Ol' Dirty Basement: True Crime and Vintage Movie Reviews
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Ol' Dirty Basement: True Crime and Vintage Movie Reviews
V.C.R. Presents: E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982)
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Do you remember the first time you watched "E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial"? For us, it was a magical journey that left an indelible mark on our childhoods and continues to influence us today. Join us as we relive the heartwarming and emotional moments of this 1982 classic, celebrating Steven Spielberg's brilliance and exploring the powerful performances of Henry Thomas, Drew Barrymore, and Dee Wallace. Our conversation is rich with personal anecdotes, reflections on the film's box office triumph, and its enduring cultural impact, drawing comparisons to other Spielberg masterpieces like "Poltergeist."
What do "Stranger Things" and "E.T." have in common? Dive into our spirited discussion about the film's authentic portrayal of kids' interactions, reminiscent of the era's charm with board games and pizza delivery. We dissect the film's thrilling opening scenes and the deeper connections between Elliott and E.T., touching on Neil Diamond's song "Heartlight" and its mysterious ties to the movie. You'll also hear us laugh about childhood antics inspired by E.T. and share our evolving perceptions of the film from our youth to adulthood, including the emotional resonance of their bond and the heartache of their separation.
Ever wondered about the behind-the-scenes secrets of "E.T."? We uncover fascinating details about Spielberg's creative choices, including his resistance to sequels and the iconic Reese's Pieces product placement. Reflecting on nostalgic memories, we reminisce about the various formats we watched the film on, from worn-out VHS tapes to pristine 20th anniversary DVDs. The episode wouldn't be complete without a nostalgic ride through the ET Adventure at Universal Studios and a preview of our next review: the 1980s football-themed film "Johnny B. Good." Join us for this heartfelt and nostalgic exploration of one of the most beloved movies of the 80s.
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Thanks for tuning in to the Vintage Cinema Review On this week's episode. We're covering from 1982,.
Speaker 2:ET, ah, et, the extraterrestrial. A heartwarming story about a young boy and his friendship with an alien with a funky neck.
Speaker 3:Yeah, this may be one to contact somebody in a phone home.
Speaker 1:Yeah, this is one of my favorite from the 80s and we hope we're one of your favorites. If we are, leave us that five-star rating on Spotify and we hope we're one of your favorites. If we are, leave us that five-star rating on Spotify. On Apple, you can leave us a written review and sit back, relax and enjoy. From 1982 ET. Hey, this is Dave.
Speaker 3:Matt and Zap, and welcome to the Vintage Cinema Review when every week, we review some of our favorite films from the past. Hey, there ain't no late fees here Silence is golden and be kind Rewind. Oh wow, I see a classic there, just by the VHS cassette tape there. You're damn right, it's a classic.
Speaker 1:That's right, ET. So this one's off the list on Facebook.
Speaker 3:Can it get any better?
Speaker 2:I don't know Than ET. I don't know of any kid or anybody our age who hasn't seen this movie.
Speaker 3:Okay, you said it exactly Anybody our age. I think if you look at this movie there might be some listeners. That would be like what, what's?
Speaker 1:et maybe, no, maybe a small number.
Speaker 3:I bet like two that are listening people that are listening to vintage cinema review, but a lot, of, a lot of kids these days probably don't know who et is. Well then they have shit parents.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that's true, they have absolutely terrible parents. I mean this stuff.
Speaker 3:This stuff would come like get little, like action figures, and this is my like mcdonald's this is my second earliest memory of a movie theater. I think this is probably my first or second.
Speaker 2:Yeah, this is up there with that too. For me it's this one, or Superman 2, possibly Superman 3.
Speaker 3:I forget the years.
Speaker 2:I forget which one I saw in the theater first, but it was yeah.
Speaker 3:Return of the Jedi and then ET, I believe. My first memory of a movie was actually quite traumatic was fantasia. Oh, no fantasia oh, that's like a trip, trip and a half, and I hated it were you doing shrooms at the time.
Speaker 1:I was crying. I wanted out of the theater. I remember that like hating that movie when I was I don't know how I was. It was before this and I wanted out fantasia, fantasia come out like 1962 well, it must have been re-released at a theater, or I don't know.
Speaker 2:I mean, they still do that to these days though. Yeah, they'll put old movies or hell. I'm coming up soon, actually no, tonight. Oh, as chance would have it tonight at the regal cinema. Uh, also, the amc in camp hill rear window is playing rear window. We did the original, that's right, alfred hitchcock classic with jimmy stewart.
Speaker 3:That's right. Yeah, that was a good movie so et 1982.
Speaker 1:This came out. Release date was may 26 1982 at the cans film festival that's in france right I believe. Sure, uh runtime on this one 55 minutes and it was rated PG. This was directed by Steven Spielberg, written by Melissa Matheson and produced by Kathleen Kennedy and Steven Spielberg. Budget on this $10.5 million Box office $792.9 million, god and million Box office 792.9 million God and counting.
Speaker 2:Damn Dude. Just some quick math on that. That's basically a 7,500% return on your investment. That is nuts. That's insane money.
Speaker 1:That's got to be one of the biggest ones that we've seen.
Speaker 3:Oh my God yeah, that's why I think that is the biggest. That's why Spielberg has a, he has a compound.
Speaker 1:At the time With ET money. At the time, this knocked a movie off from the top earner. Do you know what it was? Jaws, good guess Star Wars.
Speaker 2:Oh shit, okay, Okay, oh shit.
Speaker 1:Okay. But yeah, Jaws was another Spielberg movie, so filming dates on this September 8th of 81 through December of 81. And then January and February of 82, they did a little touch-up work, I guess, maybe. And this was filmed entirely in California. So that's it All I got for that fun stuff. I'll turn it over to Zap for the cast.
Speaker 2:You can tell on that filming in California. Oh, absolutely zap for the cast. You can tell on that filming in california. Oh, absolutely, having been there in my youth and even you know since then, that's, that's how houses look, that's. I mean, they're built in the side of a mountain, there's no grass, but everybody's got a pool.
Speaker 3:Yeah it's a really nice houses like shit yeah those houses are million dollar homes right now.
Speaker 1:Yeah yeah, today. No, I don't know for sure on the fun facts that this came up and and I don't know if this is. I don't know if either of you know this Is that the same filming location as Poltergeist? It looks like it, doesn't it.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I was thinking that I don't know if it is, but it sure as hell looks like it. It's the same neighborhood, pretty much.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I mean, it looks very much like it.
Speaker 2:So the cast of ET, the extraterrestrial, includes, but is not limited to, henry Thomas as Elliot Taylor. Robert McNaughton as Michael Taylor, elliot's older brother. Drew Barrymore as Gertie Taylor, elliot's younger sister. Dee Wallace as Mary Taylor, elliot's Michael's and Gertie's mom. Peter Coyote as Keys, that's the lead government agent.
Speaker 3:KC Martel as Greg I was going to say KC Martel and the Sunshine Band. Nope just no, no.
Speaker 2:C Thomas Howell as Tyler, sean Fry as Steve Tamara Detrow, pat Byland and Matthew Dermott as ET, sean fry as steve tamara detrow, pat bylan and matthew dermot as et and pat welsh, caden green and steven spielberg as the boys of et. There were three ets shit. Yeah, there were actually six ets. Oh my, oh, three of three of them did the body work. Three of them did the voice. Oh, three of them did the body work.
Speaker 3:Three of them did the voice. They needed three people for that.
Speaker 2:There's a big role man, there's some fun facts behind that. There's definitely some fun facts. Oh, it's going to be a fun fact laden fun fact time when we get the fun fact land in this fun movie.
Speaker 3:Yeah, but ET had like what? Four speaking parts, maybe or no. Look it took a village. Matt.
Speaker 1:It did.
Speaker 3:I guess we'll turn it over to Matt for a brief synopsis. Oh, et, yeah. If you don't know about this movie, now you know. After a gentle alien becomes stranded on Earth, the being is discovered and befriended by a young boy named Elliot Henry Thomas. Bringing the extraterrestrial into his suburban California house, elliot introduces ET, as the alien is dubbed, to his brother and little sister, gertie. Drew Barrymore and the children decide to keep its existence a secret. Soon, however, et falls ill, resulting in government intervention and a dire situation for both Elliot and the alien. That's pretty much the movie.
Speaker 1:There it is there, it is.
Speaker 2:All right, guys. I hope you all enjoyed this there it is there.
Speaker 1:It is All right, guys. I hope you all enjoyed this, so I guess it's time to steer through the movie a bit here, zapp.
