The Hard Hollywood Life of Kim Novak — 10th anniversary restoration

Listen to this episode on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

The first episode of You Must Remember This tells the story of actress Kim Novak -- a top box office draw of the late 1950s and the iconic star of Alfred Hitchcock's Vertigo -- and her painful struggles to assert herself from the mid-20th century through well into the 21st, in a Hollywood that repeatedly sent her the message that she was only valuable for the way she looked, while also insisting that she didn’t quite look good enough. Originally released in April 2014, this episode has been “lost” for almost as long due to copyright issues with its soundtrack. Today, in honor of the podcast’s ten-year anniversary, we’re rereleasing this episode with new music, largely re-recorded voiceover, and just enough of the original episode intact so you can hear how far the show has come over the course of a decade.

A young Marilyn Pauline "Kim" Novak

Kim Novak and William Holden, Picnic, 1955

SHOW NOTES:  

Sources:

“Let’s Talk About Kim Novak” Farran Nehme, Selfstyledsiren.blogspot.com

Kim Novak returning to S.F. to share her art by Ruthe Stein, Oct 14, 2013, SFGate.com

“Bell, Book and Scandal: Kim Novak and Sammy Davis Jr.”  from The Bad and the Beautiful by Sam Kashner and Jennifer MacNair

Kim Novak: Reluctant Goddess by Peter Harry Brown

Vertigo: The Making of a Hitchcock Classic by Dan Auiler

Spellbound by Beauty: Hitchcock and His Women by Donald Spoto

Hitchcock and Truffaut discussing Vertigo

Vertigo trailer

Novak speaking to the British Film Institute

The Legend of Lylah Clare, 1968, directed by Robert Aldrich

Picnic, 1955, directed by Joshua Logan

Kim Novak’s 'frozen' Oscars 2014 face slated on Twitter over ‘bad plastic surgery' Internet turns on "unrecognisable" 81-year-old Hollywood legend by Orlando Parfitt, March 2014, yahoo.com 

Please note: as an Amazon Associate, Karina earns from qualifying purchases. #ad

Music:
The music used in this episode, with the exception of the intro, was sourced from royalty-free music libraries and licensed music collections. The intro includes a clip from the film Casablanca.  

Excerpts from the following songs were used throughout the episode:

"Out of the Skies, Under The Earth" by Chris Zabriskie

"Balcarabic Chicken" by Quantum Jazz

"Gibraltar" by Unheard Music Concepts

"Rite of Passage" by Kevin MacLeod

"Dinner Music" from the compilation "Musique Libre de Droit Club"

"Tikopia" by Kevin MacLeod

"Dakota" by Unheard Music Concepts

"Piano Spa" from the compilation "Musique Libre de Droit Club"

Kim Novak, The Legend of Lylah Clare, 1968

This episode was written, narrated, edited and produced by Karina Longworth.

Research and production assistant: Lindsey D. Schoenholtz.

Social media assistant: Brendan Whalen.

Logo design: Teddy Blanks.

Kim Novak and Mattthew McConaughey at the Oscars, 2014

Erotic 90s archive

Erotic 90s continues the story of Erotic 80s, with 21 episodes tackling sex in Hollywood movies of the 1999s, spanning the creation—and disastrous rollout—of the NC-17 rating in 1990, through the release of Eyes Wide Shut in 1999.  Listen to all 21 Erotic 90s episodes here.

Erotic 90s Episodes:

• 1988: PROLOGUE: PORN, FEMINISM & THE FOLLY OF NC-17 (EROTIC 90S, PART 1): Erotic 80s began with a prologue about the short-lived heyday of the X rating, pornography, and feminism. Erotic 90s begins with a prologue about the disastrous rollout of NC-17 –the X rating’s replacement  – and the evolving state of both porn and feminism at the dawn of the 90s. Topics include David Lynch, Harvey Weinstein, “pro-porn” feminism, “the new morality,” video stores, Magic Johnson, date rape and much more. Listen

• PRETTY WOMAN, SLEEPING WITH THE ENEMY AND JULIA ROBERTS IN THE EARLY 90S (EROTIC 90S, PART 2): The first blockbuster about sex of the 90s, Pretty Woman both reinvigorated Richard Gere’s career, and turned Julia Roberts into the biggest female movie star of the era. We’ll dissect the gender politics of this fantasy about love between a streetwalker and a corporate villain, analyze its lasting appeal, and trace the wild rollercoaster ride of the first few years of Roberts’ movie stardom. Virtually unknown before 1989, within a year of Pretty Woman’s release Roberts was considered the most bankable woman in movies, a controversial icon of 90s womanhood and, eventually, a romantic antihero whose performances and personal life were put on a pedestal by a breathless media, only to be swiftly knocked down. Listen

• “THE ACTRESS EVERYBODY WANTS TO FUCK”: THERESA RUSSELL AND SONDRA LOCKE (EROTIC 90S, PART 3): An enigmatic sex symbol dating back to the 70s, Theresa Russell made a play for Hollywood stardom in the late 80s and early 90s, making a number of films about the sexual commodification and role playing. Ken Russell’s Whore was marketed as a gritty answer to Pretty Woman, showing the “truth” about Los Angeles street prostitution. In Impulse, a neo-noir romance in which Russell plays an undercover cop posing as a sex working in a hopelessly corrupt LAPD, Russell was directed by Sondra Locke, longtime girlfriend and co-star of Clint Eastwood. When Eastwood dumped Locke while she was directing the movie, she fought back, instigating a series of lawsuits that revealed that Eastwood and his studio had conspired against her. Listen
  

• THELMA & LOUISE (EROTIC 90S, PART 4): One of the most controversial movies of the 1990s, Thelma & Louise pushed every hot button of the new decade: date rape, sexual harassment, the failure of the feminist movement to create real change for the working class, and how pissed off women were, or were not, entitled to be about all of the above. Though it made more noise as a media phenomenon than at the box office, Thelma & Louise made so many people so mad that it had the feeling of a turning point. We’ll talk about the anger the movie communicated, the anger it inspired, and debate its lasting legacy. Listen

• THE BLANKS FROM HELL: FATAL ATTRACTION’S CHILDREN (EROTIC 90’S, PART 5): In the five years after the release of Fatal Attraction, Hollywood scrambled to make one movie after another about homes and workplaces invaded and threatened by sexy outsiders. Today we’ll talk about five of these films: Presumed Innocent (1990), The Hand that Rocks the Cradle (1992), Single White Female (1992), Consenting Adults (1992), and The Temp (1993). Listen

• BASIC INSTINCT (EROTIC 90’S, PART 6): One of the biggest hits of 1992, Basic Instinct was sold as Michael Douglas’s return to Fatal Attraction territory, but its success owed to an alchemy of three other creatives: a writer (Joe Eszterhas) who was driven to become the highest-paid scribe in movies; a director (Paul Verhoeven) who was determined to redefine the amount of sex considered acceptable in a Hollywood movie; and a female lead (Sharon Stone) who had waited a long time for her breakout role, and finally found it in a bisexual murderess with the sheen of a Hitchcock blonde. We’ll talk about all of that, detailing the extremely messy production that was protested by LGBT activists – and its screenwriter – virtually from beginning to end, and examine Basic Instinct as a collision of toxicity and commerce that was emblematic of just-pre-Clinton era. Listen

• MURPHY BROWN, DAN QUAYLE AND DAMAGE (EROTIC 90’S, PART 7): In the early 90s, one of the biggest scripted shows on TV was Murphy Brown, starring 40-something Candice Bergen as a product of the 60s whose high-powered career precluded marriage and family. When the character became a single mother, and was criticized for it by vice president Dan Quayle, a massive conversation about “family values” began that would change the culture – and, arguably, American politics. Off-screen, Bergen was married to French filmmaker Louis Malle. While his wife was in the middle of the “family values” maelstrom, Malle was making Damage, one of the most sexually intense films of the 90s, and one which used sexuality to explicitly critique the hypocrisy of politicians. Listen

