follow any cultural norms.  If you're new, this really can throw you off 'cause this podcast is by definition not normal.  As Doc Brown once never said; norms?  Where we're going, we don't need any norms except for you, Norman McFly, the youngest…this is in Back to the Future, the one that I never wrote.  Yeah, he says norms?

 

Then he said it's just you, Norm.  Hardy-har-har.  Or maybe they said it…maybe he said it in a way…like, he said Norm, you just stay here.  But I was meaning social norms.  But also, I just needed your sister.  She's the protagonist of this movie.  You're the one we get a view of in the normal world, Norm.  You're supposed to be…for once, Norm, you're a normy.  Your role in this story is to stay here.  We showed the ordinary world just like every Back to the Future is supposed to open.  Then we'll return and see the results of your sister's journey into…where we need no norms.  Oh, you're doing a sleep pod…sorry about that.  Thanks, Doc.  I'll take it from here.  If you're new, a couple things to know; this show could throw you way off and that's totally normal.  If you're listening at this point and you're wondering what's going on or when I'm gonna get to the point or really, this is not making any sense, you're right.

 

Or if you're doubtful or skeptical…I would be skeptical too, tuning into a sleep podcast with creaky, dulcet tones and pointless meanders.  Those are all valid concerns, just like Norm's valid concern would be whoa, whoa, whoa, how come…I would like to time travel.  Doc Brown says trust me, it never goes as it's supposed to, Norm.  Also, this is just a…this car doesn't really…you'd have to…there's not really…it wasn't designed for three people.  Doc, why don't you stay here and my sister and I will go?  This could be…maybe we could…maybe instead of…this could be your version of…we could make these into children's books.  I'm sorry, Norm; I think we're in the middle of a sleep podcast, not a fanfiction within a fanfiction podcast.  Oh, you're right.  Let me give it back to Scooter, then.  Thanks, Norm.  Thanks, Doc.  I'm back.  Oh, if you're skeptical or doubtful, you should be.  That's perfectly normal.

 

A couple things to…a few things that usually helps settle down the skepticism but not always; one is to know you're not alone.  Millions of people have listened to this show or probably a lot more than that that didn't like it and then they just moved on, but of the regular listeners they've said hey, it takes two or three tries to get used to this podcast and then you kinda start to become a regular listener.  At first, you say I'm trying to figure out what's going on and it's not making any sense.  That's the first thing.  The second thing is this is a podcast you don't really need to listen to, so you just kinda barely pay any attention.  I guess leaning into this…oh, who's Doc Brown?  Oh boy, sometimes I make these references and I'm just so…my cultural window is so…there's a movie about…called Back to the Future which you may have heard of.  You just don't know anything about it; normal.

 

Of course, I was making an A double S out of you, me, Doc, Norm, Lilian who I think is Norm's sister, but most importantly, you.  Oh, it's a movie about time travel with this quirky doctor.  That's who Doc Brown is.  Actually, it's just D-O-C so I don't know…anybody listen to D.O.C and The Doctor?  That's another reference.  If not, check it out.  That was on Spotify.  Oh, so I was just saying oh, so Doc Brown would be a deep, interested scientist.  One thing you could do…the idea of not paying attention would be hey, tell me more about that flux capacitor that you used to power time travel while I get cozy here.  Go on and on about all the…oh boy, can I tell you.  I wanted to call it a flex capacitor but it's actually a time-flux capacitor.  It's actually capacitors but I combined them into one unit.  That would be where you stop listening, maybe.  That's kinda the thing with me; you just don't…you don't need to…you can just barely pay me any attention.

 

The other side of it is even though it's a sleep podcast, it doesn't really put you to sleep.  It just keeps you company.  I'm gonna be here for about an hour so you could fall asleep whenever you want or just whenever it happens.  But then if you can't sleep or you need me during the day, I'm here to the very end to keep you company.  Either way, whether you're awake or asleep, I'm here.  The good thing is I'm gonna be here whether you're paying attention or not, so you don't really need to pay attention.  It's optional.  Those are two things.  The next thing…what are the other things you need to know?  I know there's other stuff.  Oh, structure of the show.  Maybe I'll tell you that next just 'cause I forgot what else.  I mean, when you have the cast of Back to the Future 9 running around in your head and you wonder where are they gonna go…what is this situation that they have to solve by going to a place where there's no norms?  You say well, they're going into your sleep podcast, Scoots.

 

Oh, tell me about the norms that I…well, one norm of active listening; we don't need to follow that here.  Two, of paying attention during a story, don't need to do that…of listening.  Structurally that's a little…your show's a little bit different.  Yep, you're right.  It starts off with a greeting; ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, and friends beyond the binary so that people feel seen and they know they're welcome.  [00:10:00] Then there's…okay, so there's that part.  Then there's the business.  The business is what enables us to bring you the podcast twice a week.  That's like four, six minutes or something.  Actually lately it's been less than that.  But so, that's what keeps the podcast going.  Then there's an intro that's about eighteen to twenty-two minutes or something.  An intro that's eighteen to twenty minutes; that doesn't sound normal, does it, Norm?  No, it doesn't.