Speaker 2:Yeah, let's do that Now. So I got no problem telling you in advance that I love this movie Absolutely, am just captivated by this movie. So there may be a little bit of detail in it, but we're going to enjoy the shot of it together. Awesome, all right. Well, our story begins in a lush forest on the outskirts of a suburban neighborhood. Under a starlit sky, a group of botanist aliens, all with glowing hearts and a unique appearance, has landed their spaceship to collect various plant samples from Earth. Their serene mission is cut short by the arrival of human government agents armed with flashlights and determination. The aliens, aware of the potential threat, quickly retreat to their ship and depart. Amidst the frenzied escape, one small alien is left behind. This alien, later, named et, finds himself alone and stranded on Earth, hidden among the tall trees.
Speaker 1:I like those Broncos and Blazers Shit yeah, absolutely First things I was reminded of too, man Classic.
Speaker 2:Those are great, great vehicles.
Speaker 3:Outstanding vehicles. So do we ever find out ET's real name?
Speaker 2:I think in sequels or books written thereafter they backfilled it. Okay, he had a name, they named his planet, they named all kind of shit, but nobody cares about that stuff. I don't know, I think it's better left to the imagination. Yeah, just he's ET man.
Speaker 3:And there was no movies made after that, no sequels no actual movies, correct, it was like video games and stuff.
Speaker 1:Right, this movie starts like a lot of ones do in the 80s, and maybe they still do. I don't really notice as much do you guys like when they have the credits in the beginning? Absolutely do you. How about you, man? What do you feel about? Do you like to go right into the movie or do you like when they have the act?
Speaker 3:actors across the screen and I kind of agree with zap. I like the old school vibe to where, like it would take five minutes of them putting the names on and just like a little like song and like just like showing where it's taking place before the actual movie gets into the movie. Yep.
Speaker 1:Now, I haven't noticed that they do. I don't do that as much anymore.
Speaker 3:That really goes right into like Paramount Pictures Boom and then like somebody's getting shot or run over Right. It goes right into the movie.
Speaker 2:There's a lot to be included in that, though, or a lot to be considered, so there are so many thanks to the Actors Guild unions, et cetera, the actors guild unions, etc. Etc. Anybody who's anybody who touches anything associated with the movie has to be included on the in the credits, right? So, in turn, the movie studios have said all right up yours, if we're forcing us to include all of this shit including, like, the caterers and the janitor and the late grip, the lady that went to the post office to mail something Right, Fine, we're going to keep all this shit and we're going to put it all at the end, because nobody sticks around for that shit anyway. And there you go.
Speaker 1:Yeah, but there's a cred. The beginning of this movie definitely set the tone. I mean, even watching it now, at 48 years old, I was like, yes, we're in it, you know it's interesting, takes you right into the action, yeah, and the way they filmed this from, uh, from the ground, I guess, was supposed to give you that perspective.
Speaker 3:Yeah, et's like point of view without or being a child or being a child right.
Speaker 1:So I probably fell right in line with, uh, what I was feeling as kid.
Speaker 2:Sure, Then that makes sense. That makes complete sense. Solo, in fact, that you don't see any of the chasers, any of the pursuers, the government dudes. You don't see any of their heads. No, just jeans, just jeans and keys and flashlights.
Speaker 3:He's hanging from that dude's jeans, keys and flashlights. And determination, and determination.
Speaker 2:All right. In the nearby suburban neighborhood we're introduced to young boy named elliot, who lives with his recently divorced mother, his older brother, michael, and younger sister, gertie. Elliot is a somewhat lonely kid yearning for a sense of belonging following his parents separation. One night, while trying to join michael and friends' late-night game of Dungeons Dragons, elliot hears strange noises outside. Armed with a flashlight, he ventures into the backyard and follows mysterious footprints leading to the toolshed there. Amidst the shadows, elliot comes face-to-face with ET. Though initially frightened, elliot soon realizes that ET means no harm and a sense of mutual curiosity develops between them. The trail of Reese's Pieces is strategically placed and ET takes the bait.
Speaker 1:Yeah, there we go again with the Dungeons and Dragons. We talked about this actually last week, is that?
Speaker 3:right.
Speaker 1:Well, I asked you, guys if that reminded you of Stranger Things. Oh for sure, and I can totally see that they probably got a lot of ideas from Stranger Things, from this movie. Absolutely, when I watch Stranger Things, I just think about like, oh, they're just it's a note to the 80s, but I think it's a lot to do with this movie. I mean, they definitely took a lot of parts of that. And was that Dungeons and Dragons in the beginning, correct?
Speaker 2:100%. So we I at least I played the hell out of that when I was a kid. I mean, it's the same thing. You're sitting around a kitchen table or some kind of game table and you're just playing a game and somebody orders a pizza, or somebody's parent is thoughtful enough to have pizza brought, or like it's just great. Or you're eating whatever you're eating, it's just a good on time and like yeah, that was my, that was a great or a significant part of my childhood part of my childhood.
Speaker 3:See, I don't, I don't remember as much as like sitting upstairs.
Speaker 1:There's always like a downstairs thing.
Speaker 3:Yeah, in the basement, in the basement for some reason I think, yeah, because yeah, the the paneling basements, uh, but um, I remember that was a thing like playing board games, before, you know, nintendo became popular and you know, like risk was also was always fun.
Speaker 3:Uh sorry, monopoly, which you like always like had side deals and everything but like like that was saying, with playing dnd and sitting there watching this. It's something that does take you back at your age now to childhood. But uh, kids growing up today like I don't think they might not understand maybe not the whole concept behind that?
Speaker 2:they might not did either of you guys notice that one of the kids was smoking no I did not notice that. Yeah, there was a kid smoking, I think it was a little zap, yeah hanging out. I'm serious. I think it was tyler the character, tyler c thomas, howe correct, I'm pretty sure I mean you can see smoke and look.
Speaker 1:I swear I saw a cigarette in an ashtray a couple notes I wrote down here the aesthetic of the room uh, the stained glass lamp. I remember seeing a lot of those in the 80s. Like I knew people that had those hanging down over the table and then the pizza delivery. Like I don't feel like that's anything. That's something that people do as much anymore. Now we have uber and all that, but like back in the 80s it was like a huge thing to have you order a pizza and they deliver to your house.
Speaker 3:Yeah, you know, 30 minutes or less right dominoes yeah whatever, but that was like a big deal.
Speaker 1:On a friday night, or really any weekend or any night, you order a pizza if your friends are hanging out hell, yeah, that kitchen table reminded me a great deal of sitting at a mcdonald's in the 80s.
Speaker 2:The way that that, that kitchen corner, that, yeah, that corner kitchen table, that booth aspect was set up. I don't know, just was a nostalgic, you know.
Speaker 1:Look back to mcdonald's I like the dialogue too, between the kids.
Speaker 3:One's calling one a douchebag, the other one's penis breath that's right and uh, the mom's just kind of like yeah stop that like so much stuff you would get away with back then I don't remember that growing up, though, like I don't remember calling like your friend, penis breath or anything.
Speaker 1:I never used that one you know yeah douchebag, though, for sure douche, yeah, you douchebag I mean it's.
Speaker 2:Elliot was a little kid, he's. You're making up words as you go along, you're, you're, you're trying to throw out, like your nastiest word, along with some part of their body. You know, like I don't know yeah, what movie was that?
Speaker 1:somebody called stupid face. Yeah, somebody called somebody a waterhead like the outsiders, hey waterhead.
Speaker 2:I was like what does that even?
Speaker 3:mean, you know, I'll find out for them hanging around just like, yeah, you know, teasing each other. And how much older was his brother?
Speaker 1:like 2-3 years my guess was he was like 16, no well, he was driving. At one point he was learning to drive.
Speaker 2:So 15, 14 or 15, yeah, 15 maybe going on his permit or whatever, and elliot was what?
Speaker 1:12, 11 I think he was supposed to be what 11? No, maybe that's what was it 10.
Speaker 3:No, he was older than that fourth grade, fifth, I thought it was?
Speaker 1:is it fifth grade?
Speaker 3:they were dissected which will jump ahead.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah that sounds about 11 years old to me fifth grade.
Speaker 3:I believe you seem younger to me.
Speaker 1:I don't know, but who? Yeah, I don't know. I don't know that. I heard the number in the in the movie but henry thomas was a genius in this movie.
Speaker 3:He was great man he was, he was really good he did a great job, absolutely a great job.
Speaker 2:All right together, elliott and et form a bond, and elliott is soon mesmerized by ET's innocence, as well as his abilities such as levitation, healing and his glowing heart, which signifies his emotions. Hoping to keep him out of harm's way, elliot hides ET in his bedroom closet, camouflaging him amongst the clothes and stuffed animals. Bedroom closet, camouflaging him amongst the clothes and stuffed animals. He introduces ET to Michael and Gertie, who are soon convinced of ET's benevolent nature. The three agree to keep ET a secret, which inevitably leads to several entertaining and touching moments as the movie progresses, including ET's empathetic and telekinetic connection with Elliot. Nothing lasts forever, though. E, though et will have to depart earth at some point, and the only way to contact his alien friends is to phone home. Meanwhile, et's health begins to subtly decline, depicted by a nearby chrysanthemum wilting in tandem. Elliot, too, begins to feel unwell.