• 90S LOLITAS, VOLUME 1: DREW BARRYMORE, AMY FISHER AND ALICIA SILVERSTONE (EROTIC 90’S, PART 8): Culture in the 90s was obsessed with the sex lives of teenagers. This is a theme we will come back to several times throughout the season. In this episode, we’ll talk about Drew Barrymore, who became a massive star at age 7 in E.T., went to rehab at 13, became an emancipated minor at 15, and immediately started pushing buttons with naked photo shoots and her comeback role as a murderously seductive teen in Poison Ivy. With teenaged Drew scantily clad in magazines and on screen – and “Long Island Lolita” Amy Fisher making headlines for shooting her adult lover’s wife – the media was eager to exploit the precocious sexuality of other teen girls. But while she made her film debut in the Poison Ivy-esque The Crush, Alicia Silverstone vocally pushed back on being branded “the next Lolita”. Listen

• RED SHOE DIARIES AND SEX ON TV IN THE 90S. (EROTIC 90’S, PART 9): While the MPAA’s confusing and hypocritical ratings decisions were leaving filmmakers flummoxed in the early 90s, cable TV was opening up new possibilities for erotic content. Today we will offer a brief history of sex on TV, and then focus on Red Shoe Diaries, the cheesy-but-charming late night softcore soap that was the brainchild of 9 ½ Weeks writers/producers Zalman King and Patricia Knop. Listen

• MADONNA: SEX, EROTICA AND BODY OF EVIDENCE (EROTIC 90’S, PART 10): In the early 90s, Madonna was the biggest pop star in the world, and she used – and in the minds of some, squandered – her star capital to launch a multi-media exploration of sexuality: the album Erotica and its companion book Sex, followed by her starring role in the much-maligned erotic thriller Body of Evidence. What was Madonna really trying to do in 1992-1993, how was it perceived and misunderstood at the time, and how does the blowback she experienced then relate to how she is being criticized today? Listen

• INDECENT PROPOSAL (EROTIC 90’S, PART 11): Are men okay? Several films from 1993 answered that question with a resounding no. One of the highest-grossing movies of its year, Adrian Lyne’s Indecent Proposal was misunderstood as a gimmick, and its insight into toxic masculinity and male sexual insecurity got lost in a media frenzy, much of it sparked by feminists. What had changed since Lyne’s Fatal Attraction, in Hollywood and in the culture? We’ll also talk about Proposal star Demi Moore as the controversial “diva” of the moment. Listen
  

• SLIVER AND SHARON STONE AS SUPERSTAR (EROTIC 90’S, PART 12): Sharon Stone and Joe Eszterhas’s post-Basic Instinct reunion film was one of the most troubled productions of the 90s. A post-Hitchcock tale of sexual surveillance given a technological update for the 90s, after a long battle with the MPAA the sanitized, R-rated version of Sliver was rejected by critics and audiences, but the movie and the juicy gossip leaked from its production (which included a love pentagon involving both actress and screenwriter) only enhanced Sharon Stone’s aura as an old-school Hollywood star for a decade that didn’t know what to do with her. Listen

• THE LAST SEDUCTION, DISCLOSURE, & FEAR OF THE FEMALE BOSS (EROTIC 90’S, PART 13): The 90s were obsessed with what magazine writer Tad Friend would describe as “do me feminism” – and the attendant fear that men could be victims of female sexual aggression. Two films from 1994 married these anxieties to the still-lingering bugaboo of the 80s, the powerful career woman. But though the female stars of The Last Seduction and Disclosure (Linda Fiorentino and Demi Moore) were styled almost identically, the films had very different points of view on the panic over female power. Listen

• SHOWGIRLS, JADE, AND THE FALL OF JOE ESZTERHAS (EROTIC 90’S, PART 14): Joe Eszterhas’s tenure as the hottest screenwriter in town ended with two notorious 1995 flops: the NC-17 rated Showgirls (directed, like Basic Instinct, by Paul Verhoeven) and Jade (produced, like Sliver, by Robert Evans), We’ll analyze why these films failed to connect with audiences in 1995, and, more importantly, why the media at the time seized on them as major embarrassments for the industry. Listen

• “LESBIAN CHIC”: BOUND AND ANNE HECHE IN WILD SIDE (EROTIC 90’S, PART 15): At the beginning of the 90s, lesbians were a punchline for a male-gaze-oriented media, an easy target for expressing the anxiety that women might not need men after all. By the middle of the decade, women-loving-women had become the heroes of a number of neo-noir crime films, but the culture at large still rejected lesbianism when not intended to arouse men. While The Matrix has widely been reappraised as a trans allegory after the transitions of its directors the Wachowski sisters, their previous feature Bound was transparently queer, but its reception was complicated by the media’s perception of its makers. Bound was released just a few months after the burial of an extremely similar film called Wild Side. Barely seen on its initial release amidst studio recutting and the suicide of its director, today Wild Side plays as a heartbreaking and troubling example of what could have been for its star Anne Heche, who would soon after become one-half of the most famous lesbian couple in Hollywood – and suffer the career consequences. Listen

• CRASH AND DAVID CRONENBERG (EROTIC 90’S, PART 16): One of the only high-profile NC-17 releases post-Showgirls, David Cronenberg’s Crash was the kind of dark adult art film that the rating was supposedly created to support. We’ll talk about how Crash fits into Cronenberg’s filmography, why it was controversial when it premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in 1996 and when it was released in the US in 1997, how it played into the UK general election of 1997, how it functioned as an early warning against charismatic billionaires, and how it embodied a post-Prozac and pre-Viagara moment. Listen

• THE LYNCH FAMILY: BOXING HELENA & LOST HIGHWAY (EROTIC 90’S, PART 17): One of the most notorious – and least seen – erotic narrative films of the 90s, Boxing Helena was the misbegotten passion project of Jennifer Lynch, daughter of David Lynch. Four years after Boxing Helena, the elder Lynch released one of his most controversial films, Lost Highway, which tackles similar themes as Boxing Helena, including male sexual fragility and the “Madonna-Whore” complex. Today, we’ll talk about how Boxing Helena became bigger as a punchline than a movie, and we’ll trace David Lynch’s career as a provocateur to try to explain why his excavation of the dark, sexual core of Americana was celebrated when he made Blue Velvet, and pilloried a dozen years later when he made Lost Highway. Listen

• 90’S LOLITAS VOLUME 2: ADRIAN LYNE’S LOLITA (EROTIC 90’S, PART 18): In the previous decade, Adrian Lyne had made two movies (Fatal Attraction and Indecent Proposal) that had grossed over $100 million in the US alone. With carte blanche to do whatever he wanted, he adapted the Nabokov novel about a 40-year-old pedophile’s obsession with his adolescent step-daughter – and no distributor wanted to release it. In a decade rife with the commodification and sexualization of young teens (see our previous episode on Drew Barrymore), what lines did Lyne’s Lolita cross? Listen

• 90S LOLITAS VOLUME 3: WILD THINGS, CRUEL INTENTIONS AND BRITNEY SPEARS (EROTIC 90’S, PART 19): If Adrian Lyne’s Lolita became a case study of what Hollywood and America didn’t want to acknowledge about its sexualization of young girls, as the 90s came to a close, the culture was full of “acceptable” depictions of teens in heat. Two hit films from 1998 and 1999, Wild Things and Cruel Intentions, adapted classic templates of adult sexual manipulation to turn teen girls into femme fatales (probably not coincidentally, both featured actresses Neve Campbell and Sarah Michelle Gellar, who were famous for playing high school students on TV). Also, no coincidence: these films entered the culture simultaneous to the debut of 17-year-old Britney Spears, whose videos and persona centered her status as “not a girl, not yet a woman.” Listen

• EYES WIDE SHUT, PART 1 (EROTIC 90’S, PART 20): At the peak of their careers, Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman left Hollywood for two years to collaborate with legendary filmmaker Stanley Kubrick on an erotic drama that the media speculated would pull back the curtain on maybe the most fascinating famous couple in the world. Though the meta element can’t be ignored, what Eyes Wide Shut actually ended up being is much more interesting. It’s a culmination of every theme and trope we’ve discussed across Erotic 80s and 90s, and the last film of the twentieth century headlined by American superstars to question the moral rot of the rich and powerful. In part 1 of the Eyes Wide Shut story, we’ll analyze the film and the media frenzy over the mystery of its making. Listen
  

• EYES WIDE SHUT, PART 2, AND THE SEXIEST MAN ALIVE IN 1999 (EROTIC 90S, PART 21): In part 2 of the Eyes Wide Shut story, the movie is finally unveiled, and critics are divided on its quality and the use of digital effects to evade an NC-17 rating. Where could Hollywood eroticism go from here? We’ll wrap up the Erotic 90s story with some thoughts on Richard Gere’s two-decade journey from American Gigolo to becoming PEOPLE Magazine’s 1999 “Sexiest Man Alive,” and other ways in which time and politics combined to make that which was once transgressive harmlessly mainstream. Listen

Eyes Wide Shut, Part 2, and the Sexiest Man Alive in 1999 (Erotic 90s, Part 21)

Listen to this episode on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

In part 2 of the Eyes Wide Shut story, the movie is finally unveiled, and critics are divided on its quality and the use of digital effects to evade an NC-17 rating. Where could Hollywood eroticism go from here? We’ll wrap up the Erotic 90s story with some thoughts on Richard Gere’s two-decade journey from American Gigolo to becoming PEOPLE Magazine’s 1999 “Sexiest Man Alive,” and other ways in which time and politics combined to make that which was once transgressive harmlessly mainstream. 