 

Yeah, well, the intro's like eighteen to twenty minutes 'cause it serves a couple different purposes.  One, it introduces the podcast to people that never heard it before and they get an idea of oh boy, what is this thing?  It's a bit different.  This person has something like a sense of humor, almost…they actually do have a sense of humor.  They're not humorous.  I just realized that term.  It's like Scoots is the only person…one of the few people that does have a sense of humor.  You say man, he's not hilarious.  You know, people say…they throw that word around like they know what it means.  No offense, but you say…I mean, don't you think so?  You say oh, I guess that would be…I have more of a scent of humor.  You say, he's…it's like he just barely…you know when you barely smell banana sometimes?  Or maple syrup?  You say okay, I have just a bare scent…or is that a scent of cinnamon in there?  That's Scooter.

 

He has a scent of humor.  Or also, you could say he has a C-E-N-T of…you say yeah, he's about a ha'penny…he has a ha'penny of humor but he has a bare sense of humor, I'd say.  You're right, but that doesn't fit.  Oh, but that's 'cause something…come up in the intro but for a regular listener…all my regular listeners out there, what up?  The intro serves a purpose of giving you some distance from the day and helping you slowly wind down and drift off.  That's kinda…yeah, I mean, it gives you some distance.  Some people start listening before they get in bed while they're winding down.  Some people are in bed getting comfortable.  You just kinda have to see how it goes as you become a regular listener.  But it becomes part of your wind-down routine, whether you're awake or you're asleep or you fall asleep during it or you become one of the 2% of people that skip ahead to about twenty, twenty-two minutes.

 

So, that's the structure.  Oh, and then there's the intro.  Then there's business.  That's how podcasting structure works, is that business is kind of the most important business, but that's just how it has to go in the structure of the show.  Then there's a story.  Tonight, we'll be looking back at a famous movie about…a famous Michael Keaton…I don't know if it was a Michael Keaton vehicle but oh boy, is it our friend Betelgeuse, as they may have said in France.  That great movie, Betelgeuse or Huego de Beetle Bailey.  Yep.  Oh boy, that movie.  We'll be talking about that and seeing what I can remember from that movie even though I've seen it recent…like in the last ten months.  Yeah, it's a little break between our TV show coverage.  Then at the end of the podcast is thank-yous and goodnights.  That's the structure of the show.  The only other things you need to know is one, I make this show because I've been there tossing and turning, mind racing, trouble getting to sleep, trouble staying asleep, so I want to help.  That's one part of it.

 

The other part of it is you deserve a good night's sleep.  You deserve a place where you could rest and get comfortable, and our world will be a better place.  If you're rested and you can flourish or you just have a little bit better…it's…if your life's better, my life's better.  It's really that simple.  If I could help you get the rest you need, that's even better, right?  That's why I make this show, because I've been there.  I know how it feels and you deserve more.  I think that's it.  The rest of you will kinda get an idea.  If you're new, I'm glad you're here.  I work very hard, I yearn and I strive.  I really appreciate you coming by.  These are a couple ways I'm able to bring you this podcast twice a week.

 

Alright everybody, I'm gonna be talking about one of my favorite seasonal movies…I guess it's not a seasonal movie.  It's a classic.  It's a movie I've talked about on the podcast before, but I've been thinking about it a lot lately, and…because right now when I'm recording this, it's…well, it's the last day of August.  It's a year that has me saying this…it feels like I've said this three times.  I don't know; I was thinking about it 'cause I was working on an episode of…what's that called?  Otter Things, the podcast I make.  Tonight, I'm gonna try to…I'm gonna talk about some things, my personal relationship with the movie Beetlejuice, and I'm gonna go through some facts about it first 'cause I actually own this movie.  I own the streaming version or whatever.  I don't know what service I had bought it on, but whenever I wanted to watch it…a couple years ago is the only…there was no place to actually stream it.

 

I think that may have changed, but I don't know.  But I was thinking today when I was like okay, I'll record this today and I was like, I wonder if they have an extended version or a Blu-ray.  Then just in case anybody's listening, I know they've kind of gone back and forth on making a sequel to this movie and I know there's…there was a musical; I think it was just about to start or it just had started.  We're talking about the movie – and I'll only say it once right now – Beetlejuice.  But I'll try not to say it three times in a row, fast.  But really a classic, classic film.  Again, I may have talked about this before.  This could be the first Tale of the Tape where I've…retell of the…re-Tale of the Tape tread.  But let's start with the actual facts from this one and I'll try to…then I'll try to remember the plot.  I'll still not remember it even though I probably watch it every year.  But a lot of surprises in this.

