1186 – Willy Wonka Tale of the Tape Part 1

Episode 1186 – Willy Wonka Tale of the Tape Part 1

 

[START OF RECORDING]

 

SCOOTER: Friends beyond the binary, ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, it’s time for the podcaster that…I thought I could think of something witty or silly to say. Well, you know, I haven’t talked…I don't know when the last time I talked about this is, and I don't know if this is becoming a generational thing. I know they’re still for sale, but has anyone ever…listening…this is a podcast who’s felt Spree fever before, 'cause now I…when I’m recording this, it’s…there’s the term ‘spring fever’, and this episode’s about Willy Wonka.

 

I don't think this is a Wonka product, but there’s…Sweet Tarts and Spree are two types of candy, right? I don't know if you’ve ever had those candies before, not that that’s important or appropriate, but don’t have them at bedtime, obviously. You’d say, which one? Maybe we’ll talk…maybe we’ll have more Spree and Sweet Tart-related tangents later. I’ll even explain what Spree fever is. But if you’re already nodding your head, you know what it is. When you know, you know, and if you don’t, you probably don’t want to know, but I’ll explain it in a meandering way soon.

 

Sleep With Me is the same thing; it’s like, what did…you may be new. I’m glad you’re here. This is a podcast to keep you company in the deep, dark night, because you deserve a good night’s sleep and you deserve a friend in the deep, dark night, on-call, on-demand, and that really, there’s no demands made of you for listening or paying attention to me.

 

I’m here to take your mind off of stuff while you fall asleep so you could get the rest you need and you deserve, because that’s important to me and to a lot of other people listening, 'cause we’ve been there and we know if you get the rest you need, your life’s gonna be more manageable.

 

You could be out there living. You could be out there flourishing, and that’s really what this show’s really about, being your bore-friend, your friend in the deep, dark night. So, what we got coming up here; I’ll be going off topic multiple times, but structurally…support so the show could be free and come out twice a week, then, separate from the support, a long, meandering intro meant to ease you into bedtime — if you’re new, kinda to introduce you to the podcast — then we’ll talk about what I can remember about the movie…the film from the…that came out in the seventies, Willy Wonka, or Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.

 

I actually never looked up what the title was. Different than the Tim Burton/John August film, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, or the book. I don't know if it was a novel or a book. Just specifically what I remember leading up to mostly the start of the movie…and then, yeah, all to ease you into bedtime and keep you company. So glad you’re here, and I really hope I can help. Thanks for coming by, and thanks for making it possible, my patron peeps.

 

Hey everybody, Scoots here. This intro I’ll be talking about candy a little bit, so if that bugs you at all, maybe you want to skip this episode, and then we’ll be talking about Willy Wonka, which is kinda candy-related. So, if candy bothers you at bedtime, one, I’ll say, hey, stop it, but you just might skip this episode. We got, whatever, 570 free episodes in the archives. Thanks.

 

INTRO: [INTRO MUSIC] Hey, are you up all night tossing, turning, mind racing? Trouble getting to sleep? Trouble staying asleep? Well, welcome. It’s 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, and I’ll do the rest. What I’m going to attempt to do is create a safe place where you could set aside whatever’s keeping you awake. It could be thoughts, things on your mind that you’re thinking about, thoughts, it could be feelings, anything coming up for you emotionally. So, feelings, physical sensations, changes in time, temperature, routine, you could be going somewhere, you could have someone coming to visit, you could be going through something, dealing with something, have something coming up.

 

Whatever it is…and the reason I go through that list of stuff…I don't know exactly what you’re going through, but one of the reasons is myself and a lot of other people listening, we could probably relate to how it feels, even if I haven’t been through the same thing. The other thing is Sleep With Me has a pretty big global audience, so there is probably someone out there listening right now who’s been through that, and they’re nodding too, saying, yeah, it’s difficult. That’s hard. Or, I could see how you feel that way, because someone’s been there and a lot of us can probably relate to how it feels. That’s one part of the show. That’s why I make the show, and that’s why I kinda run through a basic list of stuff.

 

I can’t run through everything, but it’s to let you know you’re not alone and that there’s other people listening right now, and some of them are sleeping or some of them are snoozing, and we’re happy…oh, we’re so happy for them or their partners that are so sound asleep. I got to meet two partners at a live show who were…one partner was totally unfamiliar with the podcast and the other one was familiar with it but wasn’t a regular listener, but their partner was. It was really fun and really fun to get both of their perspectives, especially this young man that never had listened to the show, really. It was fun. It was cool. But right now those partners may be sound asleep. We say, okay, well, we’re happy…we’re oh, so happy for you. Fingers crossed, really, totally. So, how’s this show work, right? You’re new.

 

What am I saying? 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, and superfluous tangents, which means my voice is not considered traditionally soothing. I don't know if…I’ve never heard of a soothometer before, but I just thought of that and I just…by the way, even if it’s invented, I claim…I stake my claim on Mt. Soothometer. The soothometer just said, hey, get off me, man. Sorry. They don’t call me the Soothometer because I go around and around…my thoughts and my meanders go around and around and around. Who would have thought soothometer…? They call me the Soothometer.

 

At least in lyrical structure, it may not have the same number of syllables as ‘the Wanderer’, but when you pronounce it with creaky, dulcet tones, you say, the Soothometer. My pointless meanders and superfluous tangents do go more ovular around, oval around, around, oval around. So, that means I just go off topic, I get mixed up. You say, were you talking about Spree and Sweet Tarts at the start of a…? Really? I say, yeah, I’ll get back to it, 'cause I do have a question. I wouldn’t recommend having either one of them in your bed, particularly unwrapped, but if you did, I have a couple thoughts about it…which one would be best. ‘Cause initially I thought one thing and then I said, no, probably not. Probably the other one, which…yeah, you’re thinking about that, too.

 

Okay, so why do I make the show? One, 'cause we can relate, and the other thing I said at the beginning; you deserve a place you could get some rest, a bedtime you don’t have to dread that you could look forward to or at least feel neutral about, and that’s why I’m here. That’s why I make the show, because you deserve a good night’s sleep and I hope I can provide that for you. If, for some reason, you loathe me, that’s actually how most people…but if you’re like, I’m never gonna listen to this podcast again but you’re still listening now, that’s totally fine. Sleepwithmepodcast.com/nothankyou has other sleepy stuff on there. You could check that stuff out. But if you’re unsure…I think that’s what ambivalent means. You say, well, I don't think I like you, but maybe…give it a few tries.

 

There’s a lot of people listening, like I said, and most of them didn’t like the show or it didn’t meet their expectations when they first got here, 'cause they said, I thought this was a podcast to put me to sleep. Where are the…? Where’s the…isn’t there supposed to be soothing, natural sounds and some sort of presence that’s…I don't know what the difference…that’s very soothing. Aren’t you gonna do any…? Are you gonna count backwards or by two’s or…? No, I’m…I mean, I’m not kidding; that’s one of my, whatever, learning things. I’m not very good at counting. But what I can do is keep you company and take your mind off of stuff.

 

But it’s just, when you first get here, you’re probably skeptical, you’re probably doubtful, you’ve probably looked for a bunch of different other stuff, you’ve probably tried a bunch of different other stuff, you’ve probably spent a lot of money on other stuff, and you got here and you said, well, this isn’t like anything I’ve heard before. This isn’t like anything reasonable. I say, exactly. This is what works for some people. It doesn’t work for everybody, but for the people it works for, they say, I had no idea I’ve been looking…this is literally the feedback; I have no idea…I didn’t know I was looking for this my whole life, but I was. I finally found something I wasn’t really looking for, 'cause I didn’t know I was looking for it. That’s what Sleep With Me really is, and if you’re not…you say, oh, okay, this doesn’t work for me.

 

But give it a few tries; that’s just what most feedback I get is. Or come back down the road. That’s a piece of feedback I get every few weeks; hey, I listened, whatever, two years ago. Couldn’t stand you. Or I have strong…I had strong feelings about Spree and Sweet Tarts, so I just didn’t like it, and then I came back and now I’m a regular…now I pay for the show. Okay, so, what else do you need to know? This is a podcast you don’t really listen to. You just kinda barely listen. You can listen or you could listen, but you don’t need to. I’m here to keep you company just like if you called me and you said, hey, talk to me about stuff. I’m not gonna listen to you. You kinda feel…at least the first time you might…your friend would be like, cool, but the second or third time, you’d say, do they really want me to listen to them?