Speaker 2:They're like linked yeah, in some way so there's so many good parts in this right, like the gertie teaches et the alphabet how to talk et gets the damn.
Speaker 3:Uh gets drunk yeah, he get drunk at this point, yeah yeah, so that's what he gets drunk.
Speaker 2:And then elliot, because of this, uh, the empathetic connection these two have. Elliot gets drunk at school, not touching a drop right uh it kisses the girl, like all kinds of good stuff. Man, it's hilarity. What was he drinking cores?
Speaker 1:banquet.
Speaker 1:Yep, that's what it looked like two things that stood out to me as memories from this movie, even from as a kid, are the flower wielding, and I always remember that, and then et hiding in the with with all the other, uh, stuffed animals. Yeah, um, you know, I always remember that as a kid it's like looking. I haven't watched this movie in years, so watching it like those are the ones that kind of stood out to me and I remember from this little, this little part of the movie I mean this one has got to pull the biggest page out of mel brooks's book.
Speaker 2:The merchandising on et had to make ridiculous money.
Speaker 3:I know, dude, every other kid I knew had an et doll or an et something little plastic uh, the plastic they look like smurfs, but they were like a bunch of ets from different parts of the movie.
Speaker 1:The full-size plush I mean you name it. Was there a mcdonald's et tie-in, I'm sure?
Speaker 2:I think they had mcdonald's et glasses is that tie-in?
Speaker 1:I'm sure I think they had McDonald's ET glasses.
Speaker 2:Is that what it was?
Speaker 3:I'm pretty sure they did. It was the glasses. Yes, do you guys remember? I think I said it before. You said that had nothing to do with ET. The Heartlight song by Neil Diamond Turn on your heartlight.
Speaker 3:Yes, that was a it for this movie yes, neil diamond wrote turn on your heart light for this movie, but in casey casem would be like you know we have. However, he used to talk, but I remember going to church and always hearing to be like one of the top five all the time for like three months why do you keep mentioning church? You're saying on your way to church yes, all right, because that's when I the only time I would listen to casey casey, like on sunday or whatever yeah, it was like on a sunday, remember they had, like uh casey had his whatever countdown of the hits.
Speaker 3:Okay, remember that I'm hearing it.
Speaker 2:Not maybe one of my my cans is busted, but I keep hearing it as though, like you're hearing this in church.
Speaker 3:No, no on my way to church, like driving there, they used to have like, okay, it would always be like 11 o'clock mass, so it'd be like the end of like Casey's, like morning whatever. Countdown Dang you guys went late.
Speaker 1:Yeah yeah, we went to the 11th. What was that thing? He had long distance dedication.
Speaker 3:Long distance.
Speaker 2:Yeah, Like my brother, Joey has no legs but he's trying to walk to church on Sunday, but that song isn't anywhere remotely closely related to this movie.
Speaker 3:It is for this movie, dude, I'm telling you.
Speaker 2:It's not in the movie, it's not on the soundtrack.
Speaker 3:No it's not in the movie, on the soundtrack, no, but it was made for this movie. And then they turned it away.
Speaker 2:Wait, it was inspired by the movie. I think, he wrote it for the movie and they said fuck you, we don't want that stupid-ass song.
Speaker 3:Not in the movie but it was wrote for the movie to get people excited to go see the movie movie.
Speaker 1:Wow, like promotional or something yeah, like a promotion. Yes, it's the first I've ever heard that, yeah, I don't even know the song you don't even know. Yeah, I don't even know.
Speaker 3:But I you know the song man I know the song.
Speaker 2:It just sounds a stretch that it was written for et, but then spielberg, or whomever's associated with et, said thanks but no thanks okay, some of the lyrics are I just made a friend.
Speaker 3:A friend is someone you but now that he had to go away, I still feel the words that he might say Turn on your heart light, let it shine wherever you go. Let it make a happy glow for all the world to see. Yeah, turn on your heart light in the middle of a young boy's dream. Don't wake me up too soon. Let's take a ride across the moon, you and me, I mean that's all right if that is not et, that's the story of et, that is pretty.
Speaker 3:Yeah, he wrote the whole story. Maybe, maybe it was his idea, maybe spielberg stole, it stole from the neil diamond, I don't know. You know what we need. We need to look into this that's.
Speaker 2:That is news to me. I would have never in a million years made that connection, specifically because that song is featured nowhere remotely close to this movie. Huh, I wonder if neil diamond wrote it. And again they said if they said you know what, neil, uh too late, good try yeah good, tell you what, since we have already made this movie successful, why don't you just ride on our coattails and release that song for yourself?
Speaker 1:yeah, maybe I gotta hear the song I might have heard.
Speaker 3:You really never heard that dude, I gotta hear it.
Speaker 2:Maybe I'll recognize you've heard it yeah, I promise you, you've heard it I'm sure it's been on casey casem, like you said yeah, that's where I always remember it from, remember from that movie et special, I don't know
Speaker 2:so what, uh? Did anyone notice how elliot started referring to himself as we? Oh yeah, like he started getting so obsessed with et or whatever, or whatever. I guess Michael started giving him shit like dude. He looks sick man, I think he's. I think something's wrong with him. Uh, and Elliot's like we're fine, we, we, we're fine, like the connection there?
Speaker 1:Yeah, I don't think. As a little kid I picked up on little clues that they were connected. For sure. I don't know. I don't even know, like as a kid, being that young, when I saw that I would have known he was getting drunk and that's why he's acting weird in class.
Speaker 3:You know, I don't think I would have connected that, maybe though no, I was just looking up this heartlight stuff because because, yeah, I find that interesting. Now we lost matt for a moment yes, you did. I'm back though welcome back.
Speaker 2:T spends more time with Elliot and his family. The government agents seen at the beginning of the movie, led by a mysterious man known only as Keys, intensify their search for the extraterrestrial visitor. Their presence becomes an increasing threat to ET's safety as they methodically search the neighborhood. Despite the looming danger, the bond between Elliot and Eiot and et continues to deepen, with elliot becoming fiercely protective of his friend. The government's search remains intense, however, and it becomes evident that et's time with elliot and his family will have to end one way or another. So these guys were creeps man, they're just rolling a neighborhood with a van and incredible white van listening equipment, listening to everybody's.
Speaker 2:I mean, that's some deep state shit yeah, that was that.
Speaker 1:Uh, it was like a black fbi van or what. I don't even know who this agency is. Are they fbi, are they nasa? Are they like?
Speaker 3:they never really said it's something. Yeah, I guess it's something like uh, you know, area 51 type. Yeah, it's the secret stuff, the, the stuff where the. Yeah, I guess it's something like Area 51 type.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it's the secret stuff, the stuff where the money just goes but it's never on the books.
Speaker 1:Pretty impressive tech for 1982. Hell yeah, Back then, probably watching that, I was like man, I can't believe they can listen in on your conversation. Now they just do it with your phone or your Alexa.
Speaker 2:Yeah, everything's bugged anymore, right Everything. But yeah, I thought that was a. Or you know true, yeah, or your alexa everything's.
Speaker 1:yeah, everything's bugged anymore, right everything but uh, yeah, I thought that was a cool scene. No, yeah it was, and they were just what, talking about their dad or something like that, in the garage and when they were like cleaning up.
Speaker 2:Yeah, because so when they're cleaning up their hang around the table and elliot comes across their dad's old shirt some shirt that he would wear for this, that the other, maybe when he would work out in the garage, that was his, you know, outdoor working shirt shit, I've got a closet full of so many old t's and pullovers and whatever that I oh, this is just. I'm gonna turn this into a you know work clothes or something like that, or you know bum clothes or whatever. Dude, I should just throw them all away like boxes upon boxes upon boxes, this shit.
Speaker 3:Yeah, but dad had like a good job. That's why he was always like traveling correct what it was.
Speaker 2:Yeah, he hates mexico, but but yeah yeah, that's right.
Speaker 3:I forgot about that, but that's yeah, dad, dad's like always traveling for work so he can never be home, but that's, that's how they got that nice house there in cali. Yeah, that's true, that's absolutely true. I didn't see mom like working too hard.
Speaker 2:I don't know. I can promise you that mary taylor did spend. She did not buy that house.
Speaker 3:That's what I'm saying. It's like they were so mad at dad, but dad's like look, I'm just trying to get you guys a nice house.