 

It came out in 1988 which was an important year in my life.  It was produced by the Geffen Company according to Wikipedia, distributed by Warner Bros.  Michael Keaton, Alec Baldwin, Geena Davis, Catherine O'Hara, Winona Ryder.  What else we got here?  Danny Elfman made the music.  Oh wow, Thomas Ackerman; not a relative of mine, but…was the cinematographer.  March 30th it came out.  Okay, so that's interesting; March 30th and 1988.  I'm just trying to figure out…wow, March 30th, 1988.  That meant I was either in…okay, so I was in middle school, I guess.  Beetlejuice was a critical and a commercial…wasn't it directed by Tim Burton…right?  Of course, yeah.  It's a swift 92 minutes like a lot of eighties movies and early 90s movies are.  It was a critical and commercial success.  It grossed 93.7 million with a budget of 15 million.

 

It won the Academy Award for Best Makeup, three Saturn awards, best supporting actress for Sylvia Sydney.  Also had a animated television series that I will have to try to…maybe I could watch that with my daughter.  I wonder if that's streaming anywhere.  Even though it's the year…what is it, 2020…and I mean, 2020 might be…is a Beetlejuice-licious year but what the heck is up with the streaming stuff?  Lately, I mean, I just…I've ended up…I've rented two movies in the last…the last three or four movies I've watched.  Oh, you want to know?  Okay, so I'm trying to get my daughter a little bit introduced to some more movies.  Last movie I watched was Project Power on Netflix.  Jamie Foxx is really good in that movie.  Then I watched…so, that was paid for by…I already paid for Netflix so I watched that for free or whatever, $12.95.  Then I watched Tootsie which I think is…was on another streaming service.

 

Also, that was another one where my daughter had heard of it.  I said okay, well yeah, I guess you would watch Tootsie and then the Robin…Mrs.  Doubtfire.  Then we watched the movie The Boys That Are Lost and That Can't…they're looking for something that's lost; The Lost…The Boys That Are Lost and Looking for Stuff.  I had to pay for that one.  Then Stand By Me, I paid for that one…a rental.  That's a tough call sometimes.  But then you say do you think you're gonna watch it again?  It won't be on a streaming service.  Oh, and I think I had to pay for the movie…I talked about it.  Trying to figure out the…oh, Playing…The Child…Playing with A Doll…The Child's Doll.  I think I paid for that one.  Maybe I didn't pay for all three.  Maybe one of them was on a streaming service 'cause I only paid for two…I rented two movies.  I know some of you are like Scoots, what are you, a grandfather?  You're renting movies?

 

I say yeah, I pay for movies because I…this is how I make my living too, is making stuff that streams for free on the internet so I know what it's like.  Okay, so what does any of this have to do with…I have no idea what any of that had to do with it.  Oh, okay…but so…oh, I was trying to figure out where I could watch…I just went on a little tirade there…so where I could watch the series.  Oh, the stage musical was in 2018 so I guess no, it is…it has been around for a while.  Maybe I'll do…[00:20:00] I'll have to check that out.  There's also some good…great guest appearances on this show, but let's run through a little bit more Wikipedia just for fun.  This was after Pee-wee's Big Adventure in '85 made Burton a bankable director.  He was working on Batman and Warner Bros.  was willing to do the development.  Burton was reading scripts and he had seen a couple other ones.  Then he got the script for Beetlejuice.

 

Let's see, they're trying to figure it out, they're trying to figure out the casting.  David Geffen said what about Michael Keaton?  Burton wasn't familiar with him.  He cast Winona Ryder after seeing her in the movie Lucas.  Then Catherine O'Hara signed on.  He said the script is pretty weird so it was pretty hard to get people.  I think at the time Alec Baldwin was kind of like a undiscovered person.  They had a 15-million-dollar budget.  One million was for visual effects which included the stop-motion and the makeup and blue screens they used back then instead of green screens.  But yeah, there's a lot more on Wikipedia.  I don't want to take too much time rehashing all the details because I gotta talk about what I can remember about the movie and my life.  I saw this movie in the theater.  I feel like I've talked about this before, but…and I want to remain…some privacy and respectful of people falling asleep, but this was a time in my life that was not…my family was…like all families do, they face different things and sometimes you face a lot as a family.

 

The late 80s were a time my family was trying to navigate together.  A lot of times, me apart 'cause I was a brooding teen and I didn't do great in a lot of those situations.  But also at some point, my mom's younger brother had bought the house next door to us and moved in which was interesting just 'cause they…I guess they must have been a lot…they seem close now but because I was a kid, I didn't really understand those kind of sibling relationships, you know?  Nowadays I'd think wow, that's…I don't know.  You'd say wow, that's interesting.  But we spent a lot of time together, but not like…we would eat dinner together and everything.  It was my uncle and his…I don't know if he moved in…I think he moved in there and then eventually got married, but maybe he was already married to my Aunt Karen.  So, shout out to them.  But so, John and Karen, I don't know if…I don't know when they moved in next door to me.