 

Or at some point, just natural human stuff; they’d say, well, listen…I need you to listen to me tonight. You say, well, that’s not the relationship we established. If it’s in the real world, you say, also, I’d like you to…if it was the old-fashioned phones, you’d say, can you come over and hang up my phone? ‘Cause then my phone starts making a weird noise. Or you say, my battery…I thought…you’re supposed to hang up so my phone disconnects. Or if they come over, people…at least the imaginary versions of myself in other universes that actually are on-call…turns out, people value that service very low, because people said, hey, could you do this for me for like…? I say, well…but the people would leave crumbs. The other versions of me, they leave crumbs or half of a sparkling water, or they…actually, I wouldn’t do that.

 

That’s kinda…then I’d…but then it’d be…but I bump into stuff. That’s my thing, or I’d drop something. So, you don’t gotta worry about that with the podcast, but you could just barely listen to me. I’m here to be your friend in the deep, dark night and keep you company, not to put you to sleep. That’s the other side of it. This podcast doesn’t put you to sleep. It keeps you company while you fall asleep. I’m here to be your bore-friend, your bore-bae, your bore-sib, your bore-cuz, your bore-bestie, your bore-bor, your bore-BB…double B…bore…oh no, there’s only one B. Double B, double F? Bore-bestie…no, there’s…bore-best friend; no, it is a double B. I thought there was a double F in there. Put an extra F in there for…to strengthen our friendship, like they say on that show that…back in the day, Battlestar Galactica…like Forks.

 

I’m your best bore-friend with…oh, I guess it would be BFBF, then. Interesting. Learning more every day. Okay, so…oh, what was I saying? Oh, this is a podcast…the reason the show’s over an hour…that’s why there’s no pressure to fall asleep. There’s people listening who are dealing with stuff or have a type of insomnia where they can’t fall asleep, or people that are having a rough day and need a break. So, I’m here for them, but in the same sense, if you’re not listening to me and you’re asleep, I’m here for you in the same sense. That’s the strange thing that works about this podcast; I’m here for you whether you’re listening or not, whether you’re awake or asleep. So, that’s that, then structure of the show…this really throws people off when they’re new, and some people…I guess it’s like, oh…so, let me explain it.

 

It’s just, there’s…the podcast just goes out and a lot of work goes into it, but then you can kind of adjust as you become a regular listener how you listen. But at first, there’s a reason we put out the show the way we do. So, it starts out with a greeting; friends beyond the binary, ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, so you feel seen and welcome and you say, okay, I might…I could possibly check this podcast out. I got a general sense that I’m welcome here and that it’s a bit…it’s…the person that’s making it is not traditionally soothing or normal. That’s fine. That’s the truth. Then there’s support so the show could come out twice a week for free. That’s the way it gets to the most people. Then there’s an intro which is separate from the support, but for some reason, when people dislike the support, they lump it in with the intro.

 

The intro is about twelve to twenty minutes. It’s a show within a show meant to ease you into bedtime, to introduce you to the podcast, but there’s a lot of people that listen regularly, so if you’re new, we’re so glad you’re here. The intro is…becomes…as you become a regular listener, part of your wind-down or your calm-down time. Whether you’re getting ready for bed, you’re doing some wind-down activity that’s relaxing, you’re in bed getting comfortable and getting settled or you’re drifting off, or you need a break during the day, the intro is meant to ease you into bedtime, not so much to put you to sleep. There is a percentage of people that fall asleep, but there’s also a percentage of people that skip the intro.

 

But there’s also a percentage of people that like the intro and that’s the main thing they listen to or they hear. So, the intro, it could put you to sleep, but it’s meant to ease you into bedtime, or it’s eventually…like I said, you could skip it. Or if you don’t like the support, you could pay for the show and skip the ads, or you could listen to story-only episodes. So, just see how it goes. But for the most part, that’s just what I’ve learned in my personal life and from all the readings around sleep is that having some wind-down time really does work. We’ve just learned that, right? I wish I could just turn it off and go to sleep, but it just does…for me, it hasn’t worked that way.

 

But when I have a wind-down routine, not only does it work most of the time, but it gives me something to look forward to from a person that used to start dreading bedtime before noon, especially if…especially when you’re in the stages of adulthood where there’s no nap possible. You say, and then I got…I’m tired already and then I…you know. You know how it feels, right? So, having that way to ease you into bedtime, but say, hey, at least I got something to look forward to. This boring dude’s gonna chat about stuff. Then there’s support between the intro and the show, and then there’s our story. Tonight will be the Tale of a Tape. This will be a two-part episode eventually, 'cause I said, holy cow, my…I got a lot of memory of this Willy Wonka movie. Why do I remember it so much?

 

Then, oh wait, I don’t…but I don't actually remember anything comprehensible, and I may have even done a episode about it before. That’s how my mind works. So, there’s that, and then…what else do we got there coming up? Oh, then there’s thank-yous at the end. So, that’s the structure of the show, that’s why I make the show. So, Spree…what’s Spree fever and which…? If you…don’t ever have these candies in bed, but if you did, which would be the best candy to have in bed with you? So, Spree fever and…or Sweet Tart fever…or there’s other ones. But particularly with these two things…and you don’t actually have to over-indulge in it to experience it, but it’s a phenomenon I noticed that I did put words to, and, I don't know, maybe I heard it before, but I don't think so. It’s when you eat Spree.

 

Oh, so Spree is like a Sweet Tart, and if you’re not in the US, I don't know what they call it in other parts of the world. But a Sweet Tart is a…well, it’s not a hard candy. It’s a powdered, solidified candy that has…is both sweet and sour or sweet and tart, and they’re typically sold in rolls, but you can get them other ways. Then at some point when…during my childhood or maybe before my childhood, they took a Sweet Tart and they put a candy coating on it, like a shiny one, and they call it Spree. Something about that makes it extra-consumable, and I don't know, if you have four or five Sprees, I break out…I feel like I become feverish. I know there’s probably technical reasons for it. We don’t need to know those.

 

But it’s like being in a car…it’s like one of the few experiences you could have…for me; probably not the best choice for anybody else, but it’s like where…and it’s not a lot of Spree, honestly. I think it happens with Sweet Tarts too, but it’s just something about…Spree fever sounds better, first of all. But so…and I call it…I got the Spree fever, man. Some people are nodding 'cause they say, wow, I never realized that. You’d say, technically, you’re feeling fever…Spree feverish. I say, yeah, you’re right about that, intellectual brain or whatever part of me’s interrupting me. But yeah, I got the Spree fever, and I just had it. Here’s another tangent within a tangent, and if you listened to the show for a while, you know I like to get discount candy the day after a…the Monday or whatever after a holiday.

 

I do like…occasionally, over the last twenty years, they would have Spree hearts on Valentine’s Day. This year, most of my Valentine’s Day attempts were a bust. I think I went to three grocery stores on, whatever, the Friday and the Saturday after Valentine’s Day. Or, I don't know what day of the week it was. That’s how…says a lot. But this is far removed from it, and I didn’t have any. So, this year…oh, no, wait, I did get some 50% off. Are those Spree hearts? Maybe they are. I don't think so, though. So, I do have…but so, Spree is a great thing to buy in…if you catch it, 'cause they have them…I don't know if they have holiday Spree, now that I think about it. They probably do…the packaging, but they shape the Spree like hearts. Very cute, though having a roll of Spree is pretty cool.

 

There’s also Bottle Caps; those are another thing. Those are soda-flavored Sweet Tarts, but they’re not sweet and tart. They’re soda-flavored, but they’re a similar type of thing. But this leads to another tangent, which I really should get…but this is a candy-related episode. Tangentially…don't worry, I don’t talk about candy too much. But so, if you do want…this is one of my top seasonal candy buys, are Whopper Dinosaur Eggs. I think that’s what they’re called. So, they’re a Whopper which is a malt ball dipped in chocolate, but then it has a candy coating around it.