Speaker 1:Mom was driving a nice Audi, though, yeah.
Speaker 3:That's what I'm saying.
Speaker 1:They had an Atari. I saw that. Yeah, I mean, that was a nice looking place.
Speaker 2:Dude, those kids had great rooms.
Speaker 3:Each kid number had their own bedroom.
Speaker 1:Like that's magically fantastic, like a four-bedroom home in the 80s with a pool. What was up with the cornfields? Uh, back, it was development but is there cornfields in california? Thank god, there's corn everywhere. Corn is everywhere. It's like prostitution yeah true, everybody loves corn we found that out, we did we did all right.
Speaker 2:As time passes, ET's health continues to deteriorate and the decline is mirrored in Elliot. It's clear that the deep empathetic bond they share manifests itself with tangible detrimental effects to both of them. Using a homemade communication device constructed from a mixture of household items, ET sends a message to his fellow aliens to come rescue him. The next day, Elliot awakens alone in the field and returns home. Michael is sent to find ET and discovers him dying. Not far from the previous night's endeavors, Michael returns home with ET, only to that elliot is now also gravely ill. As if the situation wasn't already tense enough, while in the midst of the chaos and uncertainty, keys and a group of government agents invade the house.
Speaker 1:Yeah, busting through windows and all that, some SWAT team shit, and that was a scene, uh, when they first went out et they took him out to, uh, you know, try to contact his people. That's where we see him fly in the butt. You know, take the bike that's right, and all that stuff did either. You guys have a basket on your bike at any point because of this no I wouldn't say I had one because of the movie.
Speaker 2:I had a basket for one day and then it looked terribly awful and like paper boy yeah, and it was not cool at all. No, so I got rid of that basket the same day.
Speaker 1:I got that basket because I didn't really see that as a trend in the 80s. You would think because of this movie maybe. Maybe early 80s kids were doing it like I want to be like elliot. You know what I mean but by basket.
Speaker 2:It was pretty cool.
Speaker 3:He put a he uh fashioned a milk crate on there yeah, that was nice, that was nice but it looked like like something, something for paper delivery, or if you had to go to school with your bike.
Speaker 1:Right.
Speaker 3:I think that would work well, or to carry an ET in it.
Speaker 2:So what was all involved in ET's communication device?
Speaker 1:It was like a saw blade, definitely a saw blade, a record player.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 3:Saw blade. Speak and spell. Speak and spell.
Speaker 2:There was a blender in there All kinds of stuff he was dragging in there it was just kind of like let's see what's around, sure, and put it together, it's like rocket from uh, guardians of the galaxy, I mean I think we could find the stuff down here when I'm looking around, you might be right there's it might be absolutely right.
Speaker 3:A lot of stuff down here when you said rockets up, I thought you meant that song or do do do do rocket, herbie hancock, yeah, herbie hancock.
Speaker 2:Oh, not to be confused with rocket by deaf leopard oh yeah exactly yeah, yeah it's a satellite of love, satellite of love that's a good song.
Speaker 3:Oh, about this part, yeah, it's funny. Um, when I kept saying about et when he's in the creek, I remember like my sister and I we thought that was the funniest part for some reason, Dude the raccoon was trying to eat him up. I was like come on, bro, it's ET. That's messed up, man.
Speaker 2:It's ET. Get the shoo that raccoon the hell out of here, man you.
Speaker 3:I remember my sister and I our neighbor had a pool but we'd go in there like in the three foot. We'd like try to float and do like the et thing oh man I just remember that was like a thing that we thought was like the funniest part.
Speaker 1:I don't know why I had so much compassion for et as a kid, I just remember like god yeah like I mean this time around being older it didn't hit me, but I remember as a kid like this movie, so many emotions, oh my god. Yeah, of course, dude, and they and the way they portray, even from the very beginning, they make you like start to care about this character, even though he's an alien, it almost feels like a puppy or something, like you brought home a puppy and you're trying to there's a lot of analogies to that, a lot of analogies and I'm sure we'll end up talking about at the end when we really, you know, get into what did you think of the movie and shit like that.
Speaker 2:But see, I don't remember hitting me a lot you're really hitting a lot, dave you are.
Speaker 1:Did you cry at all?
Speaker 3:yeah, I don't remember hitting it or hitting me like that. As a kid I thought like a lot of this stuff was comical. I'm looking back on it Like as I got like watching it recently or in like the last couple, or when I showed it to my kids the first time.
Speaker 3:yes, you get like a little upset, it starts hitting you, but as a kid I thought it was hilarious. That's funny. Like I didn't think anything of like emotion or like this, like this is like this weird little alien right, all I have was like a cat too. I didn't have like a close like like a dog or anything.
Speaker 2:That's the domer effect in you. You like beating animals no, I never got when et got messed up, you started laughing and liking it yeah, but et he was, he wasn't even like real is.
Speaker 3:I mean like he was real, like I get it, but he was like a, an extraterrestrial yeah, like he shouldn't even have been there. I was like go back to your country, man, come on, zap, where's the conservative in? You yeah I was like man get out, get out of my country bro if I tell you that et is mexican, would it be?
Speaker 2:yeah, I would say it would be more like how did he get? Over that universal wall, whatever you know, endearing to you that he's getting hurt or, you know, would it hurt you more.
Speaker 3:No, I didn't feel bad for et at all as a kid. I'm saying that was like the, my sister and I didn't like him. I didn't like him.
Speaker 2:First I grab him, then I choke him no, I, I do.
Speaker 1:I do remember like it was upsetting to me as a kid hell yeah, dude dude.
Speaker 2:I watched this the other day. I was crying.
Speaker 3:Yeah, it hits you yeah, when you get older it does. Yes, but when I was a kid, I feel bad for him at all. Actually, I'll take that a step further.
Speaker 2:Every time I watch this movie, I get teary. There's no doubt. Yeah, no doubt.
Speaker 3:I was going to try to send him home.
Speaker 2:You both are ET get your ass home.
Speaker 3:What are you doing?
Speaker 2:here you are a. Build that wall, yeah. In the makeshift laboratory now in place at Elliot's house, ET's health diminishes rapidly while simultaneously Elliot begins to make a full recovery. Et's and Elliot's empathetic bond breaks. As ET passes and the light leaves his eyes, Elliot's feelings of loss can be felt throughout his entire body, now left with a gaping chasm where ET once was felt within him. Prior to evacuating the alien from the premises, Keyes affords a grief-stricken Elliot a final and tearful goodbye with his friend, Devastated as though everything pure and good in his life had left him too soon. A heartbroken Elliot tells his alien friend that he loves him and closes the cold and sterile metal pod in which ET lay. But what's this? Et's heart begins to glow once more. The chrysanthemum comes back to life. Et is alive, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1:Matt goes boo. That was disappointing, yeah.
Speaker 3:I did, I booed the whole thing. Yeah, I was like that's such crap.
Speaker 2:I think a wet head, by the way, might be some A water head, a water head. I think that's like a mental retardation.
Speaker 3:I think it's a down syndrome type thing. I think that's what they used to call them in the 60s. Let's get downsy.
Speaker 1:I remember the guy going whatever you're a waterhead or something like that.
Speaker 2:Could, be.
Speaker 1:What kind of what is that? You know what I mean. But one thing I got out of that is now I know how to pronounce chasm, because that's in an upcoming episode and I was going to mispronounce it. Oh good, I was going to say chasm. Oh, hey, I didn't know how to get the pronunciation right.
Speaker 3:Yeah, man, that'll come in handy. It's cool, man. Look what we did today, right, I guess? Yeah, waterhead means uh, hydrocephalus. For christ's sake, matt pulls out his goddamn phone that's because it tells me everything I need to know. Is there a? Uh? Well, it's. It's a condition where fluid begins to build up on the brain ventricles, causing increased pressure in the head, and you kind of get like goofy but it's not.
Speaker 2:It doesn't say anything about a slur or anything no, okay, so these guys had these scientists had some incredible uh technology, I gotta tell you so, to be able to take dna, to be able to monitor heart rates and do things that I wouldn't imagine anyone anyone would know how to do, on aliens let alone, you know, simultaneously with a human like to keep these things going at the same time. I don't know, it seemed to be some miracle ass.
Speaker 1:Equipment do you? Do you think, though, that they would be creating such a scene like? Don't you think they would have like? Under a little quiet, yeah undercover at night, moved this alien out of like, took them the agreed just this, you know I know it's a movie and all that, but I was thinking about that in real life.
Speaker 2:When this happens and it does happen they would pull, uh, an x-file shit. They would get that alien the hell out of there as quickly as possible.
Speaker 1:And people would be none the wiser.