 

Well, let's see; yeah, I have no idea, to be honest.  I think this was around the same time.  I don't know if they were married or dating at this particular moment, but they took me to the movie which was very rare.  I don't know if they were wondering what would it be like to have a kid or just stuff was so…adults were interceding in our lives.  They cared about…family members were trying to help take care of our family and I guess they probably drew the…they said what about this brooding, angsty teen boy we have?  They said well, technically he's not a teen yet.  I say oh yeah, you're right, I wasn't a teen yet but I acted like…I had the old C-H-I-P on my shoulder.  That's when I started learning to furrow my brow and be above everything.  I think; maybe I wasn't quite there yet but so, they took me to the movie, just three of us, I believe.  This was really…really meant a lot to me.

 

I should send them a letter before this episode comes out because it really did mean a lot to me.  Now as an adult and I think back about everything that was going on, that means even more to me now as an adult.  It probably was a part of a building of life-changing relationship with movies and the movie-going experience.  Also, I think about the awkwardness.  A lot of people think I'm joking around when I say I wasn't a really…trying to be respectful at bedtime too, but I wasn't the…I wasn't…I guess…okay, well, maybe this is just a narrative of my own mind, but I don't think I was a very G-O-O-D…I know I don't…wasn't the easiest kid to deal with.  The idea of taking me to a movie was really a gamble because you never know what kind of mood I was gonna be in.  I was usually polite to adults when I was alone with them, but I could be a handful and not a…not just that; I just wasn't a…I just…you know, because you're like me; you can't sleep.

 

You're not always in a good mood, I guess is the way…you're not the light that…I've never been the light that fills the room.  I was more a bit of the gloom, you know?  All that said, I mean that in a positive way, that it's like wow, this is really generous of them to take me to the movies.  Also, it wasn't at a movie theater really close to my house because I think the movie theater that was really close to my house at this point had closed or was about to close thanks to B-L-O…thanks to the malls and that movie store because the dual theater behind my house growing up was gone.  But that might not have had a movie like Beetlejuice.  It wasn't the movie…it wasn't at the movie theater right around the corner from my…there was the movie theater right by my house, then there was a movie theater at…the next closest one was at a mall of course, and…but that was a little ways away.

 

But we ended up going to a mall that was in another part of town entirely and I have no idea where.  A couple other questions come up is like, did we eat dinner at the…together?  Which I would say probably we did unless we went after dinner; they picked me up at my house which is also a possibility.  Okay, so…oh, so what I was thinking is, if you take a kid to a movie that's not your kid, there's a…especially a kid like me that dreams…has over…unrealistic expectations and I'm willing to push the envelope to get stuff, is like, how do you negotiate the snacks and the snack bar?  Do you go no snacks?  Do you go one bucket of popcorn to be shared?  Then, what is the drink situation?  ‘Cause even back then, stand-up comedians would be joking about the prices of stuff at movies.  I'm sure it was nothing compared to now.  But it was probably the same price, so if a movie was $2.00 or $2.50, I bet you a thing of popcorn was like $1.50 or $2.00 which is…people would probably be like, that's too much.

 

But so, we went to this movie and the movie was amazing.  I remember just sitting with them and sharing the movie.  They were probably in their twenties or their thirties.  I would guess their twenties.  We really had a good time but I just remember…once again going to see a movie in the theater that was very different.  Maybe it was 'cause I liked Pee-wee.  Maybe that was it.  I don't know why we decided on that movie.  But we did and we went, and oh boy, was it good.  I guess I'd just say that for that, it has a special place in my heart.  Now, how does this movie start and all of that?  That's a good question.  I think the last time I tried to remember or maybe even I did an episode about this, I was wrong and then I rewatched…I've probably watched it a couple…once a year I usually see it now.  But it feels like it's been a year, maybe longer.  But so, I'm pretty sure the movie starts off…what are the character's names?

 

I don't know the character's names, but…or…Alec Baldwin and Geena Davis' characters are married, right?  They live in their dream house in what I believe is somewhere far out from New York City, so not an ex-burb but where you say well, I want to be close enough to New York to go there without it taking…without having to stop overnight, but I don't want to be close enough that's it an ex…I don't even think they had ex-burbs, like a suburb.  Back then you'd say you were moving to the country.  Then there was the idea of this idea of people from the city coming and taking over.  Like oh, this is so nice until everybody from the city moved in and the prices went up and all that, and it became shi-shi or whatever.  But they had moved there and I don't know if they…I don't know their back story which it goes into my ideas for the sequel.  Actually, their…I don't know if their back story is super-important, but they lived up there.