 

In my personal opinion, they’re better than regular Whoppers. Whoppers; they do…they don’t do just fine on their own. So, yeah, that’s it. You say, okay, now I realize what this guy was talking about. I don't even know…he doesn’t make any sense. Yeah, I’m just here to be your friend in the deep, dark night, to keep you company, and I’m glad you’re here. I appreciate you coming by, and here’s a couple ways I’m able to do it for you for free twice a week.

 

Alright everybody, this is Scooter here, and I don't know if this will be a two-part episode or what, because…or this will just be a bonus episode. I kinda did a quick search; I said, we never did a episode about this? So, I don’t remember ever recording a episode about it, which that’s happened before, but it is interesting, is…so, I’m gonna…this is about the film…no, no, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. It’s a Tale of the Tape episode where I kinda try to remember the plot of the movie that I watched probably fifty or sixty times as a kid, and I kinda talk about some of the why’s of why I picked this movie or when I watched it, and do I suggest it. So, that’s what we’re talking about. There also was a movie in the aughts which was a Tim Burton/John August movie, and as a Scriptnotes listener, I love that.

 

Love John, love Tim Burton. I’ve seen that one, so I’ll…I may rewatch that one, too. I don't know if we’ll do a Wonka Week or something. Maybe we will, 'cause then there’s a company unrelated to the films, I think, I don't know, that makes candy. So, I don't know. But yeah, so, I’ve seen Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, though I don't know if I’ve seen it in my years of sobriety. So, that’s also interesting. Or if I’ve seen it, it’s been when it’s been on at a holiday or something and it’s on regular…on cable TV or something. So, not in a linear manner. So, I’d like to sit down and watch that, 'cause I think Christopher…I believe Christopher Lee’s in it, and…said, okay, that’s…I’m pretty sure I can picture Christopher Lee right now in the movie.

 

I don't know if he was doing a tribute to Steve Martin in a movie that was once…that’s a musical that’s now a musical again. I don't know, so I’ll have to…maybe I’ll rewatch both of those. Okay, so, why Willy Wonka? I think it was just called Willy Wonka. It may have been Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, and why can’t I remember…if you’re like Scoots, you already did a episode about this, I say, well, why…I mean, I have made about 1,200 episodes. But let’s see, we’re around 1,160 when I’m recording this, or over 1,160, and I have…okay, so, no, 1,180 plus bonus shows. So, yeah, over 1,200 episodes. But, you know, I just forget things, which is wonderful. But I don't know if I could ever…I’m also like, there’s so many things to misremember about the movie.

 

Why not go back and misremember them once again? But why this may be two parts is like, huh, how…what I’m…when my head looks at the scenes that’s just popping up almost on some sort…like thought bubbles out of order, there’s a lot of scenes from the movie. But when did I watch it and why was it important? So, I did not…I think this movie came out before I was born. I’m not sure about that, but this was another WPIX…which I also wrote down before I started recording…of like, I gotta do a WPIX tribute episode. Those of you that…WPIX, also known as 11Alive, was what was known as a super-station. For me, it was a super-station. It had…HBO and WPIX I’ve had outside…out-sized influence on my life. For one thing, for the first time in this podcast, that’s not a under…you can’t understate the influence those two things have had on my life.

 

So, what is a super-station? Okay, so, this is gonna be tough for some of you to understand, but I did grow up in a time not that far from the dinosaurs, and when cable TV was new. Cable TV already…they already knew…so, you have over-the-air TV, right? That was free. That’s what most people had, a antenna or an indoor antenna. I think that’s making more and more of a comeback. I heard they’re working on a third standard for…over their digital television. If you haven’t tried it…I mean, I haven’t tried it, but I don't have a 4K TV. I just have a HD TV. Should I go on a tangent about my TV? Why not? Because that’s…my TV that I currently have…so, it’s a HD TV, not a 4K TV or a Ultra-HD or a 8…I think…are we at 8K yet?

 

I’m not sure about that, but this TV is also a big part of my life, and I know it won't last forever, so it’s more of the memory of the TV, because I talk a little bit about sobriety and getting sober, not that that’s…this…that important for this episode, but that TV…and I have to look back at when I bought it, but when…if you don’t…if you struggle with that kind of stuff, usually your money is going to that kind of stuff. I was in a bit of debt and so, when I stopped and got sober, my first priority was paying down my debt, other than my student loans, but…unsecured debt I paid down, and my…I said, okay, when I pay down my debt and then save money, I’ll buy a TV. ‘Cause I had a CRT…I think I talked about this even before. This is getting interesting. But I mean, Mike Teavee’s in Willy Wonka, so it’s not that far afield.

 

But so, before the TV I have now, I had bought on Craigslist, used, a CRT…I think it was a 43. It definitely wasn’t letter-boxed. Maybe it was a little bit rectangular, but it was a CRT, meaning a gigantic glass thing. It weighed so much and it was not as big as even small TVs today, but it was bigger…but it was a HD CRT Sony television that I probably bought for like, fifty bucks on Craigslist. It was pretty good; it just was really heavy and, whatever. I mean, it was what I could afford at the time. What a deal. I wonder how much I did pay for it. I bet you fifty bucks. So, eventually I saved money and I bought this TV. It was a plasma TV, which they don’t really make anymore, and I’m still very happy with it other than the fact that I know newer TVs or whatever…the current TV technology.

 

So, the only downside of the plasma TV is…well, the main downside is that I do have the TV in a room with a lot of sunlight, so trying to watch stuff that’s dark when the sun’s out is…doesn’t work too well. But picture’s great once the light’s out. But my point was about that…before that tangent was apparently if you get a TV…if your TV has…your screen…TV…but your screen or your television may or may not have a tuner that you could connect to a digital antenna. But if you do, you don’t have access to a ton of channels, but the channels you do have access to are in full…I believe they’re in full HD, uncompressed. With this new standard, they would be in like, 4K or 8K. So, that’s just something to think about. Okay, but back to why…what’s the big deal about WPIX, or what is the WPIX?

 

Oh, good…both good questions. Let’s start with why is it a big deal to make it…stay tangential. So, back when we first got cable at my house, there wasn’t a ton of cable TV channels 'cause it was somewhat new. It wasn’t brand new. Someone who is fairly brilliant, I have to say…I don't know, they came up with the idea of these super-stations, which was basically taking a big market…a big television market station that was independent of…so, this was pre-UPN, which is not gonna have any meaning for any…most people anyway, pre-Fox, over-the-air television. So, there was only NBC, ABC, and CBS, maybe. Maybe I’m wrong, but…then there was independent channels, and some of the larger markets like New York City and Boston had these large…they were large markets, so they’re a independent station, and this…they’re not affiliated with PBS, either.

 

So, PBS was another big one. But so, this was unaffiliated with any network, right? WPIX…and in Boston…I can only think of the radio station call names. So, I’m not sure…and there may have been one or two other ones. So, they had…they didn’t…I don't know if they had twenty-four hours of programming, but they had a lot of programming that was…they had their own news, but they also had…they were buying usually repeats of older stuff. So, it was definitely different than what you’d find on regular channels. So, usually it offered a little bit more variety. Particularly, WPIX…one, it was in New York, so you’d see commercials…New York City-based commercials and news, and for me, even though we only lived four-and-a-half hours away from New York City, it was a world away.

 

Eventually I would live there, which was cool, and I’d still watch WPIX because when I first…the first three years in New York, I don't think we had cable either, so…okay, but so, where was I? Oh, okay, so, at some point the cable companies…or, I don't know the history of this, but this is just my guess. They said, hey, WPIX or hey, Boston…W something some…I think it was two W’s in there. WWOOR or something? That’s too many letters. They said, hey, let’s…can we license your channel and run it on our cable system to give more variety? It made it a super-station, and maybe it was even super over-the-air. Like, maybe even they had boosters that allowed you to watch it over there. I don't know. I just know they called them super-stations.

 

They had a little bit more leeway 'cause it was a little bit more of a niche audience, so they didn’t have to…it was just…it was still mainstream content, but it was different. We had…that’s where I saw Godzilla movies. That’s where I saw other stuff, probably…who knows? I don't even remember. Action park commercials; those are two things I’m thinking of, and…oh, the Milford…that’s how I knew the Milford Plaza was a lullaby of old Broadway. That’s definitely a test if you watched WPIX in the eighties or maybe even in the nineties. But so, what…they would have movies at night or on the weekends, and one of the movies I believe they showed — but I could be wrong — is Willy Wonka, 'cause I don't know where else I would have seen it; maybe HBO.