Speaker 3:No neighborhood yeah, there wouldn't have been big neighborhood or the big plastic things in the vans that wouldn't have happened.
Speaker 2:No chance. Did anyone notice? Steven Spielberg was one of the doctors.
Speaker 1:I did not notice that. No, I didn't know that he pulled a Mel Brooks. Is that a?
Speaker 2:fun Could be fun, right, if we'd like to have fun with the movie for sure.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I didn't even notice that watching it. You don't even know, I don't even know.
Speaker 2:Yeah, he had no speaking role not one, but you saw him walk out. It was after ET died. He's pulling off his rubber gloves and he's walking out.
Speaker 3:Okay, I'll have to look for that. It's kind of like a little little part or whatever okay, I mean I gotta say I'd probably do that.
Speaker 2:I would just to be sure about a movie. I'm gonna be in it, all right, so we're gonna go back. I gotta tell you this is a. This is a heart-crushing moment in the movie for me. Look, if you have any element of a soul in you, when et dies dude. That's painful. That's painful to watch.
Speaker 1:You know, oddly enough, I didn't remember because I haven't seen this in a while for sure that that he died and came back. I couldn't remember because I didn't remember the whole ending of the movie. I didn't. I mean, it's been a long, long time. I know I've seen it since, obviously since I was six or seven years old or whatever.
Speaker 3:But I thought it was his time.
Speaker 1:You wanted it in. You turned it off right there. I thought yeah that's good.
Speaker 3:That should be the way it ends.
Speaker 2:See, that's the thing. I don't know if he cut enough lawns to earn his keep, so he had to die.
Speaker 1:The mat cut would have ended right there. Yeah, that would have been the whole, and I would have won the Oscar for realism in the movie.
Speaker 3:That's fair, yeah, that's realism dude.
Speaker 2:But how exciting it was to watch et come back to life, like, how exciting is that? Et's all excited. He just can't stop talking. His eyeballs are all big and poppy, his heart's all red and pounded doesn't he start getting all excited like ellie?
Speaker 3:he won't like shut up and yeah he won't shut up, and then yeah keep saying et phone home, et phone home.
Speaker 2:But see.
Speaker 3:Then elliot tried to choke him out.
Speaker 2:He was like shut up. He tried to finish him off. First I grab him he's like you're done Then I choke him.
Speaker 3:Yeah, he was trying to cover his mouth and they were like, oh, elliot's trying to keep him quiet, no, he's trying to kill him.
Speaker 2:He's like ET, why don't you? Shifts gears a lot and there's a lot of different. You could say different, like it's funny and it's scary. It's an emotional roller coaster. It's just all over the place. Yeah, it is absolutely all over the place. All right, moving along, elliot and Michael swiftly put an audacious plan in motion to get ET to a location where he can safely make contact with the spaceship and fellow ETs. Pulling all of their resources, michael enlists the help of his friends with bicycles to transport ET through the neighborhood and into the surrounding forest. The operation becomes a thrilling chase sequence filled with close calls as the children navigate obstacles and evade the pursuing agents In a climactic moment, just as the agents close in. In a climactic moment, just as the agents close in, et uses his levitation abilities to lift the bicycles into the air. They soar over the agents in the dense forest, creating the unforgettable iconic scene that captures one's imagination and true sense of adventure. And it does. It does.
Speaker 2:It does, even if you're, matt, that heartless bastard. No, et's the devil with that black magic.
Speaker 3:we didn't need that shit. I was like man, look, they're gonna get so busted.
Speaker 1:And then et's like oh, let me get all definitely so and they start flying.
Speaker 2:I was like come on man come on et is there a fun fact about the rifles?
Speaker 1:yeah, okay, yeah, you know about that, of course. Okay, I gotta say, though, these special effects here were a little bad, I mean it's 1982.
Speaker 2:Agreed, but.
Speaker 1:I just now. I have a DVD copy like a 20th anniversary copy.
Speaker 2:As do I. I got a fun fact about that one.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I'm wondering if it had the updated stuff in it or not.
Speaker 2:They were both in it, okay.
Speaker 3:I was wondering about that. Did you watch it like, do you have it on a vhs? Oh, wow, so you have the og, I have the og. Yeah, it's just like falling apart. It's all like uh, that dark um color on, like the. There's like mold on.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it's not moldy yet, but well, I'm wondering if you like toner copier, toners falling off of the cassette no, no, you know how like the uh cardboardish cassette gets like kind of like that weird brown. Yeah, right to it. Yeah, from not wiping your ass when you pick up your vhs's I'm wondering if, yeah, I'm wondering if we saw.
Speaker 1:I'm wondering if we saw a separate version than what he saw, like we saw extra stuff you know I'm trying to get around to.
Speaker 3:Yeah, it'll come up in the fun facts, yeah but, um, if, if you go to uh orlando and you go to disney, what is that? Disney world world, yeah, is orlando theyT ride.
Speaker 2:I don't know if you did it when you were there. They still have it. That's not Disney.
Speaker 1:Yes, it is Disney or is it Universal? I can promise you it's not Disney. Is that Universal? Yes, they have that still.
Speaker 3:Yes, they have the.
Speaker 1:ET ride and what do you?
Speaker 3:do on it. You get on a bike and you go. That they must have used in the original ET.
Speaker 2:So the ride at Universal.
Speaker 3:The one that they have. Yes, universal Universal Studios, it's called ET Adventure.
Speaker 2:It is a suspended dark ride.
Speaker 1:Okay, I was there I don't know if I rode that.
Speaker 3:I thought it suspensively sucked.
Speaker 2:No it's a suspended dark ride and if you've never ridden it, it's awesome. I would spend the money just to go ride.
Speaker 3:that ride I did the Simpsons thing, but then they had little ET babies and stuff in there, sure.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it's the whole forest. And what's great about that one? It's just to give a little extra special touch at the end. Et says goodbye to you by name.
Speaker 3:Yes, he does, because you've got to register your name in the beginning.
Speaker 2:They say give us your name on this card and it registers with your vehicle that you're in that when you get to a particular point. It then clicks something with the computer for the computer to have ET say you know, goodbye Zab, goodbye Dave, fuck off Matt.
Speaker 3:Well, no, even my kid said this is the most crap I've seen since I've been in Disney. Well your kid's spoiled. He has a terrible parent. I didn't disagree.
Speaker 2:Such a good ride, such a hateful Matt.
Speaker 3:I thought Peter Pan was better than the ET ride. It's kind of the same thing One's in like a cloud type thing and the other is just like ET's bike.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I remember the simpsons riding and they had harry potter that stuff was cool simpsons is a.
Speaker 2:It's a damn good ride that'll make you sick you gotta close your eyes, it'll definitely
Speaker 1:every so often yeah I mean they got, went to the bar. They have one of the bars there you can get yeah get some duff beer. Most tavern is right there.
Speaker 3:Well, that's it most they had all kinds of like cool pictures of mo when he he was in the service. It was kind of just like watching the Simpsons. It was neat. I did like that part. That was cool. But you hated ET. I didn't hate ET, I don't know. As I got older, I appreciate the movie more. When I was a kid, like I said, my sister and I thought it was the funniest thing you weren't digging it back then no, I in it, hate it's not
Speaker 2:hate. Now at their destination, the communication device successfully signals ET's spaceship, which descends from the night sky to take him home. The emotional farewell is filled with heartfelt moments as ET expresses his gratitude to Elliot, michael and Gertie. He assures them that he will be alright and that the bond they share will endure. The friendship between Elliot and ET is highlighted in a tearful parting, with ET touching Elliot's forehead and saying his iconic words I'll be right here reminding him that their connection will forever transcend distance, space and time. The sorrow of parting is mixed with the joy of knowing that et will now be safe and reunited with his own kind. As the spaceship ascends into the sky taking et back to his home planet, it leaves a rainbow in its wake and profound feelings in our hearts except matt's matt.
Speaker 1:Was there a part there at the end where he he asked elliot to go with him?
Speaker 2:yes, yeah, and elliot dude. Elliot responds with uh. So he uh hell, no. Et says. Et says et says basically come with, and elliot says stay stay.
Speaker 1:Yeah, he's there back and forth yes, he's.
Speaker 2:It's basically like why don't you come with wait? Well, no, why don't you just stay here?
Speaker 3:so they had like a like a violent relationship already. Yeah, like playing games, come on guys.
Speaker 2:It's a shame man. I thought Matt was supposed to like aliens, or at least illegal aliens.
Speaker 3:Yes, it's a shame, man, but not ET, not ET, that's a shame. And ET lied to him too. He never came back.
Speaker 1:He didn't come back. No.
Speaker 2:He left in that jank ship. What have you went? What if you had like an alien friend, like that? Hell, no shit. Yeah, what I wanted to hang out with matt, I'm getting off the fucking planet.