Nicole Kidman and Tom Cruise at the Eyes Wide Shut premiere, 1999

The orgy scene in Eyes Wide Shut, 1999

SHOW NOTES:  

Sources:

Richard Gere presenting at the 1993 Oscars

“Kubrick is Keeping Mouth Shut on Eyes” by David Gritten, LA Times April 21, 1996

“Enigmatic Kubrick Plays the Phantom Director”  by Richard Brooks, The Observer November 17, 1996

“Genius at Work” by Joanna Blonska, PEOPLE, January 27, 1997

“Keitel’s Heartbreak Hotel” New York, April 21, 1997

“The 93rd Time is The Charm” by Liz Smith, LA Times, April 30, 1997

“Kubrick Pic in Home Stretch” by Michael Fleming, Variety, June 23, 1999

“2,001 Degrees of Security for Kubrick's New Film” by Sarah Lyall, NYTimes, August 7, 1997 

“A Year in the Life: Kubrick’s Shut an Open Case” Variety, September August 14, 1997

“Kubrick Just Can’t Say ‘Cut’” by Paul Mungo, The Independent, September 27, 1997 

"Primal Gere" by John Powers, Vogue, November 1997

“Now Production is Expected to Last “Tom and Nicole Plot Homecoming” Variety December 8, 1997

“An Open-End Project” by Steven Smith, LA Times, January 19, 1998

“Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman Go in with Eyes Wide Shut” by Rebecca Ascher-Walsh, Entertainment Weekly, Jan 23, 1998 

“Dishings” by Michael Fleming, Variety, Feb 12, 1998

“Eyes Wide’ Isn’t Quite Shut Yet” by Chris Petrikin, Variety April 27, 1998

“Kubrick's 'Eyes Wide Shut' Still Open” by Bernard Weinraub, NYTimes, April 28, 1998 

“Kubrick’s Odyssey” PEOPLE, June 29, 1998

“Eyes to See Summer” LA Times, September 10, 1998

“Kubrick Keeps ‘em in Dark with Eyes Wide Shut” by Claudia Eller, Los Angeles Times, September 29, 1998 

“Raphael Cries Cut Over His Kubrick Credit” by Richard Brooks, The Observer, October 4, 1998

“Mouths Wide Open” by Peter Braunstein, Village Voice, December 29, 1998

“Sex ’99.” Movieline, February 1999

“Stanley Kubrick, Film Giant, Dies at 70” by Eric Harrison, LA Times, March 8, 1999 

’Eyes’ Sheds Tear: Kubrick dies days after WB pic’s first screening” By Dan Cox, Variety, March 8, 1999

“TV viewers get Eyes-ful” by Benedict Carter and Joe Adalian, Variety March 12, 1999

“Sex Suit Eyed” by Dana Harris, The Hollywood Reporter, March 22, 1999

“…As ‘Shut’ case opens” by Dan Cox, Variety March 29, 1999

 “Hype: Thomas Gibson” by Joshua Mooney. Movieline, April 1999

“Sex ‘99” Movieline, April 1999

“Eyes Wide Shit Gets R Rating” Mike Goodridge, Screen International, May 7, 1999

“Nicole Kidman, Cover & Feature: Portraits of a Lady by John Powers”, Vogue Magazine, June 1999 

“Eyes Wide Shut Review” by Alexander Walker, London Evening Standard, June 22, 1999

“Just for Variety” by Army Archers, Variety, June 25, 1999

“What They Say About Stanley Kubrick” by Peter Bogdanovich, NYTimes Magazine, July 4, 1999 

“Eyes Wide Shut” by Todd McCarthy, Variety, Jul 12, 1999 

“Cruise & Kidman Like You've Never Seen Them" Cover TIME Magazine, July 12, 1999 

“Eyes Wide Shut: All Eyes On Them” by Richard Schickel TIME Magazine, July 12, 1999 

“MPAA Cuts Eyes for 65 secs” by Todd McCarthy, Variety July 12, 1999

“Secrets and Spies: The Betrayal of Stanley Kubrick” by Peter Braunstein, Village Voice, July 13, 1999

‘Eyes’ in Focus by Patrick Goldstein, LA Times, July 14, 1999 

“Tom Cruise’s PR film Seeks Extensive TV Restrictions” by Brian Lowry, LA Times, July 14, 1999

“The Great Life” by George Christy, THR, July 16, 1999

“Kubrick, Edited” by Bernard Weinraub, New York Times, July 16, 1999

Eyes Wide Shut Review on Charlie Rose, July 16, 1999 

“Eyes Wide Shut” by Roger Ebert, July 16, 1999

“In Kubrick's 'Eyes': Mesmerizing Revelations” by Desson Howe, Washington Post, July 16, 1999 

“‘Eyes’ That See Too Much” by Kenneth Turan, LA Times, July 16, 1999 

“Bedroom Odyssey” by Janet Maslin, NYTimes, July 16, 1999 

“Big Check, Big Stars as Shut Opens” by Kathleen Craughwell, LA Times, July 16, 1999 

“Downcast ‘Eyes’?” LA Daily News, July 17, 1999

“A film about sex by a man shy with it” by David Thomson, The Independent, July 18, 1999

“Cinemascore: Eyes Wide Shut” THR, July 20, 1999

“Show Me the Money Shot” by Paul Cullum, July 23, 1999

“A Connoisseur of Cool Tries to Raise the Temperature” by Michiko Kakutani, NYTimes, July 18, 1999 

“Critics blast MPAA, WB for altering ‘Eyes’ by Charles Lyons, July 22, 1999

“Critics Blast digital editing of Eyes orgy”by Kirk Honeycutt, The Hollywood Reporter, July 22, 1999

“Eyes Wide Shut” by Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly, July 23, 1999 

“EYES of the STORM” by Benjamin Svetkey, Entertainment Weekly, July 23, 1999 

“Censorship costs in the land of the free” by Mike Goodridge, Screen International, July 23, 1999

Critics Assail Ratings Board Over 'Eyes Wide Shut' by Bernard Weinraub, NYTimes, July 28, 1999 

“Uncovering the Danger in his ‘Eyes’by Eric Harrison, LA Times, July 30, 1999

“Kubrick’s Depth of Field” by Bill Desowtiz, LA Times, July 30, 1999

'EYES WIDE SHUT'; Confessing Wives, Letter to the Editor, Aug. 1, 1999 

'EYES WIDE SHUT'; Defending Kubrick, Letter to the Editor, NYTimes, Aug. 1, 1999 

'EYES WIDE SHUT'; Detached at the Orgy, Letter to the Editor, Aug. 1, 1999 

'EYES WIDE SHUT'; Smart Alice, Letter to the Editor, NYTimes, Aug. 1, 1999 

'EYES WIDE SHUT'; Bad Translations, Letter to the Editor, NYTimes, Aug. 8, 1999 

'EYES WIDE SHUT'; Don't Call Him Cold, Letter to the Editor, NYTimes, Aug. 8, 1999 