 

I'm pretty sure Alec Baldwin's character ran the hardware store.  This was a dream house.  They were always working on their dream house.  [00:30:00] I'm trying to think of anything else I need to know.  I think that's it.  They had this perfect life, right?  They would wave at the people from the town and oh boy, was it a dream come true.  The movie starts off with that, the ordinary world or whatever you call it, but quickly they have to drive into the city…or drive into town for something.  I don't know if they have to go to the hardware store 'cause they're working on a project or he's going to the hardware store 'cause he's…oh boy, I gotta check and make sure we have this in stock or whatever.  I think it was a Sunday.  It was like, even more of a day of leisure where they're like well, you don't…do you really have to go into town?  That's another term when you move to the country.

 

I guess these are…I don't know what the term is but we say well, I'm moving to the country.  Oh, I'm going into town.  But so, they said oh, we're gonna go into town.  Then I don't exactly know what happens but so, on the way…I'm pretty sure on the way into town they go to the big farm.  That's what's so cool about this movie, is it offers insight into the…a version of the big farm.  This was a time…I don't remember the Oh God!  Oh God!  are you there George Burns movies at all.  I know I saw those and I'm pretty sure…I'm familiar with the idea of those movies.  Then there was Defending Your Life.  I don't know what year that came out, but I'm pretty sure that might have been a little bit after this, but maybe not.  Maybe this is in the same range of these very nuanced, fun, enlightened takes on what happens when your earthly life…you cease to be a human being and become a next-stage existence.

 

I highly recommend seeing Defending Your Life, too.  But so, okay.  So, what happens?  The thing is, the first gimmick, I guess…or, not gimmick, but…I guess in a positive way – I'm not saying it like it's a negative – is that they don't realize that they've gone to the big farm so things pick up almost like a record skip and they're back at their dream house.  Maybe we don't even know it, but maybe we do; maybe we see that they have a little fender bender or something.  I can't remember any of that but they have become non…post-Earth humans, but they're on Earth.  I guess I don't remember all of the mythology involved, but at first they don't realize it, right?  But they know something's off.  Slowly, they keep noticing that something's off.  Then they see their friend who's a real estate agent outside.  She's a little down.  They're trying to talk to her; she's not answering.

 

I think the first time they realize that something strange is going on is they try to go outside and this is one of the stop-motion things.  It's a bit like…outside of their house is like the movie Dune or the book Dune, or the soon-to-be mini series or TV show Dune.  But even a more surreal version where there's sand buddies out there.  It's like, total…and it's a portal, so it's really hard to get back.  You really can't leave your home.  That's the first rule of their post-life existence, is you can't leave home.  Then there's two other ideas that get introduced early on that are important.  One is one level of antagonism which is that at some point, this family moves into their house.  Again, this was their dream house.  They put the…they rubbed all the wood…they say oh boy, this is…all the wood in this home was hand-rubbed by us, all of the…we polished all the sockets.  Scoots, what do you mean, polished the sockets?

 

I said, with a toothbrush or something.  They say oh boy, these are…this is leaded glass.  We hand-leaded this glass and all that.  It was really their dream home.  They really invested their hopes and their dreams and their work into it.  The idea of someone else coming and living there and planning on changing the house drastically would be hard for them to accept.  But then on top of that, it's a very over-the-top New York City family, I would say.  I think that's what it's supposed to be.  It's like a banker, an artist, and their daughter; a brooding daughter played by Winona Ryder.  Then Catherine O'Hara plays the wife who's kind of like this…very comedic, but she plays it in a straight…which is a character she was made to play.  Then the husband's just kind of like a banker-type, like oh, put upon kind of type character.  But none of them are…well, the…they say oh, we don't like these people.  That's conflict number one.

 

Then conflict number two is the other…the other thing that's introduced is the rules of this new world and just some fun mythology and world-building.  It's like okay, so we're no longer human beings.  Correct.  I think they find this book and it's like hey, this…welcome to the…welcome to your second existence.  Here's some of the rules you gotta follow.  Don't break any of these rules, basically.  Also at some point they find a ad for Beetlejuice and there starts to be little clues about this Beetlejuice character.  Then they try…then they realize okay, we gotta get some help here.  Who do we get help with on our next stage of existence?  They go through this magic door using this chalk.  I don't know, you draw a door.  I think you say something.  They realize that the post…there's a lot of visual comedy…there's so much…this part of the movie is small but so strong…is that, whatever, they meet their case worker and that the afterlife…the mechanisms of the afterlife is very, very bureaucratic, so bureaucratic.

 

I think it would be fun to watch with Defending Your Life which is more of a Utopian bureaucracy.  When you say bureaucracy as a positive word versus this is very bureaucratic; you gotta wait, everything's run down, everybody's put upon.  Then they finally meet their case worker.  This is probably a series of scenes spread out over twenty minutes, but she's hilarious.  But she says, what do you need?  There's so many…fun stuff packed in there.  But they slowly discover that…they say wait a second…oh, well, we gotta get rid of these people that are living in our house.  She says well, here's the rules you need to follow.  Did you even read the handbook?  Read the handbook.  Follow those rules.  Then at some point Beetlejuice comes up and then she says whatever you do, don't contact him.  He's trouble.