Speaker 3:Nah, man you're, you would leave all this behind to go somewhere you don't even know what's up there you don't even know, well I mean, I wouldn't go.
Speaker 1:I, at that point I haven't even flown yet, I guess. Well, no, you would have you on your bike I always thought at the end the end.
Speaker 2:Even as a kid, I thought that at the end the whole family is standing there as the ETs come back and the ET property goes on with all the other ETs. So the whole family is here. So is Keys, the government dude. I always thought he was going to hook up with or get together with the mom.
Speaker 3:He probably did, probably.
Speaker 1:That's the other thing. Now, watching this movie, I'm like man mom's kind of good looking. What's her name?
Speaker 2:d wallace d wall d's nuts, these nuts.
Speaker 1:Yeah, he's wallace d wallace and there was a scene in that uh, the dnd scene in the beginning one of the kids, did he try to grab her ass or something? Yes, yeah which was apparently okay I thought of that, I thought of mad immediately, as I saw that i'm'm not even kidding, I'm not even kidding.
Speaker 2:It was based on the conversation we'd had outside. I'm watching this movie the other day and I'm like that would have been fucking Matt.
Speaker 1:Were you devilish like that as a kid.
Speaker 3:I wasn't devilish, I would get in trouble for dumb things but I wasn't devilish.
Speaker 2:He was into people's moms.
Speaker 3:I wasn't into people's moms.
Speaker 1:What? Have you been ballsy enough to try that? Just to even hover your hand there like I'm gonna maybe grab it maybe in like eighth grade not in like fifth or sixth. Yeah, definitely not in fifth.
Speaker 3:You would have done that fuck no like, if it's a small kitchen, I might do like the, the bump and roll. You know what I?
Speaker 1:mean try to squeeze by.
Speaker 3:Yeah, like oh excuse me, oh, roll out pardon me it's so early in the morning. I didn't mean to bump you.
Speaker 2:Nah Sounds like you got a slow roaster.
Speaker 3:A slow roaster, that's good. I learned that today, yeah.
Speaker 2:Something new. So what an iconic. So I'll be right here. That that what uh, et says to his parting words to to Elliot. When Elliot first meets ET and they're hanging out in his bedroom and he's like, dude, okay, look, I got to like here's a car and here's food that we eat, and here's this and here's a shoe and here's a. Whatever he's at, I'm going to, I'm going to run and go grab some food. Are you hungry? I'm going to grab some food. Look, I'll be right here. I'll be right here. It's cool, I'll be right here. It's funny how to see that. Not funny at all, but it's touching to see it circle back around and now ET's using it metaphorically, like, look, I'll be right here in.
Speaker 1:I didn't even catch that your heart light.
Speaker 2:Good observation there Indeed Fun facts. Oh, I guess it's about that time. Hell, yeah, it's about that time. Who wants to lead it all? Just an observation, not even a fun fact. The guy that played Michael, actor Robert McNaughton. This is Elliot's older brother.
Speaker 1:Dude, forever, I thought that was the actor that played Denny Noonan from.
Speaker 2:Caddyshack. I swear to God, swear to God.
Speaker 1:I do know that now you're saying that I can see the resemblance Shit, yeah, even the janky-ass teeth, noonan. So those bikes and I never knew this about this, but I looked it up because we did Rad and we've been talking about BMX in the past month so those were a 1981 Kuahara that was custom built for the movie. I guess there were five bikes in the movie and I think they said they built two for each. You know what I mean One as a backup and one for the film.
Speaker 1:One of those actually went up for sale for auction.
Speaker 3:It was within couple years ago, I believe, and it was like 50 to 60 000 was like starting bid so that's, yeah, that's money.
Speaker 1:Cool horror was, uh, you know, obviously one of those brands we talk about, like gt, mongoose, all that stuff.
Speaker 2:So I know, but you have the one that was featured in et that's going to fetch some big dollars yeah, it was a specific paint scheme.
Speaker 3:They did well, just because of the, the mags too, were completely like, different than any other bike.
Speaker 1:You would see, you would know it, custom yeah, the one, I think the one that was the 50 was the one elliot was riding and it was that color scheme. It was like white and gold and other colors in there, red and I forget what else.
Speaker 3:So um, yes, uh, by the power of the uh interweb right I was doing some quick research which is that page when I'm on my phone, but I get it. But anyway, I was looking into heartlight and I would have to say that zap is correct in saying that neil diamond took that song as this movie was out and wrote it after the movie, after the movie was out and he was making a ton of success off that.
Speaker 2:So apparently he got caught up in court and I think they settled for $25,000 that he had to pay to whatever the studio was it sounds to me like Neil Diamond's a thieving lazy bitch, which explains to me why I would like him so much.
Speaker 3:Matt well in court they were saying that that really he could have used whatever he wanted. I can make a song about yeah, whatever. I want. But they're saying the similarities were close enough and he was like look, I'll give this. He didn't even have to give anything and he said I'll give him $25,000. Just tell him to shut up. And I guess that's where it ended.
Speaker 1:That's amazing to me that they could have even pursued that as a lawsuit. It's not like you're plagiarizing.
Speaker 2:He, he sure is.
Speaker 3:He's telling the story of a he did basically tell the story of a movie that was out, but it was a song in sing-song form yeah, I mean I get, yeah, but are people gonna go?
Speaker 1:I don't need to see the movie, I just heard the song. Yes, I don't know about that yo man, that heartlight is dope. I don't even need to see that movie he's, which I want to blame him because the diamond song he's such a lyricist that amazing painted the picture. I just saw it.
Speaker 2:Keep your money. Movie theater, Keep your dollar ticket.
Speaker 3:What did they make off it? $750 million.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I don't think Spielberg was that worried about it. $792 million, is that right?
Speaker 1:And then tack that $25,000 on there Again with the merchandising on it. Holy shit.
Speaker 2:So you had mentioned. It cost them 10 and a half million to make, which again 10 and a half which turned into 792 million. Of that 10 and a half million, one and a half million was spent on creating the et character. Wow, creating the doll, the, the, the costume, the, the mechanics behind it, that neck thing, the, the neck thing, the glowing heart thing, the, everything speaking et uh.
Speaker 1:His face was modeled after poet carl sandberg, albert einstein and a pug dog and uh. This unique combination gave et his endearing and memorable look again.
Speaker 3:I don't think et was like a cute looking thing no, he looked real.
Speaker 2:It was the face only a mother could love. Yeah, he was pretty whack.
Speaker 1:Not real, but like.
Speaker 3:Your Beats is whack yo, his Beats was whack man they could have made him like a cute, like furry looking thing.
Speaker 2:Yeah like come on.
Speaker 3:Come on, Spielberg yeah.
Speaker 2:So fun fact we were talking about it earlier that it took three people to play ET. So again et, so again. Et was for sure a doll, like it wasn't. It wasn't a robot, it was a, it was a costume. Uh, the three people that played him were tamara detrow, pat bylon. Uh, both of them were dwarves that were. You would see them in the like standing, only standing, they were being like the body part they're in the body.
Speaker 2:They would see through his chest and again, the head was animatronic. The head in the neck was animatronic. It took. It took 12 year old matthew demerit, who I'd mentioned. I didn't mention he was 12, but I mentioned his name, matt demerit. So he's 12 years old and this kid was born without legs. Yeah, I heard about that and he was. He played at any any, at any scene. You see where et is walking or falling over. That's actually matt demerit walking on his hands. So et's feet are actually hands that's wild wow wow, now I feel horrible.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I didn't know that I didn't know that fun fact, because I was like man, it's et I can't even walk and make it that. But yeah, that was.
Speaker 2:Oh, man, I feel like a jerk, uh-huh you are thanks for that fun fact. Well, you're a jerk, yeah uh, let's see, oh et uh, one of the women I, one of the people I'd mentioned were his boys. He had steven uh spielberg hawkings.
Speaker 3:I thought you said hawkings no, are you already?
Speaker 2:are you still making fun of people with disabilities? Man, wow when do you stop? Because he was like elliot so you had steven spielberg, you had caden green and you had pat welsh. So pat welsh, uh, was a two pack a day smoker she did. That's how they got that by aspie. She had by far and away the majority of the speaking boys or the, the speaking parts for et yeah, yeah, man, what you got oh uh that the et extraterrestrial was the highest grossing film of all time, until it was surpassed by another spielberg movie.
Speaker 3:Do you guys know what that was?
Speaker 1:jurassic park yes in 1993. Do you think jurassic park is better than et no cinema from uh?
Speaker 2:oh okay. So what do you mean? Better cinematically, better special effects, better story, better whatever just a movie in general.