“Eyes Strain” by Tom Gilatto, PEOPLE, August 16, 1999

“High Gere” by Merle Ginsberg, W Magazine, August 1999

'EYES WIDE SHUT'; In Plain English, Letter to the Editor, NYTimes, Aug. 22, 1999 

“By Treating Audiences with Kid Gloves, The MPAA Delivers a lethal blow to grown-up fare” by Peter Braunstein, Village Voice, August 31, 1999

“In Venice, ‘Eyes’ grudge laid bare” by Dana Harris and Nick Vivarelli, The Hollywood Reporter September 2, 1999

“Eyes Wide Open for Cruise and Kidman” by David Thomas, The Observer, September 5, 1999

“Maslin bails, critics rail” Salon, by Sean Elder, September 23, 1999

“Janet Maslin, 50, Quits The Times: Loved ‘Eyes Wide Shut,’ Hated ‘Gummo’” by Carl Swanson, September 27, The Observer, September 27, 1999

"Why the Media Kept Their Eyes Wide Shut" by Katherine Rosman, Brill's Content, October 1999

“Richard Gere: Sexiest Man Alive 1999” PEOPLE, November 15, 1999

“Eyes still shut to orgy on vid version” by Scott Hettrick, The Hollywood Reporter, January 14, 2000

“Completely Missing Kubrick” by Michael Herr, Vanity Fair, April, 2000

Sam Kinison/Richard Gere Forum, Firehouse.com, 2001

“NC-17 Comes Out From Hiding” BY Elaine Dutka, LA Times, April 20, 2004

“His object of desire” The Guardian, September 2006 

“A New Exhibit Highlights Cultural Decadence of Weimar Germany” by Roberta Smith NYTimes, Oct. 24, 2006

“Nicole Kidman on Life With Tom Cruise Through Stanley Kubrick’s Lens” by Merle Ginsberg, The Hollywood Reporter, Oct 24, 2012 

“A Complete History Of Gerbiling So Far” The Awl, November 19, 2012

“Oral History: The Eyes Wide Shut Orgy Scene” by Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, July 27, 2019

“All the Sexiest Man Alive Covers” People, November 8, 2022

“A Highly Questionable Cultural History Of Richard Gere’s Ass Gerbil” Mel Magazine

The Stanley Kubrick Archives edited by Alison Castle

Kubrick by Michael Herr

Eyes Wide Shut (BFI Film Classics) by Michel Chion

Eyes Wide Open by Frederic Raphael

Stanley Kubrick and the Making of His Final Film by Robert P. Kolker and Nathan Abrams

Please note: as an Amazon Associate, Karina earns from qualifying purchases. #ad

Richard Gere in Runaway Bride, 1999

Credits:

This episode was written, narrated, and produced by Karina Longworth.

Our editor this season is Evan Viola. 

Research and production assistant: Lindsey D. Schoenholtz.

Social media assistant: Brendan Whalen.

Logo design: Teddy Blanks.

Eyes Wide Shut, Part 1 (Erotic 90’s, Part 20)

Listen to this episode on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

At the peak of their careers, Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman left Hollywood for two years to collaborate with legendary filmmaker Stanley Kubrick on an erotic drama that the media speculated would pull back the curtain on maybe the most fascinating famous couple in the world. Though the meta element can’t be ignored, what Eyes Wide Shut actually ended up being is much more interesting. It’s a culmination of every theme and trope we’ve discussed across Erotic 80s and 90s, and the last film of the twentieth century headlined by American superstars to question the moral rot of the rich and powerful. In part 1 of the Eyes Wide Shut story, we’ll analyze the film and the media frenzy over the mystery of its making.

Nicole Kidman, Eyes Wide Shut, 1999

SHOW NOTES:  

Sources:

“Kubrick is Keeping Mouth Shut on Eyes” by David Gritten, LA Times April 21, 1996

“Enigmatic Kubrick Plays the Phantom Director”  by Richard Brooks, The Observer November 17, 1996

“Genius at Work” by Joanna Blonska, PEOPLE, January 27, 1997

“Keitel’s Heartbreak Hotel” New York, April 21, 1997

“The 93rd Time is The Charm” by Liz Smith, LA Times, April 30, 1997

“Kubrick Pic in Home Stretch” by Michael Fleming, Variety, June 23, 1997

“2,001 Degrees of Security for Kubrick's New Film” by Sarah Lyall, NYTimes, August 7, 1997 

“A Year in the Life: Kubrick’s Shut an Open Case” Variety, September August 14, 1997

“Kubrick Just Can’t Say ‘Cut’” by Paul Mungo, The Independent, September 27, 1997 

“Now Production is Expected to Last “Tom and Nicole Plot Homecoming” Variety December 8, 1997

“An Open-End Project” by Steven Smith, LA Times, January 19, 1998

“Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman Go in with Eyes Wide Shut” by Rebecca Ascher-Walsh, Entertainment Weekly, Jan 23, 1998 

“Dishings” by Michael Fleming, Variety, Feb 12, 1998

“Eyes Wide’ Isn’t Quite Shut Yet” by Chris Petrikin, Variety April 27, 1998

“Kubrick's 'Eyes Wide Shut' Still Open” by Bernard Weinraub, NYTimes, April 28, 1998 

“Kubrick’s Odyssey” PEOPLE, June 29, 1998

“Eyes to See Summer” LA Times, September 10, 1998

“Kubrick Keeps ‘em in Dark with Eyes Wide Shut” by Claudia Eller, Los Angeles Times, September 29, 1998 

“Raphael Cries Cut Over His Kubrick Credit” by Richard Brooks, The Observer, October 4, 1998

“Mouths Wide Open” by Peter Braunstein, Village Voice, December 29, 1998

“Stanley Kubrick, Film Giant, Dies at 70” by Eric Harrison, LA Times, March 8, 1999 

“Sex Suit Eyed” by Dana Harris, The Hollywood Reporter, March 22, 1999

“Hype: Thomas Gibson” by Joshua Mooney. Movieline, April 1999

“Sex ‘99” Movieline, April 1999

“Nicole Kidman, Cover & Feature: Portraits of a Lady by John Powers”, Vogue Magazine, June 1999 

“Eyes Wide Shut Review” by Alexander Walker, London Evening Standard, June 22, 1999

“Just for Variety” by Army Archers, Variety, June 25, 1999

“What They Say About Stanley Kubrick” by Peter Bogdanovich, NYTimes Magazine, July 4, 1999 

“Eyes Wide Shut” by Todd McCarthy, Variety, Jul 12, 1999 

“Cruise & Kidman Like You've Never Seen Them" Cover TIME Magazine, July 12, 1999 

“Eyes Wide Shut: All Eyes On Them” by Richard Schickel TIME Magazine, July 12, 1999 

“Secrets and Spies: The Betrayal of Stanley Kubrick” by Peter Braunstein, Village Voice, July 13, 1999

‘Eyes’ in Focus by Patrick Goldstein, LA Times, July 14, 1999 

“Kubrick, Edited” by Bernard Weinraub, New York Times, July 16, 1999

Eyes Wide Shut Review on Charlie Rose, July 16, 1999 

“Eyes Wide Shut” by Roger Ebert, July 16, 1999

“In Kubrick's 'Eyes': Mesmerizing Revelations” by Desson Howe, Washington Post, July 16, 1999 

“‘Eyes’ That See Too Much” by Kenneth Turan, LA Times, July 16, 1999 

“Bedroom Odyssey” by Janet Maslin, NYTimes, July 16, 1999 

“A Connoisseur of Cool Tries to Raise the Temperature” by Michiko Kakutani, NYTimes, July 18, 1999 

“Eyes Wide Shut” by Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly, July 23, 1999 

“EYES of the STORM” by Benjamin Svetkey, Entertainment Weekly, July 23, 1999 

“Critics Assail Ratings Board Over 'Eyes Wide Shut' “ by Bernard Weinraub, NYTimes, July 28, 1999 