 

They try to follow…part of it is they haven't fully embraced the fact…they haven't fully embraced this stage of existence so that's one of the things that causes them all these troubles, is they basically say well, you gotta accept this stage of existence.  That's why you're not flourishing.  There's some level of acceptance and whatever you call that where you give in.  I don't know.  This is just that world's…we also learn a little bit about Winona Ryder's character, the daughter, and that she realizes that her parents are not…worse than not great and that she kinda doesn't quite fit in with them.  She's not happy.  Maybe it's just her stepmom and her dad, too.  She's only brooding 'cause she says what are…these people are materialistic and ego-based and selfish, and I want something more.  She's always kinda wandering around and exploring.  Okay, so then they try to pretend they're Caspers and get rid of the family.

 

That does not work.  It also gets Winona Ryder's attention because she's very courageous and curious.  She's mostly just curious and interested.  After a couple of failed attempts, she says wait a second.  At first, they're…they can't even be seen because I don't think they believe…like I said, they're not fully leaning in.  But then it kinda works and alls they end up doing is getting Winona Ryder's attention and she wants to talk to them.  Things keep getting worse at the house where they're like okay, we're gonna get rid of all the glass they worked on.  You know what?  Take all that rubbed wood and paint over it in neon colors and stuff like that.  They say no, I can't believe this.  [00:40:00] They say oh boy, are we desperate.  But then they realize that Winona Ryder's character can be trusted.  She's caring, she understands.  She's curious but she also says well, you're dealing with my parents.  It's not gonna work.

 

They say well, we have to make it work.  She says well, you don't know them.  They say well, we're gonna get rid of them.  Alls they end up doing is getting more attention.  At some point, they…I wonder if they…when they use…I think they still do one more try.  They say okay, well, we're gonna try one more time to get rid of these…this family.  Now meanwhile, again, Beetlejuice was played by Michael Keaton and is an over-the-top character.  He's constantly getting these little ads; they're saying hey, don't you need my help?  It's very, very strong, high comedy 'cause Beetlejuice is the reverse of a Ghostbuster.  He's a non-Ghost…he's actually a Ghostbuster.  He's a Ghostbuster, kind of.  Let's see, okay; so, they're friends with Winona Ryder.  They're trying to get rid of the parents by being Caspers.  It fails.  We get to see more and more of the not-nice sides of the parents and their friends.

 

I think this is pre-Beetlejuice; they do this thing where they say this is it.  This is how we're gonna get them out of the house.  Yeah, this is what happens.  They have a couple guests over.  Of course, one of the guests just happens to be really interested.  He's like, big into this kind of stuff.  They do this thing where they try to…they've been trying to learn all these moves and they…they say okay, well, here's what we're gonna do.  We're gonna help the humans by playing.  For some reason, they decide…and I don't know why this is, but it ends up being cool, is they decide to use Harry Belafonte's song which is an incredibly pain-filled song if you read…learn more about it.  I don't know if they knew that in this movie or not.  I don't think they did.  But maybe they learned about it years later.  The Day-O, The Banana Boat Song, and then Jump in the Line.  I always think it's rock your body on time.

 

I used to sing that…I used to sing Jump in the Line.  Like, I would change the lyrics.  Not that it says anything to do with anything, but when my daughter was little and I would change her diaper, I would sing jump in the line, rock your body on time.  Oh no, not when she was…before, when a kid would…when she would make that diaper…like, filling her diaper face.  Then I'd say okay, I am pooping.  It just works.  Jump in the line, rock your body on time.  Okay.  Those two songs they use, and they take the parents and their guests and a bunch of the stuff in the house, and they use that to make this great…where they actually take control of everybody and make them dance and sing to the songs; thinking, for some reason, that it would get rid of them.  They actually…that's another level of comedy because I guess they're…the main characters are…I don't know if they are the main characters, really.

 

You really have to analyze this movie, but Geena Davis and Alec Baldwin's characters are very kind, good people but they're also kinda boring.  I guess that's another powerful thing because it's very rare and I think it was done on purpose, is like wow, those two are very milk toast, I think would probably be the right word.  They're very saccharine and they…but I mean…and it plays forward and I guess it's a good contrast with Beetlejuice.  But so, that ends up not working, that everybody at dinner is like wow, that was the coolest thing ever.  We just got forced to move around and dance and sing.  How did you do that?  They say oh yeah, we got these two beings that live here.  Then they end up saying okay, now we're gonna make…we could make them perform for us and stuff.  We could look into this.  Then they go back to their case worker who says wait a second, they know about you?  Oh boy, this is not good.