 

But this movie…it would make sense it was on WPIX, 'cause the movie was probably already ten or twenty years old. Again, my facts could be totally incorrect. But so, all that holds that at some point, this…I’m assuming a lot of this, but at some point Willy Wonka was on WPIX. Now, we may have recorded it on a VHS tape as well, but I don't have any tactile memories of watching it on tape. Actually, I don't…here’s another problem, though, with this theory, is that I don't really remember watching it with a lot of commercials, so…so, whatever it is. It could have been HBO. I don't know. Sorry, WPIX, but don't worry; I’ll do a tribute…I did a tribute episode for HBO and I’ve given you a lot of love over the years, WPIX. Sorry, Boston station.

 

You had good stuff on there, but not as…no offense, just…it wasn’t…you weren’t…I mean, I was a regular viewer of WPIX. I can even picture the news people, though I don’t…also I lived there, though, so that’s different, so probably…okay, so…okay, but at some point during my childhood I watched this Willy Wonka movie a bunch of times, and so did…not everybody had watched it 'cause I know John August wrote the screenplay for Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and I think to this day, John hasn’t seen the movie, so…which makes sense; made it…why it was…John was a great choice to write that screenplay or script or whatever you call it. Okay, so, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. Now…so, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory I discovered, and we watched it a bunch of times.

 

Why did we watch it a bunch of times? It was very different than anything I had seen before, other than another movie which we watched a lot, but I didn’t watch…it probably even was more formative 'cause I barely remember anything. But it did have elements of the musical and film Oliver, which is a Dickens tale, but it was a pop…somewhat popular movie probably on WPIX or HBO, and I don't really remember too much about it, so…but I just remember feeling the alignment. But that, I don't know, it was set in a way that felt like…even though it was ten or twenty years earlier, that it was like, you weren’t sure whether this was…the world that…even before the chocolate factory part, Charlie Bucket — I believe is his name, but I’m not positive about that — lives in a world where you’re like, is this Europe?

 

Is this Pitts…? Probably not Pittsburgh 'cause they had English accents, I think. I don't know, there’s just something about it that felt European, I guess. I’ll just say it. That’s…in a cool way. Not that there was not a cool way. It just felt so removed…I was able to suspend my disbelief but also bask in the differences and the similarities that this was…I don't know, I don't think I had had that experience before. Stuff was either real, 100% suspension of disbelief…even Oliver; it’s like, oh, okay, this is just…or Annie, a similar film; it was like, I was just suspending my disbelief and going along with it.

 

With Willy Wonka, I don't know, I was like, huh, this is a interesting world to be in because it’s unfamiliar, thematically familiar, it’s slightly unreal, and then the extra European seventies, late-sixties vibe of it…it definitely had a vibe, where Annie or Oliver…I don't know why I’m acting like those are contemporary films, but for when I was watching them, they had…they were good and they were entertaining, but they didn’t have that vibe. Or, I don't know…I don't know, they just felt…it was stylistically removed from anything I was familiar with. You’d say, can you give me another example that’s not gonna make any sense that I can’t even…? I say, yeah, the movie with the guy that I watched a bunch of on Amazon Prime that took place in the sixties and the seventies where the guy’s on a island, he has a number…oh, I can’t say the name.

 

It’s like, the guy who’s stuck on a island with a bunch of other people. It was a sixties or seventies series, and that had the same kinda sensibility. I maybe saw one or two of those as a kid, but I rewatched it as an adult, seeing if it was fit for the podcast. But it was almost too out there, just too obscure, 'cause people are gonna ask, why can’t you do that? That’s a awesome show or so out there. I say, yeah, but it’s just too inaccessible to the majority of the audience. So, I don't know, and there was musical numbers, which was nice, and there was great performances, and different than Annie or Oliver, which had antagonists, this movie, the majority of the antagonism exists with…you bring the…it exists on a much…below the surface.

 

There’s this…it’s very dreamlike, the movie, even though it’s…and I’m not just meaning stylistically. There’s something dreamlike about experiencing it because most of the stuff going on is at least subtextual. Or maybe not; maybe just 'cause I was watching it as a kid. So, yeah, I’m trying to think what else, and I’m not even…so, it starts out with having no idea how the movie starts. So, the setting of the film is…that I would put it in…I mean, it feels like it takes place in some…the setting is an old English village or something. It reminds me of old-town Prague, though. Again, I’m not…this is just what I remember from watching it as a kid, and I can’t even think of the last time I watched this movie.

 

So, yeah, get back to me about that, 'cause I’ll go through the Wikipedia article in the second episode and kinda look at some other stuff. Or, I don't know, we’ll see. But so, you’re talking cobblestone streets, old buildings. You could tell that there’s hard times for most people , but there’s not ever a contrast. You could clearly see that Charlie, who lives with his mother and both sets of grandparents, they’re struggling, and…wow, so that makes me think I have done a episode about this before, 'cause I can think about being in that room…their home. I guess another thing is that Charlie was so different than me as a kid. So, the star of the movie is Charlie, maybe Charlie Bucket, but I think Charlie Bucket, and Grandpa Joe.

 

Charlie is…I wouldn’t…he is…he does have some…I don't know if he’s a optimist, but man is he…he does have a little bit of naivety, but he’s really a joyful kid who makes the most of things, at least, which I couldn’t…I could see in him. He was a really good kid and a really nice kid, and not…he didn’t have really a lot of self-pity or wasn’t in his head a lot. So, I said, wow, this is…so, for me, it was a heroic figure, just Charlie being himself, who was so different than my experience. Probably we’re the same age, or maybe he was a little bit older than me; I don't know. I don't know how old Charlie was. I would guess that these kids were like freshmen in high school or somewhere between sixth and ninth grade. I have no idea. Probably you’re right; a little earlier, so maybe sixth or seventh-graders.

 

Like, tweens, you would call them, maybe. Okay, so, the movie opens…there’s…I don't remember where it opens. You get to see a version of the town. I think it’s like…okay, the ordinary world, right? So, what do we see in the ordinary world? There’s at least a couple sequences…and I’m not sure of the order, but I’m gonna put them in the order I think they went in, which is the candy man, the chocolate factory, and then Charlie’s home. So, I guess those are the ones. So, I would say it probably opens with the candy man, 'cause it’s a big musical number, and basically…and I think it sets you up for like, okay, this is a type of suspension of disbelief we’re asking of you, that people will be breaking into song, but then we’ll also return to the regular world after that. I can still picture the Candy Man number.

 

So, there’s basically the greatest candy shop you could ever imagine. There was something that just was personally ominous about the candy man. He seemed very nice. I don't think he was meant to be an ominous character, but just triggered some memory for me as a kid or something. I don't know. But there was basically this candy story everyone would go to. Now, Charlie was a newspaper…a newsie, I think. Charlie shined shoes…I’m pretty sure Charlie was a newspaper…a newsie, but now I’m not sure. But Charlie would save his money or some of his money to spend on candy, on a Wonka Bar. Or, no, he didn’t like Wonka Bars. I think he liked something else. But Charlie goes to this candy store with all these other kids, and then they sing the song, the Candy Man Can.

 

But in the store it’s got a soda fountain and tons of candy. It’s just a very kid…dreamlike sequence, and…which is, I think, interesting having these three different settings maybe at the beginning of the movie as like, this is the ordinary world. One, the candy man, in a sense…in this sense, is some godlike character, and candy is also treated with utmost respect, which in a kid’s world, that’s pretty normal…and has this fantasy element to it, and then a…is even worthy of a song. Then at some point, Charlie is on his bike outside the candy factory, which is a very, very stark contrast to the Candy Man song. So, the candy man and the candy store is a place devoid of anything…it’s just a joyous place to go as long as you have a little bit of money to spend on candy, 'cause they’re not giving it away.