“Uncovering the Danger in his ‘Eyes’by Eric Harrison, LA Times, July 30, 1999

“Kubrick’s Depth of Field” by Bill Desowtiz, LA Times, July 30, 1999

'EYES WIDE SHUT'; Confessing Wives, Letter to the Editor, Aug. 1, 1999 

'EYES WIDE SHUT'; Defending Kubrick, Letter to the Editor, NYTimes, Aug. 1, 1999 

'EYES WIDE SHUT'; Detached at the Orgy, Letter to the Editor, Aug. 1, 1999 

'EYES WIDE SHUT'; Smart Alice, Letter to the Editor, NYTimes, Aug. 1, 1999 

‘EYES WIDE SHUT'; Bad Translations, Letter to the Editor, NYTimes, Aug. 8, 1999 

‘EYES WIDE SHUT'; Don't Call Him Cold, Letter to the Editor, NYTimes, Aug. 8, 1999 

'EYES WIDE SHUT'; In Plain English, Letter to the Editor, NYTimes, Aug. 22, 1999 

“Completely Missing Kubrick” by Michael Herr, Vanity Fair, April, 2000

“A New Exhibit Highlights Cultural Decadence of Weimar Germany” by Roberta Smith, NYTimes, Oct. 24, 2006

Nicole Kidman on Life With Tom Cruise Through Stanley Kubrick’s Lens by Merle Ginsberg, The Hollywood Reporter, Oct 24, 2012 

“Oral History: The Eyes Wide Shut Orgy Scene” by Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, July 27, 2019

The Stanley Kubrick Archives edited by Alison Castle

Kubrick by Michael Herr

Eyes Wide Shut (BFI Film Classics) by Michel Chion

Eyes Wide Open by Frederic Raphael

Stanley Kubrick and the Making of His Final Film by Robert P. Kolker and Nathan Abrams

Please note: as an Amazon Associate, Karina earns from qualifying purchases. #ad

Nicole Kidman and Tom Cruise, Eyes Wide Shut, 1999

Eyes Wide Shut, 1999

Music:

The music used in this episode, with the exception of the intro, was sourced from royalty-free music libraries and licensed music collections. The intro includes a clip from the film Casablanca.  

Excerpts from the following songs were used throughout the episode: 

Pxl Htra - The Fence
Pacing - TinyTiny Trio
Thumbscrew - Sketchbook
Vdet - Fjell
Pastel de Nata - Orange Cat
True Blue Sky - Bitters
Chaunce Libertine - Vermouth
Daymaze - Orange Cat
Borough - Molerider
JoDon - Orange Cat

Nicole Kidman in Eyes Wide Shut, 1999

Credits:

This episode was written, narrated, and produced by Karina Longworth.

Our editor this season is Evan Viola. 

Research and production assistant: Lindsey D. Schoenholtz.

Social media assistant: Brendan Whalen.

Logo design: Teddy Blanks.

Stanley Kubrick, Tom Cruise, and Nicole Kidman on the set of Eyes Wide Shut (1999)

90s Lolitas Volume 3: Wild Things, Cruel Intentions and Britney Spears (Erotic 90’s, Part 19)

Listen to this episode on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

If Adrian Lyne’s Lolita became a case study of what Hollywood and America didn’t want to acknowledge about its sexualization of young girls, as the 90s came to a close, the culture was full of “acceptable” depictions of teens in heat. Two hit films from 1998 and 1999, Wild Things and Cruel Intentions adapted classic templates of adult sexual manipulation to turn teen girls into femme fatales (probably not coincidentally, both featured actresses Neve Campbell and Sarah Michelle Gellar, who were famous for playing high school students on TV). Also, no coincidence: these films entered the culture simultaneous to the debut of 17-year-old Britney Spears, whose videos and persona centered her status as “not a girl, not yet a woman.”

Denise Richards and Matt Dillon, Wild Things, 1998

SHOW NOTES:  

Sources:

“Interview: Neve Campbell, It's her party. Scream all you want” by Janchee Dunn, Rolling Stone, Sept 18, 1997

“Wild Things” (cover story) by Benjamin Svetkey, Entertainment Weekly. 02/20/98-02/27/98, Issue 419/420

“The Lust Waltz” by Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly. February 27, 1998

“Wild Things” by Roger Ebert, March 20, 1998

“Schoolgirls Make Alligators Look Like Ingenues” by Janet Maslin, NYTimes, March 20, 1998

“‘Wild Things’ Runs Rampant With Twists and Surprises” by Jack Mathews, LA Times, March 20, 1998

“‘Wild’ Rationale Bared” LA Times, April 4, 1998

“Wild Things” by Leonard Klady, Variety, March 27, 1998

“Kevin Bacon: Twisting and Turning in Wild Things” by Tom Provenzano, Drama-logue, March, 1998

“Neve Campbell” Drama-logue, March, 1998

“Film Review: Wild Things” by Leonard Klady, Variety, March 18, 1998

“To Die For” by Amy Taubin, Village Voice March 24, 1998

Stewart Klaxons’ Film Column, The Nation, April 2, 1998

“Movies” by David Denby, New York Magazine, April 6, 1998

“Wild Things” by Tom Charity, Time Out London, May 13, 1998 

Advertorial for the Buffy the Vampire Slayer prom dress collection, Seventeen Magazine, April 1999 

“…As ‘Shut’ case opens” by Dan Cox, Variety March 29, 1999

“A Woodstock Where Teeny Is Everything” by Neil Strauss, NYTimes, July 6, 1999

“Too Sexy, Too Soon?” Brittany Spears Cover Story, People Magazine, February, 2000

“Britney’s Wild Ride” by Alex Tresniowski, Elizabeth Leonard, Julie Jordan, Chris Coats, and Olivia Abel, PEOPLE, February 14, 2000

“US politician Joins Britney in Pepsi Advert” by Julia Day, The Guardian, Mar 20, 2001

“Pop Goes the Boom?” Cover Story by Josh Wolk, Entertainment Weekly, June 8, 2001

“'Britney Spears wanted to be a star': An oral history of '...Baby One More Time'” by Jessica M. Goldstein, Entertainment Weekly, October 23, 2018

“Britney: Do as I say, not as I do. She wonders why people fret that she's too sexy, but she doesn't think kids should emulate her” by Gary Susman, Entertainment Weekly, October 27, 2003

“The Total Film Interview - Matt Dillon”, Total Film September 01, 2005

“The Tragedy of Britney Spears, She was a pop princess. Now she's in and out of hospitals, rehab and court. How Britney lost it all” by Vanessa Grigoriadis, Rolling Stone, February 21, 2008

“Twenty Years Ago We Had a Countdown to Britney's 18th Birthday Christopher Barnard considers—what have we learned since?” by Christopher Barnard, VICE, December 1, 2019

“The 100 Greatest Debut Singles of All Time” Rolling Stone, May 19, 2020

“Like A Virgin: How Purity Culture Harmed Britney Spears & A Generation Of Pop Stars” by Danielle Campoamor, Refinery 29, July 1, 2021

“Britney Spears Was Never in Control Why did I ever believe a teen girl could hold all the power?” by Tavi Gevinson, The Cut, Feb. 23, 2021

Wild Things homoerotic shower scene between Matt Dillon and Kevin Bacon was cut from movie, director says "They were supposed to look each other up and down and then wham — go at it." by Emlyn Travis, Entertainment Weekly, March 18, 2023

“Why TLC Said 'Hell No' To Britney's '...Baby One More Time' T-Boz and Chilli explain why they passed on the pop princess' debut single” by Cory Midgarden, MTV.com, October 17, 2013

Wild Things Turns 25: RARE On-Set Interviews, Entertainment Weekly

Please note: as an Amazon Associate Karina earns from qualifying purchases. #ad

Britney Spears in the Baby One More Time video, 1999

Britney Spears by David Lachapelle, 1999

Music:

The music used in this episode, with the exception of the intro, was sourced from royalty-free music libraries and licensed music collections. The intro includes a clip from the film Casablanca.  

Excerpts from the following songs were used throughout the episode: 

Benbient - Canton Becker
Riesling - Cafe Nostro
I Knew A Guy - Kevin MacLeod
An Unknown Visitor - Cold Case
Bellow's Hull - Reflections
True Blue Sky - Bitters
Line Exchange - Marble Run
Lick Stick - Nursery
House of Grendel - Lemuel
One Quiet Conversation - K2
Levanger - Lillehammer
Junca - Orange Cat

Cruel Intentions, 1999

Credits:

This episode was written, narrated, and produced by Karina Longworth.