 

Also, if you get caught by a Ghostbuster, it's not like in the movies.  Think about it; did you see any of the ghosts other than Slimer?  Saying wow, that was cool, getting…do you think ghosts want to be busted, she says.  Really?  She goes, will you…would you trust a…if you were a ghost, would you trust a person that said I ain't afraid of no ghost?  They say oh, no.  She says, that's right, oh no.  Then they get to the point where they enlist Beetlejuice's help.  They say his name three times.  We realize that Beetlejuice is beyond problematic.  Like, over-the-top, crude, but also confident and very effective.  Beetlejuice presents it as okay, yeah, I'm not…I got…I'm rough around the edges but my job is…I can get these humans out of your house.  If you need me to move these humans out, that's what I do best.  Don't you worry.

 

I wonder at what point…I think I remember watching this and being like wow, Beetlejuice really doesn't come in until…if it's a 90-minute movie, it might be like, sixty minutes or forty-five minutes in because thinking about the progress…I can't think of that many sequences with other…I mean, as a character, other than the building up of it.  But I also can't think of many scenes with Beetlejuice in it because I guess what basically happens is they say…he says okay, well, don't worry.  Then there's another big dinner scene where they have, for some reason, Dick Cavett and Robert Goulet over for dinner.  I think Dick Cavett is somebody's…one of their book agents.  I don't know.  I don't know who Robert Goulet plays.  Maybe he just plays Robert Goulet.  But so, those were really famous people back in the 80s, just for people that say who?  I say yeah, Robert Goulet is even…I probably…if you said Scoots, who's Robert Goulet?

 

I'd say he's got a really good voice and he was in Beetlejuice, and I think on a bunch of other stuff that I don't know.  Dick Cavett also has a really good voice.  Both of them are distinct voices.  I'd say Dick Cavett probably has creaky, dulcet tones.  Dick Cavett was a famous interviewer.  I'm not kidding.  I think Robert Goulet was a singer, kind of like a lounge singer or actor is who I'm picturing, but I'm not…I guess…so, Robert Goulet fans, Robert Goulet, I'm sorry 'cause I think that was the 70s into the 80s that those two were at the peak…their height of their fame.  Okay, so where was I?  Coming back.  They're over for dinner.  I wonder if there's two sequences or maybe I'm getting them mixed up.  I mean, that happens in these Tale of the Tapes.  But basically, Beetlejuice says don't worry; alls you gotta do is recruit me and I'll take care of everything.

 

These humans will be gone, but it is very much like…Beetlejuice's fingers are crossed.  Oh, what is the cost of your services?  Beetlejuice, of course, doesn't give all the information which I think is…I can't remember.  I think Beetlejuice needs to…well, there ends up being a heavy cost.  The whole time, Winona Ryder is…I think Beetlejuice wants to get out of Beetlejuice's situation which for some reason marrying a living human also somehow will establish Beetlejuice back in the middle world or something.  But it will also take the post-human life forces from Alec Baldwin and Geena Davis because their home…he would become the resident of their home, maybe?  I don't know exactly the rules.  But basically, Beetlejuice takes over; humbles Winona Ryder's parents.  The guests leave 'cause they say whoa, this is not what we…'cause they say oh, we're pitching this new business.  It's called [00:50:00] Bed and Breakfast with Caspers.

 

You're gonna be totally interested for sure 'cause the last time it was so amusing.  But Beetlejuice is not amusing.  Beetlejuice is…gets to the point of making the humans…getting what Beetlejuice wants and getting rid of the humans.  Oh, also, did I mention for some reason Beetlejuice lives inside…in a miniature.  That's what made me think of this movie when I was doing Otter Things.  I was like oh, this could be for Halloween 2020.  I don't know what that has to do with anything other than it just made me think of oh, wait, Beetlejuice…yeah, lived in a train set.  I don't know.  I think there was a train there.  Maybe that was one of Alec Baldwin's…maybe that's where he was driving, was to go to the model train store.  Can you believe that we used to have model stores and trains…train stores?  Those used to be…I don't know, times have…anyway, so basically, the movie hits its apex with…I don't know if you have to get Beetlejuice to say his own name.

 

I can't remember what you have to do to get rid of him.  But I think you have to get him to say his name three times or something.  Winona Ryder…he's basically like, I'm gonna marry Winona Ryder and then I'll be able to live in this house and be human or whatever, not being a train set…I'll have to pay attention to this the next time I watch the movie 'cause I know this isn't accurate.  But so, basically as he's getting ready…as soon as he marries Winona Ryder for some reason, that will make him established in the house and that Alec Baldwin and Geena Davis will be not residents of this world anymore.  They'll be de-existed.  I don't know how it resolves.  I'm pretty sure Winona Ryder is the one that has to fix everything.  Though, it may have been a combination of Winona Rider's dad, Alec Baldwin, and Geena Davis, but I can remember them being kind of stuck.  Or maybe it's they just have to say his names.