 

So, then Charlie goes and is outside the candy factory, and it’s all locked up. It’s behind these gates. It’s towering, very industrial, shrouded in darkness, and there’s somebody else there, maybe even Charlie’s boss? I don't know, but…and they say, hey…they talk about the mythology of the factory. It got shut…Charlie’s looking at it. Got shut down. They say there’s mystery workers from another…that he brought in that live at the factory. Nobody works there anymore. Wonka’s some mysterious figure and it’s a place you never want to go. Do they even make candy any…? But they do, but it’s a place of mystery and intrigue with a side of underworld in there. Charlie says, oh boy, but Charlie’s clearly also…Charlie loves candy and he loves intrigue, because he’ll make the most of it.

 

Then we get a dose of Charlie’s home life, which is full of love and full of adults. Not full of a lot of other…not full of other kids. Also, I think it is that Wonka and Grandpa Joe…it’s like, who is gonna be your father figure kinda thing, which is a pretty thematically…a current that comes up thematically a lot in movies, especially animated movies. Could be, who’s gonna be your parent instead? But in Charlie’s case, it is. So, Charlie’s mom…so, we go to Charlie’s home. Charlie’s mom is running a laundry business from home, I believe, but maybe not. Maybe he goes to visit his mom at work. I can’t remember. But Charlie lives at a home…a one-room home, but maybe has a laundry business built in, not…a washing facility.

 

Charlie lives with his mom and both sets of his grandparents in a one-room thing, and all of his grandparents are bed-bound. Charlie loves them all very much and they love Charlie. So, he comes home and he kisses all of them and he helps his mom. Maybe they’re making cabbage soup or something, and they talk about it, and…oh, also, Charlie’s birthday is looming. I think at some point his mom sings a beautiful song. So, you get this forlorn sense — at least I did — of like, here’s this wonderful boy and he’s in this tough…he’s making the most of things, but he’s sharing a bedroom with his grandparents. I think all four…now that I’m picturing it, I think all four grandparents…at first I was picturing different beds.

 

I was picturing actually four different beds, but now I’m thinking all four of them are in one bed for added visual component. But I’m not positive about that. But yeah, so, these sequences I get out of whack. So, then they do a lot of exposition through television news, which also adds just…it’s just part of this era feel. I don't know how else to explain it, but…I don't know, artifice? Is it an artifice…? Whatever it is…or stylistically. So, it’s this…and it is a dry English humor. So, the news starts to introduce this first thing, which is this big contest, big news; this chocolate factory that’s been closed to the world for however long and kinda covered in rumor and intrigue is gonna be open to a certain number of children. How many children? Charlie, Mike, Augustus, Veruca, and Violet.

 

Five kids? Is there…was there a sixth or…? I think that’s it. So, there’s gonna be five or six golden tickets given away in Wonka Bars around the world. Now, this is the most popular company in the world, a global enterprise, and those five holders of the golden ticket will get to go to the factory and get a personal tour from Wonka. Maybe they even introduce the idea that one of them will become…take over, but I’m not exactly sure. I don't think so. Maybe they get a lifetime supply. But it was like, this was the biggest news of the day there, international news. I think they even switch between you’re watching the news with the grandparents and Charlie to then you’re immersed in the news and you see it globally.

 

But then it also slowly sets up the characters we’ll meet later in the show and it also sets up a couple other elements, and also sets up this tension for Charlie, which is like, one, it’s his birthday and this is his ordinary world. Two, there’s only, whatever, a one-in-a-million chance of you winning, so why get up your hope? But maybe I could win. Like, oh, look at all these other kids…'cause it is…it does…there is a class thing in there as we start to reveal the other kids that find bars. So, again, at some point his mom sings a song, and then at some point Charlie goes back to work and school, and then we slowly see this sequence playing out of other kids discovering the chocolate bars. It’s somewhat comedic. So, we meet…I don't know what the order is, but I’ll just go in the order.

 

So, there’s Augustus…and we meet their parents, too. So, there’s Augustus Gloop, and he’s definitely…and maybe they even symbolize some sort of things, but he’s definitely — it seems — wealthy, lives in Germany, I think, with his mom and maybe his other parents, and he seems to have plenty of resources. He doesn’t even…I don't think he even thinks it’s a big deal that he won. So, he’s just like, whatever. But…and his mom is very excited, though. So, we meet Augustus Gloop, then we meet Violet Beauregarde, and Violet Beauregarde’s dad runs a used car lot, and Violet is big into the Guinness Book of World’s Records, and so…and Violet has…is…I say, has a pretty grounded sense of confidence but is mostly interested in…yeah, this is great, but I’m also trying to break the Guinness Book of World Records for chewing gum.

 

So, Violet’s main thing is that she’s been chewing this one piece of gum for, whatever, ten years. I don't even know. Then we get the sense that her dad is really interested in promoting his car lot, and they seem to be American. I don't know, then…and so, the dad’s promoting the car lot, but also…yeah, I guess he maybe is a little disregarding to Violet. I was trying to think of like…but yeah, 'cause he’s like, okay, great, Violet…come on down…but a little bit more humor. Okay, who else do we got? I thought we said five. Is there five? Okay, so then each time someone’s revealed…okay, oh, yeah, there’s a couple other elements. So, each time someone’s revealed, there’s also another character kind of in the background who is whispering to the kids.

 

At some point, this character gets…there is…maybe it was when Charlie’s at the factory, but this is slowly alluded to that there’s another giant chocolatier who’s in competition with Willy Wonka and that this person is their…them or their representative. So, they’re always whispering to the kids. I don't know, even the expose…or the exposition at some point explains…makes it clear that they’re trying to buy the golden ticket so they can be a spy or they could spy on the chocolate factory. Okay, so, we meet…so, that’s another thing, then there’s…so, I guess there’s only five tickets, right? So, definitely we see also through Charlie’s eyes that each ticket, his chances get less. So, we see Charlie…but also see the contrast between the lifestyle of the other kids and Charlie’s.

 

So, it’s just like, man, they have all this…all these things…I mean, this isn’t what Charlie’s saying; this is really…you’re just able to fill it in for yourself, or projection, Scooter. I mean, Charlie has an internal life that I wish I had, but…but so, I was project…but so, it’s just, oh man. Okay, so, we got two winners. Next up was a character called Mike Teavee. So, we meet Mike and his mom, and Mike is a kid who’s obsessed with Westerns on television and he’s dressed up in Western gear, and I think that’s it. I don't know if this is some sort of morality play or something, but he’s only interested in that and kind of living that life…which, I guess I got caught up in music and stuff like that. Maybe not when I was older than that and thinking that…but yeah, he’s into Westerns on TV, watching TV.

 

He calls himself Mike Teavee, and his mom’s just trying to do her best, it seems like. She’s like, yeah, it’s great, but…and again, we see this other character. I can’t remember the character’s name…always talking to the parents and the kid in the background of these news broadcasts. Then we…so then, okay, we got three down. I’m not sure this is the order, but each time Charlie was…but some point Charlie…struggling…'cause he has to also bring home most of his money to support his family and he’s only able to keep a little bit for himself. So, at some point he scrapes together enough extra money to buy a chocolate bar and there’s no golden ticket in there. He’s down, so this is maybe leading towards his birthday as well. So, then there’s two more tickets left out there.

 

Now, I think the next ticket is Violet…no, no, Veruca Salt, who is actually a band in the nineties. Her dad is some sort of entrepreneur. He has all the resources. So, he’s focusing his resources on getting Violet a ticket, including just buying cases and cases of chocolate. Huh, I didn’t even realize; we kinda did something like this with…a little bit different. But anyway, with…it does…it’s kinda like dude, where’s my Pepsi, in some sense. But this is more focused on just getting his daughter what she wants. We get the idea that Veruca is…gets what she wants, is a little…portrayed, at least, as spoiled. So, the dad is trying to…he’s like, oh, anybody that…the first person that finds a golden ticket gets a huge bonus or whatever.

 

Then we see someone find the golden ticket and they rush it and they’re so happy — an employee — and they bring it up to him and his daughter. So, Violet gets a golden ticket. Then, I don't really remember the other person that wins, but there’s another winner. So, this happens, I think, at night at Charlie’s house, and…or, maybe it happens during the day and then it happens at night. I can’t believe all this happens before we get in there, which is cool for this episode, 'cause hey, we’ll just do two episodes about this. But so, there’s another winner. I don't really remember much about it other than someone wins but there’s not a lot of details or something, maybe, and then it turns out that it’s a fake ticket or something. It’s counterfeit.