Speaker 1:Hotter chicks Well, not that. But do you enjoy ET more than, or Jurassic park more than ET? Or would you just say they're so different that you can't compare them?
Speaker 2:I can't compare the two Okay.
Speaker 1:How about you?
Speaker 2:Oh, I can't say I like one more than the other, because they're both so great, because they're both so great on their own merits. They are great movies.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I would hate to say it, but I agree with Zap on the no, they're just completely I hate to say that I agree with Zap. They're completely different movies. Et was. It was a genius movie, but Jurassic Park was on a whole other level. I think also at my age and seeing that from being a kid to being a young.
Speaker 1:I was 17.
Speaker 3:Yeah, Jurassic Park was kind of like a wow type moment.
Speaker 1:That's why I wanted to ask you, because I really was thinking about that and I was like man, I really like them both. I don't even know which one, so I'm glad I'm not the only one that couldn't pick between the two, but they are just so different.
Speaker 3:Yeah, that's apples and oranges, Not apples and apples.
Speaker 1:Peter Coyote, who played the role of keys, was a close friend of steven spielberg and got the part primarily because of that connection that's how he got, just because he knew steven spielberg basically give me a job.
Speaker 2:Yeah, did he go on to do anything else?
Speaker 1:uh, I don't know, he didn't look familiar to me from anything, but I mean maybe a couple of those other 80s flicks.
Speaker 3:It's a cool last name coyote smuggling aliens yeah, uh-huh precisely or eating it, I get it.
Speaker 2:Let's see. Oh uh, since we're talking about steven spielberg and we had mentioned about uh, was there a sequel? Or why wasn't there a sequel? Or you, you know, you never saw anything more of et. Spielberg has been vehemently, vehemently opposed to any thoughts whatsoever at all about a sequel was there something about the one of the dwarves that had died?
Speaker 1:no, that they didn't. He didn't want to in honor of that person and it not at all money talks no, I know it's not even the money talks.
Speaker 2:But I could tell you that he cares very little about a dead dwarf, uh, instead he just cares about the like, the wholesome, and the I'm not the wholesome is the, the pureness of the standalone movie. But like, look, it's, it's its own. Like there's no, there's no prequel, there's no sequel, it's, it's just it. Anything more than anything more than this story would ruin the story I think it was.
Speaker 1:I can't believe I made this much money off of making up this story but, but there was probably like I'm done if you're good if you remember back and I don't know if you guys remember this, but I do remember this ET did not come out on VHS until like 1987 or something like that. That makes sense it was like a long. Like most movies it was a year later. You could rent it. I wouldn't be surprised if they were bringing it back to the theaters.
Speaker 3:They probably kept bringing it back, making more money.
Speaker 1:Well, they did bring it back in 85. But that was 82 to 85, but it didn't get released. I remember that because I was waiting on it, like, oh, I'd like to see that movie again. I think it released till much later in my memory that's what I remember. I didn't come across anything on the fun facts here. I should have probably looked it up, honestly, because I remember that. But uh, yeah, I have one here, and I'm sure you have it too, about the the candy go ahead. Yeah, it was initially supposed to be what M&M's Yep and they approached M&M's was approached.
Speaker 1:It was approached and they were like we want the script. And they were like we're not going to give you the script. You know we have this movie but we're not giving you the script. So they declined it. And then they went to Hershey's. They wanted, and Hershey was like, ah, we have this new candy coming out or whatever Reese's Pieces. And that's what they did, ended up doing and they said their sales like Hershey the next year, like rose, by like 65% or something crazy like that.
Speaker 2:Thanks so much to Reese's Pieces. So the way I read it was M&M's looked at whatever they were able to see relative to subtle details about it and they heard things like alien and kid story and blah, blah, blah. And they, m&ms, had concluded that, well, maybe that we, we feel that kids might be scared by this movie. So when, when we were going, through earlier yeah, that's it.
Speaker 2:So it was. David would said at one point, like if you're a kid watching, there are certainly moments where you can be scared. Uh, and that. Of course that did happen, but it certainly didn't hinder reese's from picking up the pieces when M&M's dropped it, dropped that that contract like fools and ran with it.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that was big money, that's. You can thank them probably for that park and everything else $20 parking yeah, thanks, et for that.
Speaker 2:So it's interesting who said that? Uh, maybe it was Matt earlier who'd said like I wonder if Spielberg was surprised that he made this much money off of this movie. It's interesting to hear that because the whole concept of et was spielberg's childhood. Uh, et was that was spielberg's imaginary friend. As a kid, after his parents divorced, he thought he had an imaginary alien friend and it served as his old, the older brother he never had, and it served as his biological, who didn't bother his dad that had left. I thought it was jesus that lived next door, could have been, but either way it was, it was the again his, his coping mechanism, if nothing else, and he turned it into a movie. Smart guy made a lot of money yeah, that's the whole thing.
Speaker 3:I think that's why there was never a second one, because he was like, wow, I, I made this and like, like you said, it's something he grew up with, it was his thing in his mind. He's like, look, I'm good.
Speaker 1:I can't believe I made this much out of a childhood story and it's surprising, though, because of the greed, usually it's like keep milking it oh, you could have did like six of them yeah easily. You could have just kept selling it. But think about all the movies that were inspired by ET. I was thinking about Mac and Me, that was terrible, that was awful Short Circuit.
Speaker 3:Short Circuit was good.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that was good, johnny, no 5 and all that Good and terrible.
Speaker 1:Maybe even like you would think, maybe like a movie like Explorers Remember that, oh yeah, with a river Phoenix For sure. Yeah, um, all those movies I had to deal do with like kids in space and aliens and all that they probably saw all 18. We're like man. That's where it's at. Yeah, that's where the money's at.
Speaker 3:Well, any kid growing up like you look at space and think it's something or think of something out there. Yeah, it effects were ever seen by industrial light and magic. There is the george lucas tie-in.
Speaker 2:Yeah, those guys work together, I think, on a lot of stuff. Oh yeah, I was thinking it would be a henson thing, I guess, but no, I guess industrial light and magic, hell yeah, yeah, actually you can. I don't want to say you can tell, but the scene looked very similar between empire and not empire, I'm sorry, jedi and the et scene with the, the kid riding the bike and you see the background again, we talked about the special effects before. So when the, the bikes are elevated, and the ET scene with the kid riding the bike and you see the background Again, we talked about the special effects before. So when the bikes are elevated and the kid's flying around, I think it's actually C Thomas Howell's character where you see the background of the landscape below, clearly illustrating that the kid's flying. It reminds me a lot of what the land speeders look like in Jedi.
Speaker 1:Back to those kids. I forgot two things I wanted to touch on. The one had a camas hat on. Did you see that it was a cam us the one kid it was like an orange hat and I was looking it up to just see what that was or what the product placement was. Couldn't really find anything out about it. There's not much out there. There's people that do like basically a knockoff hat of that for people to love the movie, yeah, but it's not like a company or anything. I could find it. And how about that other kid's headphones?
Speaker 3:yeah, that was a big one, yeah it was like with the eqs on the side and like the massive, the antenna yes so it was a radio.
Speaker 2:It was basically a radio, split up between two headphones, between the left and the right side yeah, that kid.
Speaker 1:Uh he, he looked familiar too. I think he was in like one of the nightmare on elm streets or something I was waiting for you to tell me he got brain cancer after having worn that goddamn headset for days upon days he might.
Speaker 2:I don't know he could have. Yeah, oh, let's see M&M's. Oh, we just mentioned C Thomas Howe. Ralph Macchio was initially considered for that role that C Thomas Howe played.
Speaker 3:Oh, wow.
Speaker 2:And I saying his name as much as I do for this movie because he just played a bit part, but he just had a couple of lines of dialogue and that was it to see thomas howe, yeah, like who gives a shit, yeah.
Speaker 3:Well, why would they even put that?
Speaker 2:yeah, but it's okay did he die or something? Some tragic death. Who see thomas howe? Yeah, in real life yeah, no, he's still around then who gives a shit about that asshole?
Speaker 1:he's actually on tiktok. The other day I saw a couple weeks ago he was on.
Speaker 2:Only fans, yeah on, only Fans. He's selling. He's doing foot porn yeah, smart.
Speaker 1:Fun fact Spielberg shot this film in chronological order for benefit of the child actors. So their emotional responses would be genuine. So it was actually very challenging for them to do that and it actually ended up costing them more money. He was worried at one point they were going to run out of budget money you know, spielberg doesn't run out of money. He finds the money at this point he was uh pretty established right yeah yeah, but I'm trying to think here.
Speaker 1:So spielberg, at this time, 82, by now he's had what? Uh, indiana jones, was that out the first one, I guess?
Speaker 2:the first one would have been no, I'm sorry, not indiana j.