 

I don't know, but I'm pretty sure Winona Ryder's character tricks Beetlejuice which causes Beetlejuice to have to leave the world again.  He ends up going and having to go to the waiting room in a post-earthly world.  Then there's more comedy at the end of that, of the movie there where he gets his due while he's waiting.  Then Winona Ryder, her dad, and Alec Baldwin and Geena Davis have established some sort of working rapport.  Catherine O'Hara has moved back to the big city or whatever.  They have some sort of working rapport and they even do more Harry Belafonte at the end of the movie which Winona Ryder does, kind of over-the-top to add…there's the comedy with Beetlejuice and then this punch with Winona Ryder to close out the movie.  That was the movie from what I remember about it.  Then I wonder…I guess you'd say Scoots, what would you want to see in a Beetlejuice sequel?

 

I'd say well, there's two decisions to be made, in my opinion.  Maybe you have to do this as one movie with flashbacks, but I would like to see Beetlejuice's origin story or how Beetlejuice…up until…I would like to see the prequel.  But then you'd lose…then…but I would think if you were gonna do this movie, you would try to get the original cast or as much of the original cast as possible and…or run screen tests and see if Michael Keaton is game to be Beetlejuice again.  I mean, I think that's the most important question.  Now, I'm remembering doing the Thanksgiving Day Parade a couple years ago and seeing the Beetlejuice…maybe it was even this year, the character that played Beetlejuice.  It was good, but I guess Michael Keaton is my Beetlejuice.  But so, it's also not Betelgeuse.  I don't know if it's a misspelling 'cause it's ‘geuse', I think.  Maybe.  Maybe I'm the one that's wrong.  I probably am.

 

But so, I would be interested in any sequel to see the events leading up to how Beetlejuice ended up where Beetlejuice was at the start of the movie.  Of course, that's a question…maybe it's answered in the musical or the cartoon.  I don't know.  I'm pretty sure that the animated TV show is Beetlejuice and Winona Ryder's characters, but I'm not positive.  I can kind of picture that in my head.  But I would also be…I think the better movie would be…is something like moving forward and I could see if you…again, you say well, okay, these are the ages of the characters now.  It takes place in…it could definitely take place in the year 2020, I mean, right?  I think some multilayered thing like where maybe there's a movie where Winona Ryder's character has gone to the big farm and is in the house.  Alec Baldwin and Geena Davis' characters have moved on to another stage of existence after the one they were currently in because Winona Ryder's replaced them.

 

Also, that gives you the ability to cast some more people as residents of the current house, though I don't think most of the movie would take place in our world.  Then the way it would be is…let's say going down or on some sort of curve, there's different stages of existence, right?  There's the human world that we live in now.  That's the baseline, we'll say.  Then not that far below it is whatever world Alec Baldwin and Geena Davis were in that then Winona Ryder's character's in; living in your house, but you're not a human anymore.  There's some positives like familiarity.  Then there's the fact you gotta live with other people and you're not a human anymore.  You have those things going.  Then there's another stage of existence after that.  Maybe it's not down but it's like another thing.  I don't know what it would be.  That would be open and cool to explore.

 

But then there's wherever Beetlejuice is that's definitely not…it could be one of the famous circles, you know?  You got Dante, you got whoever that other person was that was…all those people down there; Milton, the whole nine yards.  I mean, the store…their stories, right?  Beetlejuice is somewhere there.  Now, if I know Beetlejuice, what Beetlejuice would figure out is somehow use that opportunity…maybe there's some other event that Beetlejuice figures out or he made some other secret thing that when Winona Ryder moves in her world, he ends up switching worlds.  There's two kind of quests, but I think there should be…where we get…Winona Ryder thinks she has to go get and rescue Alec Baldwin and Geena Davis.  She's either going all the way to where Beetlejuice is now, or to another world.  Now meanwhile, Alec Baldwin and Geena Davis…I think that's it.  He tricks them out so he's able to get out.

 

He tricks Alec Baldwin and Geena Davis into going down because he makes them think that Winona Ryder character needs to be rescued.  She goes looking for them and he's able to run rampant.  But then of course in that movie, it would be…then Beetlejuice would have to do something positive, I think.  I don't know; I think those are just sketches of…I mean, maybe that's what changes his mind, is that as he…he gets back to the house but then it feels empty to him.  Yeah.  He's also thinking about the choices that led him to have to live in a train set.  Maybe he even realizes wow, I had it pretty good in the train set now that I'm living in this…sooner or later, this is all gonna catch up with me.  I'd just like to live in the train set again.  Maybe we see some stuff, whatever, from not Beetlejuice's childhood but whatever his other existence…forms of existence were.

 

Then you get the prequel 'cause I mean, the odds are you're not gonna make two more Beetlejuice movies, so you get both those in one.  I don't know.  That was just what I was thinking about this week when I was thinking about the movies, what I would want to see.  But I mean, there's so many moving parts that what I want to see really doesn't…not that big a deal.  But anyway, so that's a couple things about Beetlejuice and Tale of the Tape behind Beetlejuice, and shout-out to my Aunt John and Karen, with much love for supporting me in a time that was not easy.  [01:00:00] Thanks, and goodnight.

 

[END OF RECORDING]

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