 

The old…you can’t fake a Wonka, man. I mean, which would really be hard because there was only those other tickets out there. So, at first, Charlie’s like, oh, okay, well, this is my life, man. I just gotta make the most of it, and this is my birthday. I don't know. So, Charlie’s closest to his Grandpa Joe. So, then this…then when the news comes out that the ticket was a fake, they’re like, oh, there’s still hope, right? Maybe he even bought Charlie a chocolate bar or maybe he gives him money. I can’t remember. There’s still one more disappointment for Charlie, but I’m pretty sure that his grandpa was like, hey, listen, I have some money saved for your birthday, enough to buy a chocolate bar. Why don’t you go buy one of those chocolate bars tomorrow?

 

I’m pretty sure this is what happens, or Charlie saves…no, no, Charlie finds the money. Is this really what happens? So, yeah, maybe the grandpa has bought Charlie a chocolate bar and Charlie’s like, there’s no…let’s not bother. Yeah. So, it really sets up…in some sense, from my childhood memories of it, it sets up a lot of tension. Obviously it’s…I’m still talking about it, so…but Charlie opens the bar; no ticket. No hope. Oh, bummer. Maybe then they reveal that the last ticket was found and then the next day…say, what is this, like two weeks of film? Said, this is probably like, fifteen minutes of the movie. I don't know. But so, the next day, Charlie finds out the news that the ticket was a fake, and everybody’s up in arms buying tickets. There’s probably a line at the chocolate place.

 

Charlie just happens to see a coin in the gutter, and it takes some work to get the coin. Or, at least this is what I remember. Charlie sees something shining. I think the first few times I said, is that a golden ticket in the gutter? But no, it’s a coin and then Charlie takes the coin…and again, because it was found money, he doesn’t feel responsibility to take his earnings to his family. So, it’s found money. So, Charlie goes to the candy place and says, why not? Then it’s even…the suspense is even there, 'cause Charlie opens one side of the candy bar slowly, or then fast and says, no ticket. But then he opens the other half of the chocolate bar and the bar is there. Then the whole town erupts.

 

The candy man is kind of Charlie’s protector here, 'cause…or maybe somebody else is like, that’s a golden ticket, and they kinda pull it out of the hands or whatever. Everybody’s celebrating. The candy man says, thank goodness, Charlie. Then he says, this is too wild. Charlie, go home and tell your family. So, Charlie runs home. On the way home he meets this dude, whatever his name was, who says, hey, I want to buy your ticket or whatever. I could make your family rich, even if you just bring me something from the factory or something. Whatever, there’s some sort of deal…bargain being made. Says, wow, okay…and then they go…Charlie goes home. Again, we see him…can’t go without an adult.

 

Charlie’s mom’s in the middle of a big job, so she can’t take him — it’s the next day or something  — and Charlie’s grandparents are all bed-bound. Charlie says, man…so, I won and I can’t go without an adult. Then we have a sequence…and there may be a song where Grandpa Joe says, I’ll do it. But none of them have been out of bed — which is kind of the ongoing gimmick or gag or whatever — in, whatever, I don't know how many years. But Grandpa Joe gets out of bed and moves around and gets his body moving, and is like, okay, I’m able to maintain some motion here. It’s actually a good physical comedy sequence. Eventually he makes motions and they say, okay, we’re gonna go…or maybe it’s that day, 'cause he says, Charlie, get my hat and my coat or whatever. I said, dude, you gotta take a bath first, bro.

 

No way…you can’t go to a…definitely can’t go into a candy factory…but they don’t show that sequence, but it probably happened. Then the next day…again, we have the fanfare part. So, this is the biggest deal. The gates are gonna open. I think they’re all outside the gate. So, again, we see all the characters and you just get a subtle sense of classism or whatever, and also that the kids feel like it’s competition and no one’s friendly, but it seems like Charlie’s trying to be friendly, maybe, but this is just my…I don't really remember. They say, holy cow, Willy Wonka is gonna come out of this factory and let everybody in, and this is the biggest day we’ve had. Again, this is international news. There’s a red carpet that either gets rolled out in some fantastic way or is already out there.

 

Then we see Gene Wilder come out as Willy Wonka, and Gene Wilder kinda comes out and he does this roll…and more physical comedy. I think he’s got a cane and he doesn’t…so, there’s this big build-up, kinda like…I don't know, you’d think Charlie Chaplin-esque. I don't know what they were going for, but for a kid, it was funny. But it was also like, who is this guy? Then Gene Wilder just has this tension…I mean, he’s able to…I don't know if it’s path…I don't know what it is, if it’s called pathos, but he’s able to have…be these characters that are…you’re like, yeah, I prefer to hang out with you during the daytime. You say, you seem totally cool, but at the same time, I wouldn’t want to be around you when you’ve had a bad day.

 

I totally like you and you’re super charismatic, but at the same…yeah, not after 5:00…I don't need to see you after 5:00 PM. Or if you’re in a bad mood, don’t…let’s just not get together. Like, all in his face, where you say, oh boy…you say, that guy could run a chocolate factory that’s been…that’s shrouded in mystery. So, he goes in, he makes a big deal about it and says, hey…and then he lays out the rules, which I don’t remember, which is basically like, just do what I say. You’re about to enter this really cool place, but don’t mess around. They even go into this first anti-room. Maybe he rolls at first, but whatever. There’s big cheering or whatever. The kids and their…people all go in, they do the introductions. I think you get the sense that he doesn’t like kids, too, or those particular kids, 'cause maybe he doesn’t like gum.

 

I don't know. But you get…and that he’s jumpy. Then they go into the first anti-room, which this is where we’ll stop, and he has this gigantic contract. He says…I don't know if this is when you can lick the wallpaper, too, or if that’s later, but there’s…instead of scratch-and-sniff wallpaper, there’s lickable wallpaper. But he says, here’s this gigantic contract that you can’t even read…Subsection B, blah, blah, blah, A…it’s all for my protection. It’s a bit of parody but it’s also like, whoa, and some people are like, dude, you want us to sign this thing? I can’t even read all of it. I’m trying to think whose…maybe it’s Veruca’s dad at first? He’s like, what…he goes, I’ll have to have somebody look at this. He goes, no, no, either…yeah. He goes, I don't know about this.

 

‘Cause it’s like, yeah, free of whatever, it’s all up to you, don’t…and he says, well, I’d be more…and he goes, okay, you could not come in, then. You could either sign it and…or not sign it and not…miss your tour. You’re like, wow, this guy…but he still has charisma and there’s so much…and the kids are like, no, no, no, we’re going in here. So, there’s a little bit of disagreement but Wonka quashes it, and Charlie’s like, what do you think, Grandpa Joe? He goes, what do we got to lose, kid? Let’s do it. Then they get to enter…they get ready to enter the factory. So, they’re just in the reception area. So, yeah, I guess we’ll do another episode coming up soon of Wonka. Actually, let’s look up…let me just look up really quick…okay, yeah, it did come out…okay, so, I was right; late sixties, early seventies.

 

So, yeah, it came out before I was born. It came out in ‘71. Oh wow, there’s another version coming out this year; interesting…maybe. Oh, wait, this is the character. No, no, I want the ‘71 movie. Okay, yeah, musical fantasy film. Mel Stuart was the director, who I’m not familiar with. Based on…the novel was only seven years old at that point. Charlie Bucket played by Peter Ostrum. So, I don't want to get too deep into it 'cause it’s the end of the episode, but let me just see…Mel Stuart. Worked with David L. Wolper. Career…did some documentaries, yeah, and a bunch of other movies. Oh, did the TV series Ripley’s Believe It or Not. So, yeah, and then…Peter Ostrum…a veterinarian, American veterinarian and former actor. Cool, that’s cool. Age sixty-five. That’s really cool. So, an American, eh?

 

Let’s just see if it says where the setting is. It was filmed in Munich and David Seltzer did a uncredited rewrite. It was budgeted at $3 million. Positive reviews. Earned $4 million at the box office. It got an Academy Award Nomination for Best Original Score. Wilder was nominated Golden Globe for Best Actor, and Sammy Davis Jr. recorded The Candy Man; it became a popular hit. It remained in obscurity…yeah, here you go, until the eighties when it was…got a following on repeated television airings — yeah, there you go — and home video sales. So, yeah. Alright, well, that’s a little bit about it and we’ll get back into it soon. Goodnight, everybody.