Our editor this season is Evan Viola. 

Research and production assistant: Lindsey D. Schoenholtz.

Social media assistant: Brendan Whalen.

Logo design: Teddy Blanks.

90’s Lolitas Volume 2: Adrian Lyne’s Lolita (Erotic 90’s, Part 18)

Listen to this episode on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

In the previous decade, Adrian Lyne had made two movies (Fatal Attraction and Indecent Proposal) that had grossed over $100 million in the US alone. With carte blanche to do whatever he wanted, he made an adaptation of the Nabokov novel about a 40-year-old pedophile’s obsession with his adolescent step-daughter – and no distributor wanted to release it. In a decade rife with the commodification and sexualization of young teens (see our previous episode on Drew Barrymore), what lines did Lyne’s Lolita cross?

Adrian Lyne, Jeremy Irons and Dominique Swain on-set of Lolita

SHOW NOTES:  

Sources:

“Vladimir Nabokov, The Art of Fiction No. 40” Interviewed by Herbert Gold, Paris Review,  Summer-Fall 1967, No. 41 

“A ‘Lolita’ for the ‘90s” by Sean Mitchell And John M. Wilson, LA Times, June 10, 1990 

“‘Lolita’ Loses Her Chaperon” by Judy Brennan, LATimes, Sept. 24, 1995

“New ''Lolita'' struggles to find a U.S. distributor Director Adrian Lyne's film version of the classic book has raised a few eyebrows” by Benjamin Svetkey, Entertainment Weekly, August 09, 1996

“Another Fatal Attraction?” by Christopher Goodwin, The Sunday Times of London, Sept 8, 1996

“New Law Expanding Legal Definition Of Child Pornography Draws Fire” by John Schwartz, Washington Post, October 4, 1996

“Lolita in Hollywood” by Tad Friend, Vogue, November 1996

“Waiting for Humbert” by David Gates and Corie Brown, Newsweek, Dec 16, 1996

“Nobokov Cocktail” by Charles Fleming, Vanity Fair, January 1997

“Lolita Comes Again” by Elizabeth Kaye, Esquire, February 1997

“Lost Without a Screen: the Fate of 'Orphan' Films” by Ingrid Abramovitch, NYTimes, March 9, 1997

“Nymph Mania” by Richard Goldstein, Village Voice, June 17, 1997

“How Do you Solve a Problem Like Lolita?” by Rachel Ambromovitz, Premiere Magazine, Sept. 1997, Pg. 80

”Lolita 1995: The Four Filmscripts” by Christopher C. Hudgins, Literature Film Quarterly. 1997, Vol. 25 Issue 1, p23. 7p.

“A New ‘Lolita’ Stalls in Europe” by Celestine Bohlen, NYTimes, Sept 23, 1997

“Debutante `Lolita' spurs debate” Variety Magazine via The Free Library, 09/29/97, Vol. 368 Issue 8, p22. 1/2p.

Lolita Chic: Nasty Fashion-Speak by Suzy Menkes, International Herald Tribune, Oct. 7, 1997

“Lolita's Fatal Attraction” Newsweek, October 5, 1997

“A Movie America Can't See” by Caryn James, NYTimes, March 15, 1998

“Too Hot for Hollywood? Try Cable” By J. Max Robins, TV Guide, July 25, 1998

“In Hollywood, Almost Anything Goes--Except for ‘Lolita,’ That Is” by Claudia Eller, LA Times, July 31, 1998

“Revisiting a Dangerous Obsession” by Caryn James, NYTimes, July 31, 1998

“Think Tank; 'Lolita' Turns 40, Still Arguing for A Right to Exist” by Sarah Boxer, NYTimes, Aug. 1, 1998

“Lolita: Great Novel or Not, the Movie Is a Pedophile's Fantasy” by Nancy Marsden, Christian Science Monitor, August 3, 1998

“New ‘Lolita’ Does Terrible Disservice to Nabokov--and to Our Children” by Paul Maurer, LATimes, Aug. 3, 1998

“High and Lo” by Tom Carson, LA Weekly, Aug 11, 1998

“Problem Child” by Tom Gilatto and Elizabeth Leonard, People, Aug 17, 1998

“The Girl Can’t Help It” by Alyssa Katz, The Nation, August 24, 1998

“Moved to a Large Screen, 'Lolita' in All Its Detail” by Janet Maslin, NYTimes, Sept. 25, 1998

“The Lasting Effects of the Lolita Complex, Lacy Warner examines the downward turn of actress Dominique Swain’s career, and how the trouble began the moment she grew up” by Lacy Warner, Longreads.com, November 16, 2018

Adrian Lyne Interview w/ Charlie Rose, Lolita, 1998 

“Two Years After Fuss, Lyne’s ‘Lolita’ Goes on Sale” by Susan King, LA Times, Oct. 14, 1999

“Fiona Apple: The Time Is Ripe with 'Pawn,' Singer Moves To a More Mature Beat” by Richard Harrington, Washington Post, Sunday, November 28, 1999

“'Unfaithful': Unfathomable Attraction” by Stephen Hunter, Washington Post, May 10, 2002

“An Affair To Forget: How To Make Adultery Boring” by Lou Lumenick, NY Post, May 8, 2002

“On the Subjective Æsthetic of Adrian Lyne’s Lolita” by Michael Da Silva, Senses of Cinema,  September 2009

“The Lasting Effects of the Lolita Complex; Lacy Warner examines the downward turn of actress Dominique Swain’s career, and how the trouble began the moment she grew up” by Lacy Warner, Longreads.com, November 16, 2018

“Fiona Apple’s Art of Radical Sensitivity” by Emily Nussbaum, March 16, 2020 

Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov  

Lolita: The Book of the Film by Stephen Schiff

Please note: as an Amazon Associate Karina earns from qualifying purchases. #ad

Dominic Swain, Lolita, 1997

Sue Lyon in Kubrick's Lolita, 1962

Music:

The music used in this episode, with the exception of the intro, was sourced from royalty-free music libraries and licensed music collections. The intro includes a clip from the film Casablanca.  

Excerpts from the following songs were used throughout the episode: 

Rumoi Night - Kokura Station
Chai Belltini - Vermouth
Deixa - Orange Cat
Copley Beat - Skittle
Kalsted - Lillehammer
Gra Landsby - Fjell
Holo - Grey River
Levanger - Lillehammer
Cloud Line - K4
Ether Variant - Reflection
Bask VX - Limoncello
Metropolis Calling - Kittyhawk
Cinema Pathetic - Banana Cream
An Unknown Visitor - Cold Case 

Dominic Swain, Lolita, 1997

Credits:

This episode was written, narrated, and produced by Karina Longworth.

Our editor this season is Evan Viola. 

Research and production assistant: Lindsey D. Schoenholtz.

Social media assistant: Brendan Whalen.

Logo design: Teddy Blanks.

The Lynch Family: Boxing Helena & Lost Highway (Erotic 90’s, Part 17)

Listen to this episode on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

One of the most notorious – and least seen – erotic narrative films of the 90s, Boxing Helena was the misbegotten passion project of Jennifer Lynch, daughter of David Lynch. Four years after Boxing Helena, the elder Lynch released one of his most controversial films, Lost Highway, which tackles similar themes as Boxing Helena, including male sexual fragility and the “Madonna-Whore” complex. Today, we’ll talk about how Boxing Helena became bigger as a punchline than a movie, and we’ll trace David Lynch’s career as a provocateur to try to explain why his excavation of the dark, sexual core of Americana was celebrated when he made Blue Velvet, and pilloried a dozen years later when he made Lost Highway.