Speaker 1:That's not what it's called, right? What is it?
Speaker 2:Oh, it's called.
Speaker 1:Raiders of the Lost Ark.
Speaker 2:So Raiders of the Lost Ark would have been out by now. He also would have done Close Encounters of a Third Kind, and he also would have done Jaws.
Speaker 3:I like Close Encounters better than ET.
Speaker 1:Well, you're a racist.
Speaker 3:That's one I'd probably appreciate. Now, being an adult, you would also like close encounters with people's mothers yeah right, get on me just because et was I don't know, it was just et. Yeah, I like.
Speaker 2:I like the the song better, but it's okay fun fact the teacher, elliot's teacher, his biology teacher, the one that's teaching him when they're dissecting the frogs yeah that's harrison ford oh it's harrison ford, they don't show, I don't, I don't even know they say the voice right
Speaker 2:spielberg on purpose took out any headshots of harrison ford oh, okay, because I didn't catch the voice okay it is the voice, it is the mannerisms, it is everything. It is just. He did not shoot harrison ford's head because he didn't want to be he didn't want to show Raiders.
Speaker 3:Yeah, that's exactly it.
Speaker 2:He didn't want to have Raiders overshadowing the idea of ET. That was cool though.
Speaker 1:This film won four Academy Awards but lost Best Picture two. You want to take a guess that year?
Speaker 2:On Golden Mat.
Speaker 3:On Golden Pond was a good movie.
Speaker 1:Yeah, what was it.
Speaker 2:Gandhi Mahatma, who gives a good goddamn about Gandhi?
Speaker 1:Yeah, but Spielberg was pretty disappointing. Oh yeah, I don't care about.
Speaker 3:Gandhi, I would send the alien back.
Speaker 1:Poor Gandhi, you got anything else.
Speaker 2:I only have a couple more, but they're both more on the personal side. Yeah, go for it. Fun fact the 20-year anniversary cd my bad the 20-year anniversary dvd of this of et was the first birthday gift I'd ever received from my wife when we were dating so 2002 2002, 2003, I'd gotten a copy for my birthday. That's awesome, oh my. So, additionally, my wife and I uh, we uh dressed up as T and Gertie for Halloween. Oh, that's pretty cool Like last year or the year before. Whenever we did, we did Napoleon.
Speaker 3:You guys usually have good ones.
Speaker 2:A couple years before that, I was Elliot and I had her ET, her stuffed ET, wrapped in the old blanket.
Speaker 1:Nice. Well, actually that's what I was talking about earlier is with the 20-year anniversary. That's the DVD that I have. Supposedly there's enhanced special effects and different things in it, and I was thinking, like if Matt watched the VHS, so that's the OG, the original I wonder what they added or changed, If there are scenes that maybe he didn't see.
Speaker 3:Well, probably a ton when you go to like the, the DVDs.
Speaker 1:But that well, I'm just talking about the special effects that they went and cleaned it up Like they did with star Wars. They added all that stuff with job of the hut and all that and like later which harkens back to the one of the things we were talking about is the guns. Yeah, they weren't.
Speaker 3:They were walkie talkie, so they took the they took the rifles and stuff, it was the eighties.
Speaker 1:I'm surprised they even cared about that back then.
Speaker 2:So that 20 year anniversary John comes with two discs. One disc is the revised touch he felt new special effects remove rifles, add.
Speaker 1:Oh, so they took rifles out yeah. Oh, that's one of the things they took out, okay.
Speaker 2:Yeah, for sure. And the second disc contains the original theatrical release Okay, which is the one I watched.
Speaker 1:That's the one I should have watched then. Yeah, maybe I didn't watch the right, I don't know. I have the the um the two discs in there. I will have to check it out. I will watch it again. Speaking of which, I guess it's about or burn sure matt do you want to lead it off?
Speaker 3:yes, I will lead this off. I'm gonna call ins. We didn't start the fire. As, as a kid I remember like honestly, like I didn't think much of this movie, like I thought it was funny, I thought it was more of like a comedy like I I thought like a mel brooks type thing, I don't know really.
Speaker 3:Yeah, like I, my sister and I would like we would crush this movie when we saw it, like we just make fun of it a shit ton. Uh, watching it as an older person and and like with your kids and stuff, I thought it was a great movie. Um, so, as as a kid, I'd probably return it and watch it once. Uh, maybe watch it again so I could like make more fun of it. But as an adult, I think it was. It's a great movie it is. It's touching, it's heartwarming. And ET he should have died the first time did your kids like it he should have stayed dead the first time.
Speaker 3:There was no way he was coming back and Elliot should have crashed too with him. Should have been a double burial, ending like flowers on the grave. It had a little ET grave, little Elliot grave, but then maybe if et came to life, him and elliot could have like. It could have been like pet cemetery with the dead. They could have rose back up, but anyway, all right. Yeah, but it's a good, it's a great movie. I mean, it's a classic. Forever. It'll be here 100 years from now definitely.
Speaker 1:Well, I think it was on that. Uh, they make a list of like movies that are protected, or whatever.
Speaker 3:I forget what even, oh, in the um in the smithsonian.
Speaker 1:Yes, well, I don't even know what the list is library of congress, maybe that's what it was. This got put on that list. Uh, you know so and, I think, deservedly so uh, so wait, was there?
Speaker 2:did we get an answer? I was too busy listening oh yeah, was it late?
Speaker 1:fee return or I would return it. Yeah, and now as an adult as an adult.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I'd watch it and enjoy it, and you know, keep it yeah and then I'd take it back uh, I'd say uh both times.
Speaker 1:Uh, as a kid I'd late feed and as an adult I'm late feeding it. I, I enjoy it, I still enjoy it. I see it from a different perspective now. Um, this is one that, uh, you know I would put up there probably you know my at least top 10 for sure movies of all time Top 10?. Absolutely.
Speaker 1:I mean, I think it's just like it captures nostalgia. For me it's one of the first movies I remember seeing that I really, really liked. I saw that other movie. I didn't understand what was going on, I was so little. But ET is like for me, just great memories, and even watching it now I enjoyed it. I sat down here by myself which helped in my theater room with the surround sound and all that, and really took it in and I loved it. So I'm late fiend at both times nice, awesome, I'm right there with you.
Speaker 2:You said a lot of everything. I would say, uh, whatever otherwise said. Uh, as a kid, I remember just cherishing this movie, really, really, really loving this movie a lot. Uh, as an adult, uh, again, I mentioned that you know, this is even besides the fact that this is one of my, my wife's and my you know little things, that we do this, one of our movies, right, one of the things we enjoy together. Uh, that aside, I, I just love it as, again, as a kid, as an adult, fantastic movie. It. It touches on a lot of emotions, it touches on a lot of attributes, it touches on a lot of qualities. It's just, in my opinion, just a fantastic, well done movie all the way around. Late fee, forever hell, I would just hey, you would just keep it.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I'm buying it for me. He's taking that $100.
Speaker 1:$124. Yeah, that's kind of I'm approaching that Yep, for sure. But I love this movie and still do so. I think next week or the next time we're back it's going to be Matt's movie and this is going to be another 80s movie, but a little bit different storyline. Johnny B Good. And what year was that? 87, 88?
Speaker 3:87, 86, 87.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that'll be the next movie we're doing.
Speaker 2:Is that the one with Johnny Depp, where he's in a prison? No, no, no, no. Johnny B Good is with that's Cry Baby, thank you that's Cry Baby.
Speaker 1:With what's his name? Anthony Michael Hall and Iron.
Speaker 3:Man, Uma Thurman, Robert Downey Jr. Yeah.
Speaker 1:Robert Downey Jr.
Speaker 3:They play football, High school football it's kind of like a kickoff to the football season. Yeah, it's a kickoff and I really like the movie.
Speaker 1:Have you never seen it? Zach, never, so this will be an experience for sure.
Speaker 3:It's no ET.
Speaker 1:Yeah, definitely not an ET, no, no, no, totally different movie, but enjoyable and I hope you enjoy it as well. So, speaking of that, I hope you're enjoying the podcast and, if you are, leave that five-star rating on Apple and Spotify Live as a written review. On Facebook, we have our movie list in there. Don't be afraid to add movies in there. We're going to try to get to them when we can and I guess that's it for now.
Speaker 2:Don't see you sooner, we'll see you later. Peace.
Speaker 3:Thanks for listening to the vintage cinema review in the old, dirty basement. If you dig our theme music, like we do, check out the tsunami experiment, find them on Facebook. Their music is streaming on Spotify and Apple and where great music is available.
Speaker 1:You can find us at old dirty basement on Facebook and Instagram and at old dirty basement podcast on Tik TOK Peace, we outtie 5,000.