 

[END OF RECORDING]

(Transcribed by Leah Hervoly)

Tale of the Tape

 

Willy Wonka

https://www.polygon.com/interviews/22555636/willy-wonka-chocolate-river-scene-oral-history

https://groovyhistory.com/willy-wonka-chocolate-factory-stories-facts

https://www.life.com/arts-entertainment/the-everlasting-magic-of-willy-wonka-the-chocolate-factory/

 

Wonka Reboot

https://www.vogue.com/article/timothee-chalamet-willy-wonka-modern-reboot-deja-vu

https://www.billboard.com/culture/tv-film/timothee-chalamet-wonka-director-no-audition-high-school-rap-videos-1235371073/

https://www.buzzfeed.com/bendzialdowski/wonka-trailer-reactions

 

TV Super Stations

http://www.famousdaily.com/history/tbs-tv-ted-turner-superstation.html

https://tedium.co/2015/05/07/ted-turner-tbs-superstation-history/

https://wgntv.com/news/wgn_75th_anniversary/chicagos-very-own-goes-national-the-rise-and-fall-of-the-superstation/

 

Willy Wonka Candy

https://www.brandlandusa.com/2005/12/12/how-wonka-became-real-2/

https://www.mashed.com/320305/the-truth-behind-nestles-real-willy-wonka-candy-company/

https://www.snackhistory.com/wonka-bar/

 

DOWN TO BUSINESS

Is Spree Fever still a thing?

 

Deep Dark Night United

Laura (Helix Sleep)

 

PLUGS

WGA, SAG Strike Support; Orlando Park Stop / Stop Hate Fundraiser; Patreon; SleepPhones; Emily Tat Artwork; NAPAWF; Anti-racism Resources; Ukraine Relief; Crisis Textline

 

SPONSORS

Odoo; Polysleep; Helix Sleep; Progressive

 

INTRO

I’ll be talking about candy in case you want to skip this one

Someone could be coming to visit

We’re oh so happy for those snoozing partners

I met two tangential partners at live shows recently

It was really cool

What about a Soothometer?

I stake my claim on Mount Soothometer

Wasn’t I talking about sweet tarts earlier?

I think this is what Ambivalent means

Aren’t there supposed to be soothing natural sounds here?

What about a guru?

It might take a couple listens to get used to this

Can you come over and hang up my old-fashioned phone?

Bore Best Friend (BBF)

Throw an extra F in there to strengthen our friendship

I’m learning more every day

It’s ok to just possibly check this podcast out

The intro will become part of your wind down / calm down routine

2 Part Tale of the Tape

I’ve got a lot of memory of this Willy Wonka movie, but none of it is comprehensible

Which Spree would be the best to have in bed?

Powdered Solidified Candy

It is both sweet and tart

In my childhood, they put a candy coating on the Sweet Tart and called it Spree

If I had 4 or 5 Sprees, I’d start to feel feverish

You all know I like to buy discount candy after holidays

Wait, did I get Spree hearts at Valentine’s Day?

They must have Holiday Spree

I suppose this candy chat is on brand for this ep

Whopper Dinosaur Eggs are a top buy for me

 

STORY

Maybe this’ll be a 2 parter episode

I can’t believe I’ve never done an episode like this before

I know I’ve also seen the Tim Burton version

Maybe we’ll do a Wonka Week

I don’t know that I’ve seen Charlie & The Chocolate Factory in my years of sobriety

I believe Christopher Lee is in it

There’s so many things to misremember about this movie

Thought Bubbles out of Order

I think this came out before I was born

Another WPIX hit

This was a classic super station

Cable TV was new then

I know Antenna TV is kind of coming back

Should I go on a tangent about my TV? Sure

It’s HD, not 4K

When I got sober, my priority was paying down my debt

After I paid off my debt, I wanted to get a new TV

I had a CRT 4:3 TV at the time

It was so freaking heavy

For only $50, what a deal

Then I bought this plasma TV, which I still have

It is in a room with a lot of light, though – it’s really great when there’s no light though

The New Digital Antenna is on the way

Back to the impact of WPIX

There wasn’t a lot of cable around when my family got it

This is pre-UPN and Fox TV

Just the big 3 and then independent channels

They were buying repeats of older stuff to fill the hours

NYC-based commercials

It felt like a world away

Then stations licensed stations and they became Super Stations

Niche Mainstream Content

I don’t know where else I would’ve seen Willy Wonka

I don’t have any tactile memories of watching it on tape

Maybe it was on HBO because I don’t remember any commercials

At some point I watched it

I think John August still hasn’t seen the original film

It did have elements of Oliver! as well

It had an out-of-time quality to it

Is this Europe? Is this Pittsburgh?

European in a cool way

100% suspension of disbelief

It definitely had a vibe

The Guy Who’s Stuck on an Island with a bunch of Other People

That show had a similar vibe

The antagonism is below the surface

You also experience it like a dream

An old English village that reminds me Old Town Prague

Charlie’s family is struggling

Charlie is so different from me as a kid

He wasn’t in his head at all

So he was a heroic figure to me

I guess these kids were tweens?

Opening in an Ordinary World

The Candy Man sequence

The chocolate factory sequence

Charlie’s home sequence

It probably opens with the Candy Man

The greatest candy shop you could ever imagine

I think Charlie was a newsie

Here, the Candy Man is a God-Like Character (GLC)

Candy is respected here

The candy store is a purely joyous place here

A very industrial, towering candy factory

An antagonist explains the factory and the mysterious Wonka

A place of mystery and intrigue with a side of Underworld

Charlie loves candy and intrigue

A dose of home life, full of love and adults

A battle to be Charlie’s father figure

Talking over cabbage soup

Charlie’s birthday is looming

I think all 4 grandparents sleep in the same bed

The factory will be open to a certain number of children

Was there a 6th kid?

This is a massive global company

The TV news sets up the other kid contestants

A comedic sequence of other kids getting golden tickets

August Gloop is first

He seems wealthy, lives in Germany, and has plenty of resources

He’s not that fazed by winning

Violet Beauregard – her father runs a used car lot; Violet likes world records

A very grounded sense of confidence

She’s been chewing the same piece of gum for 10 years

He wants people to come to his used car lot

Each time someone is revealed, there’s another lurking character who is whispering to the kids

Another Competitive Giant Chocolatier

They’re trying to spy on the factory

Contrast between the other kids and Charlie

Next is Mike Teevee

Obsessed with TV Westerns

He scrapes together enough money to get a bar, but there’s no golden ticket

2 more tickets

The next one is Veruca Salt

Her father is buying cases and cases of chocolate so she can win

I can’t believe this all happens before we get into the factory

There’s another winner, but there’s not a lot of details

Then it turns out it’s a fake ticket

You Can’t Fake a Wonka

Charlie is closest to his Grandpa Joe

Grandpa Joe gives him birthday money to buy a chocolate bar

Or does Charlie find the money?

Charlie opens the bar – no ticket, no winning

Next day they find out it’s a fake

He struggles to get a coin in the gutter

It’s found money, so he doesn’t feel responsible to get this to his parents

He finds a golden ticket and the town celebrates

Charlie runs home

He needs a parent chaperone

Grandpa Joe will be the chaperone

Grandpa Joe definitely has to take a bath before they go to the factory

The Next Day – Fanfare at the Factory Gates

A subtle sense of classism

A red carpet that gets rolled out

Gene Wilder emerges as Willy Wonka

The famous fake can fall roll

Charlie Chaplin-esque

Gene Wilder just has pathos

I’d prefer to hang out with him during the daytime only

Well, that guy could definitely run a chocolate factory shrouded in mystery

He lays out the rules (which I don’t remember)

Basically don’t mess around

Into the first anteroom

The gigantic contract

Lickable Wallpaper

Half-Parody, Half-Sincere Contract Signing

To be continued in another episode

So this came out in 1971

Mel Stewart directed this

What else did he do?