SHOW NOTES:  

Sources:

“A Time Bomb Named Robert Blake Re-Explodes As Baretta” by Lois Armstrong, People April 28, 1975

“The Ins and Outs of 'Boxing Helena'” by Anne Thompson NYTimes, July 5, 1992 

“Boxing Helena Rated NC-17” by David J. Fox, LA Times, Jan. 14, 1993 

“Festgoers back ‘Boxing’ on NC-17” by Donna Parker, The Hollywood Reporter, 1-26-93

“The Talk of Sundance; The Winners and Notable Losers at Sundance” by Bernard Weinraub, NYTimes, Feb. 1, 1993 

“Kim Basinger Court Case Shines Light on Deal-Making : Trial: The ‘Boxing Helena’ lawsuit is the second recent high-profile dispute involving a star’s defection from a project. The way the industry does business is what is on trial here.’” by David J. Fox, LA Times, March 1, 1993 

“Basinger Tells Court Why She Refused Script” by Robert W. Welkos, La Times, March 9, 1993 

“Boxing Helena” LA Times, March 20, 1993 

Movies by Daniel Cerone, LA Times, May 22, 1993 

''Boxing Helena'''s controversies - How the film's strange marriage of love and amputation turned off much of Hollywood” by Giselle Benatar, Entertainment Weekly, April 09, 1993 

“Helena to do battle with NC-17” by Susan Ayscough, Variety, July 12, 1993

“Just for Variety” by Army Archerd, Variety, July 28, 1993

“Shadow Boxing : ‘Helena’ director fears that with the heavily publicized baggage about Madonna and Kim Basinger accompanying the film, practically no one will see without prejudice the movie she, David Lynch’s daughter, made” by Steve Weinstein, La Times, Aug. 29, 1993 

“At the Movies: ‘Boxing Helena’” by Dolores Barclay, AP, September 2, 1993 

“Boxing Helena; A Kinky, Macabre Tale Of Erotic Fascination” by Janet Maslin, NYTimes, Sept. 3, 1993 

“Boxing Helena” by Peter Travers, Rolling Stone, September 3, 1993 

“Marketing ‘Helena’ Will Test Orion’s Mettle” by Alan Citron, LA Times, September 3, 1993

“‘Helena’” Bizarre MorbidityWithout a Sense of Style” by Kevin Thomas, LA Times, Sept 3, 1993

“Lynch Kin” by Nancy Blaine, LA Village View, Sept. 3-9, 1993

“‘Boxing Helena’ Degrades Us All” by Bonnie Moran, LA Times, Sept. 20, 1993 

“Film Review: Boxing Helena” Todd McCarthy, Variety, January 25, 1994

“The Marriage of Heaven and Hell” by Juan Morales, Detour, November, 1995

“Talking With…Robert Blake” People, Dec 18, 1995

“October Toll for Lunch ‘Highway’ is $10 Million” The Hollywood Reporter, May 13, 1996

“David Lynch Keeps His Head” by David Foster Wallace, Premiere, Sept, 1996 

“David Lynch’s Wanted Weirdness” by Graham Fuller, Interview, Feb 1997 

A Pinewood Dialogue With David Lynch at the American Museum of the Moving Image, Feb 16, 1997 

“Living for the Odd Moments Along Lynch’s ‘Highway’” by Kenneth Turan, LA Times, Feb. 21, 1997 

“Lost Highway” by Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly, February 21, 1997 

Siskel & Ebert - Lost Highway, 1997 

“David Lynch pulls onto the ‘Lost Highway’ Entrance Ramp” by Mark Ehrman, LA Times, Feb 20, 1997

“Lost Highway” by Roger Ebert, February 27, 1997 

“Blue Route” by David Denby, New York Magazine, March 3, 1997 

“David Lynch and Trent Reznor: The Lost Boys Five years after leaving "Twin Peaks," David Lynch has moved to an even darker place with his new movie, 'Lost Highway.' And he's taken Trent Reznor with him” by Mikal Gilmore, Rolling Stone, March 6, 1997 

“Getting Lynched” by Dziemianowicz, Joe, Entertainment Weekly, March 28, 1997

“To Die For” by David Grann, New Republic, August 13, 2001 

Lost Highway Extra, Interview with David Lynch 

“Prime Time Blood,” by Dominick Dunne, Vanity Fair, May 2003

“The People vs Robert Blake” by Miles Corwin, Playboy, Feb 2004

“'Even Hitler deserved to be loved' Boxing Helena, Jennifer Lynch's first film, attracted such vicious criticism the director disappeared for 15 years. John Patterson salutes her return - and her new movie” by John Patterson, The Guardian, Feb 26, 2009 

“Chick In A Box Case File #144: Boxing Helena” by Nathan Rabin, AV Club, August 19, 2009 

Jennifer Lynch--The Hollywood Interview, November 2009 

“More Than David's Daughter: An Interview with Jennifer Lynch” Director and screenwriter Jennifer Lynch looks back at two decades of searching for artistic truth…and getting a lot of shit for it” by Jason Webber, VICE, September 25, 2012

Lynch on Lynch by Chris Rodley

Room to Dream by David Lynch and Kristine McKenna

Please note: as an Amazon Associate Karina earns from qualifying purchases. #ad

Jennifer Lynch, Director of Boxing Helena

Music:

The music used in this episode, with the exception of the intro, was sourced from royalty-free music libraries and licensed music collections. The intro includes a clip from the film Casablanca.  

Excerpts from the following songs were used throughout the episode: 

Benbient - Canton Becker
The Killjoy Brothers - Kittyhawk
Chai Belltini - Vermouth
Jo Don - Orange Cat
Two Fleet - Makropulos
I Knew A Guy - Kevin MacLeod
Daymaze - Orange Cat
Neon Drip - RadioPink
Cobalt Blue - Marble Run
Glass Stopper - Vermouth
FasterFasterBrighter - Ray Catcher

Patricia Arquette, Lost Highway, 1997

Credits:

This episode was written, narrated, and produced by Karina Longworth.

Our editor this season is Evan Viola. 

Research and production assistant: Lindsey D. Schoenholtz.

Social media assistant: Brendan Whalen.

Logo design: Teddy Blanks.

Robert Blake, Lost Highway, 1997

Crash and David Cronenberg (Erotic 90’s, Part 16)

Listen to this episode on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

One of the only high-profile NC-17 releases post-Showgirls, David Cronenberg’s Crash was the kind of dark adult art film that the rating was supposedly created to support. We’ll talk about how Crash fits into Cronenberg’s filmography, why it was controversial when it premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in 1996 and when it was released in the US in 1997, how it played into the UK general election of 1997, how it functioned as an early warning against charismatic billionaires, and how it embodied a post-Prozac and pre-Viagara moment.

David Cronenberg

SHOW NOTES:  

Sources:

“The Examined Life Is Not Worth Living Either” by Michiko Kakutani, NY Times, Sept. 20, 1994

“New Line to Join Ted Turner Empire Today: Film: With more money, the company is likely to add a few big movies to its annual production schedule” by James Bates, LA Times, Jan. 28, 1994

“Alternative Rockers Think Big, Uneasily” by Jon Pareles, NY Times, October 22, 1995

“Crash Rocks Cannes” Los Angeles Times, May 18, 1996

“Cronenberg Tries to Clear Crash Site” by Louise Bateman. Hollywood Reporter, May 20, 1996

“CRITIC'S NOTEBOOK: Cannes Finally Gets a Noisy Controversy” by Janet Maslin, NYTimes, May 20, 1996 

Cannes Coverage: “Mike Leigh Film Takes Top Festival Honors, Again” by Kenneth Turan, LA Times, May 21, 1996 

“Secrets and Lies' Wins the Top Prize at Cannes” by Janet Maslin, NY Times, May 21, 1996

Crash Cannes press conference, 1996 

Siskel & Ebert: Crash, 1996 

“Fine Line Faces Crash test” by Colin Brown, Screen International, May 24, 1996

Cronenberg and Ballard: Talking Crash 1996

“Planes, Trains & Auto(erotic)mobiles” by Elizabeth Pincus, LA Weekly, May 31 1996

“No Clash Over Crash NC-17” by Dan Cox, Variety May 31, 1996

“Swept Away” by Georgia Brown, Village Voice, June 4, 1996

“Ace of Spader” by Dennis Hensley, Detour Magazine, September 1996

“Director defends ‘perverted’ film” by Dalya Alberge, The Times of London, November 9, 1996

“Canada's 'Crash' Hit Doesn't Fly England, U.S., Others Leery Of Shocking Film” by Howard Schneider, Washington Post, November 30, 1996

“No smooth ride for explicit 'Crash'” CNN, November 22, 1996 

“Canada's 'Crash' Hit Doesn't Fly England, U.S., Others Leery Of Shocking Film” by Howard Schneider, Washington Post, November 30, 1996 