Oh, he did Ripley’s Believe It Or Not

Peter Ostrum is now a veterinarian – cool

Filmed in Munich, interesting

 

REVIEW THANKS (Apple)

Stars In Their Eyes (Australia); Just A Little Twinkle; Tink; LWL; GM; Trav

 

SUMMARY:

Episode: 1,186

Title: Willy Wonka Tale of the Tape Part 1

Deep Dark Night United: Laura (Helix Sleep)

Plugs: WGA, SAG Strike Support; Orlando Park Stop / Stop Hate Fundraiser; Patreon; SleepPhones; Emily Tat Artwork; NAPAWF; Anti-racism Resources; Ukraine Relief; Crisis Textline

Sponsors: Odoo; Polysleep; Helix Sleep; Progressive

Review Thanks: Stars In Their Eyes (Australia); Just A Little Twinkle; Tink; LWL; GM; Trav

Notable Language:

• Sweet Tart-Related Tangents (STRTs)
• Soothometer
• Ambivalent
• Bore Best Friend (BBF)
• Spree Fever
• Powdered Solidified Candy
• Wonka Week
• God-Like Character
• You Can’t Fake a Wonka
• Charlie Chaplin-esque

 

Notable Culture:

• Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory

• • Spree

• Battlestar Galactica

• • Spree candy
  • Sweet Tarts candy
  • Whoppers
  • Tim Burton
  • John August

• Scriptnotes

• • Christopher Lee
  • Steve Martin
  • WPIX
  • UPN
  • Godzilla
  • Action Park

• Oliver!

• Annie

• The Prisoner TV Show

• • “The Candy Man”
  • Guinness Book of World Records
  • Veruca Salt (band)

• Dude, Where’s My Pepsi?

• • Charlie Chaplin
  • Mel Stewart
  • Gene Wilder

• Ripley’s Believe It or Not

 

Notable Talking Points:

• I’ll be talking about candy in case you want to skip this one
• Someone could be coming to visit
• We’re oh so happy for those snoozing partners
• I met two tangential partners at live shows recently
• It was really cool
• What about a Soothometer?
• I stake my claim on Mount Soothometer
• Wasn’t I talking about sweet tarts earlier?
• I think this is what Ambivalent means
• Aren’t there supposed to be soothing natural sounds here?
• What about a guru?
• It might take a couple listens to get used to this
• Can you come over and hang up my old-fashioned phone?
• Bore Best Friend (BBF)
• Throw an extra F in there to strengthen our friendship
• I’m learning more every day
• It’s ok to just possibly check this podcast out
• The intro will become part of your wind down / calm down routine
• 2 Part Tale of the Tape
• I’ve got a lot of memory of this Willy Wonka movie, but none of it is comprehensible
• Which Spree would be the best to have in bed?
• Powdered Solidified Candy
• It is both sweet and tart
• In my childhood, they put a candy coating on the Sweet Tart and called it Spree
• If I had 4 or 5 Sprees, I’d start to feel feverish
• You all know I like to buy discount candy after holidays
• Wait, did I get Spree hearts at Valentine’s Day?
• They must have Holiday Spree
• I suppose this candy chat is on brand for this ep
• Whopper Dinosaur Eggs are a top buy for me
• Maybe this’ll be a 2 parter episode
• I can’t believe I’ve never done an episode like this before
• I know I’ve also seen the Tim Burton version
• Maybe we’ll do a Wonka Week
• I don’t know that I’ve seen Charlie & The Chocolate Factory in my years of sobriety
• I believe Christopher Lee is in it
• There’s so many things to misremember about this movie
• Thought Bubbles out of Order
• I think this came out before I was born
• Another WPIX hit
• This was a classic super station
• Cable TV was new then
• I know Antenna TV is kind of coming back
• Should I go on a tangent about my TV? Sure
• It’s HD, not 4K
• When I got sober, my priority was paying down my debt
• After I paid off my debt, I wanted to get a new TV
• I had a CRT 4:3 TV at the time
• It was so freaking heavy
• For only $50, what a deal
• Then I bought this plasma TV, which I still have
• It is in a room with a lot of light, though – it’s really great when there’s no light though
• The New Digital Antenna is on the way
• Back to the impact of WPIX
• There wasn’t a lot of cable around when my family got it
• This is pre-UPN and Fox TV
• Just the big 3 and then independent channels
• They were buying repeats of older stuff to fill the hours
• NYC-based commercials
• It felt like a world away
• Then stations licensed stations and they became Super Stations
• Niche Mainstream Content
• I don’t know where else I would’ve seen Willy Wonka
• I don’t have any tactile memories of watching it on tape
• Maybe it was on HBO because I don’t remember any commercials
• At some point I watched it
• I think John August still hasn’t seen the original film
• It did have elements of Oliver! as well
• It had an out-of-time quality to it
• Is this Europe? Is this Pittsburgh?
• European in a cool way
• 100% suspension of disbelief
• It definitely had a vibe
• The Guy Who’s Stuck on an Island with a bunch of Other People
• That show had a similar vibe
• The antagonism is below the surface
• You also experience it like a dream
• An old English village that reminds me Old Town Prague
• Charlie’s family is struggling
• Charlie is so different from me as a kid
• He wasn’t in his head at all
• So he was a heroic figure to me
• I guess these kids were tweens?
• Opening in an Ordinary World
• The Candy Man sequence
• The chocolate factory sequence
• Charlie’s home sequence
• It probably opens with the Candy Man
• The greatest candy shop you could ever imagine
• I think Charlie was a newsie
• Here, the Candy Man is a God-Like Character (GLC)
• Candy is respected here
• The candy store is a purely joyous place here
• A very industrial, towering candy factory
• An antagonist explains the factory and the mysterious Wonka
• A place of mystery and intrigue with a side of Underworld
• Charlie loves candy and intrigue
• A dose of home life, full of love and adults
• A battle to be Charlie’s father figure
• Talking over cabbage soup
• Charlie’s birthday is looming
• I think all 4 grandparents sleep in the same bed
• The factory will be open to a certain number of children
• Was there a 6th kid?
• This is a massive global company
• The TV news sets up the other kid contestants
• A comedic sequence of other kids getting golden tickets
• August Gloop is first
• He seems wealthy, lives in Germany, and has plenty of resources
• He’s not that fazed by winning
• Violet Beauregard – her father runs a used car lot; Violet likes world records
• A very grounded sense of confidence
• She’s been chewing the same piece of gum for 10 years
• He wants people to come to his used car lot
• Each time someone is revealed, there’s another lurking character who is whispering to the kids
• Another Competitive Giant Chocolatier
• They’re trying to spy on the factory
• Contrast between the other kids and Charlie
• Next is Mike Teevee
• Obsessed with TV Westerns
• He scrapes together enough money to get a bar, but there’s no golden ticket
• 2 more tickets
• The next one is Veruca Salt
• Her father is buying cases and cases of chocolate so she can win
• I can’t believe this all happens before we get into the factory
• There’s another winner, but there’s not a lot of details
• Then it turns out it’s a fake ticket
• You Can’t Fake a Wonka
• Charlie is closest to his Grandpa Joe
• Grandpa Joe gives him birthday money to buy a chocolate bar
• Or does Charlie find the money?
• Charlie opens the bar – no ticket, no winning
• Next day they find out it’s a fake
• He struggles to get a coin in the gutter
• It’s found money, so he doesn’t feel responsible to get this to his parents
• He finds a golden ticket and the town celebrates
• Charlie runs home
• He needs a parent chaperone
• Grandpa Joe will be the chaperone
• Grandpa Joe definitely has to take a bath before they go to the factory
• The Next Day – Fanfare at the Factory Gates
• A subtle sense of classism
• A red carpet that gets rolled out
• Gene Wilder emerges as Willy Wonka
• The famous fake can fall roll
• Charlie Chaplin-esque
• Gene Wilder just has pathos
• I’d prefer to hang out with him during the daytime only
• Well, that guy could definitely run a chocolate factory shrouded in mystery
• He lays out the rules (which I don’t remember)
• Basically don’t mess around
• Into the first anteroom
• The gigantic contract
• Lickable Wallpaper
• Half-Parody, Half-Sincere Contract Signing
• To be continued in another episode
• So this came out in 1971
• Mel Stewart directed this
• What else did he do?
• Oh, he did Ripley’s Believe It Or Not
• Peter Ostrum is now a veterinarian – cool
• Filmed in Munich, interesting