“Crash Barriers and Chinese Walls” by Charles Fleming, LA Weekly, December 6, 1996

“Censors to allow Crash to be screened in Britain” The Sunday Times of London, Dec 22 1996

“The Road To "Crash" by Tom Shone, New Yorker, March 9, 1997 

“A Director Collides With the Proprieties” by Anthony Depalma, NY Times, March 19, 1997

“Crash Controversy” Los Angeles Times, March 21 1997

“Cronenberg on a ‘Crash’ Course With Eroticism” by Kenneth Turan, LA Times, March 21, 1997 

“`Crash' Appeal No Accident / Sex, death and David Cronenberg make for a daring mix” by Edward Guthmann, SF Gate, March 21, 1997 

“Sex & Wrecks” by Wade Major, Entertainment Today, March 21 1997

Crash Review by Roger Ebert, March 21, 1997 

“Cold Leatherette” by Manhols Dargis, LA Weekly, March 24, 1997

“Crash’-ing The Theaters” Variety, March 24, 1997

“Kiss, Kiss—Kaboom! Some of today’s millennial filmmakers seem obsessed with sex and death as the ultimate highs” by Jack Kroll. Newsweek March 24, 1997

“Crash Test” by Amy Taubin, Village Voice, March 25, 1997

“An Orgy of Bent Fenders and Bent Love” by Janet Maslin, NY Times, March 21, 1997 

“Unsettling Visions Of the Erotic” by Stephen Holden, NYTimes, March 30, 1997 

“Just What Is the Film ‘Crash’ Driving At?” by Sallie Tisdale, LA Times, April 5, 1997 

“Set for collision” by David Cronenberg and J. G. Ballard, Index on Censorship, Volume 26, Issue Pages3-223, May 3 1997 

“Crash burned in West End” by Adam Dawtrey, Variety, May 22, 1997

“Star Vehicle” Time Out London, May 28, 1997 

“Home Video” by Peter M. Nichols, NYTimes, Dec. 12, 1997 

“Crash: The Family-Values Edition” Robs Movie Vault 

“Dead Man’s Curve: David Cronenberg’s ‘Crash,’ 25 Years After Cannes” by Adam Nayman  May 20, 2021 

“Yours extremely, David Cronenberg and Bruce Wagner” by Cronenberg, David; Wagner, Bruce. Interview. Aug 1996, p64-64. 1p. 

“A Director Collides With the Proprieties” by Anthony Depalma, NYTimes, March 19, 1997 

“Mind Over Matter: David Cronenberg Interviewed WIth the release of Crash, Canada's radical scientist reflects on his style and psyche” by Gavin Smith, Film Comment,  March-April 1997 

A Chronology: Key Moments In The Clinton-Lewinsky Saga, All Politics, CNN, 1998

“Carnal Knowledge” by Dennis Lim, Village Voice, September 11, 2002

“David Cronenberg's Body Language” by Jonathan Dee, NYTimes, Sept. 18, 2005 

http://www.dvdexotica.com/2015/05/cronenbergs-crash-lost-criterion.html

“Cronenberg Says Coppola Didn’t Want Him to Win a Cannes Jury Prize for ‘Crash’ in 1996 According to David Cronenberg, Cannes jury president Francis Ford Coppola was "totally against" his controversial J.G. Ballard adaptation” by Ryan Lattanzio, Indiewire.Com, August 13, 2020 

“David Cronenberg: 'Movies Were Made for Sex'” by Charles Bromesco The Guardian, Feb 27, 2020 

https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Crash-(1996)#tab=summary

“David Cronenberg’s Dreams and Nightmares” by Adam Nayman, The New Yorker, June 3, 2022

Prozac Nation: Young and Depressed in America Paperback by Elizabeth Wurtzel

“Ever More Experimental: Crash” from David Cronenberg: Interviews with Serge Grunberg

The Artist as Monster: The Cinema of David Cronenberg by William Beard

Please note: as an Amazon Associate Karina earns from qualifying purchases. #ad

Rosanna Arquette, Crash, 1996.

Music:

The music used in this episode, with the exception of the intro, was sourced from royalty-free music libraries and licensed music collections. The intro includes a clip from the film Casablanca.  

Excerpts from the following songs were used throughout the episode: 

Vik Fence Lardha - The Fence
Mill Wyrm - Potions
True Blue Sky - Bitters
Tessalit - Azalai
Stock Still - Reflections
One Quiet Conversation - K2
Launch Code - Kittyhawk
Song at the End of Times - Limoncello
Chai Belltini - Vermouth
Chams Pacer - Lemon Jelly
Thumbscrew - Sketchbook 2
Deixa - Orange Cat
Metropolis Calling - Kittyhawk
Smooth Edges - Lemon Jelly

James Spader and Deborah Kara Unger in Crash (1996)

David Spader, Crash, 1996

Credits:

This episode was written, narrated, and produced by Karina Longworth.

Our editor this season is Evan Viola. 

Research and production assistant: Lindsey D. Schoenholtz.

Social media assistant: Brendan Whalen.

Logo design: Teddy Blanks.

Crash Cast James Spader, Holly Hunter, Deborah Unger, Rosanna Arquette and Elias Koteas

“Lesbian Chic”: Bound and Anne Heche in Wild Side (Erotic 90’s, Part 15)

Listen to this episode on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

At the beginning of the 90s, lesbians were a punchline for a male-gaze-oriented media, an easy target for expressing the anxiety that women might not need men after all. By the middle of the decade, women-loving-women had become the heroes of a number of neo-noir crime films, but the culture at large still rejected lesbianism when not intended to arouse men. While The Matrix has widely been reappraised as a trans allegory after the transitions of its directors the Wachowski sisters, their previous feature Bound was transparently queer, but its reception was complicated by the media’s perception of its makers. Bound was released just a few months after the burial of an extremely similar film called Wild Side. Barely seen on its initial release amidst studio recutting and the suicide of its director, today Wild Side plays as a heartbreaking and troubling example of what could have been for its star Anne Heche, who would soon after become one-half of the most famous lesbian couple in Hollywood – and suffer the career consequences.

SHOW NOTES:  

Sources:

“Lesbian Chic” by Jeannie Russell Kasindorf New York Magazine, May 10, 1993

“We Love Lesbians! Or Do We? 'Hot' Subculture -- Or Just New Hurtful Stereotypes?” by Kara Swisher, Washington Post, July 18, 1993

“Heard the One About Lesbian Comics?: Kate Clinton and Lea DeLaria have fought the homophobia of the comedy world and broken into the stand-up mainstream” by Jan Breslauer, LA Times, July 18, 1993

“Bonnie and Bonnie” by Alan Frutkin, The Advocate, September 5, 1995

“Showgirls Aside, Erotica Grinds On” by Andrew Hindes, Variety, October 30-November 6, 1995

“Gramercy Ties Up Bound” by John Brodie, Variety, December 20, 1995

“Bound” by Duane Byrge, The Hollywood Reporter, January 29, 1996

Wild Side, Entertainment Weekly, May 03, 1996 

Donald Cammell, 62, Director Of 'Performance,' With Jagger by William Grimes, NYTimes, May 5, 1996 

“Obituaries: Donald Cammell” by Leonard Klady, Variety, May 6-12, 1996

Cinema Sex Magick: The Films of Donald Cammell by Chris Chang, Film Comment, July-August 1996 

“Unrestricted Viewing” by Graham Fuller, Interview, August 1996

“Bad Girls: Tristan Taormino, The Advocate, October 1, 1996

“Girl Meets Girl. Dumps Boy” by Janet Maslin, NYTimes, Oct. 4, 1996 

“A Message That's Diminished by the Buildup” by Caryn James NYTimes, April 13, 1997

“Yep, I'm Gay” Ellen DeGeneres Interview, TIME, April 14, 1997

“Heche’s ‘Wild Side’ to be seen on cable” Variety, Apr 30, 1997 

“Just for Variety” by Army Archerd, Variety, April 30, 1997

What’s Next for Heche? by Elaine Dutka, LA Times, May 1, 1997 

“What’s the Problem? Let Her Do Her Job” by Lizzie Borden, LA Times, May 5, 1997

“The Rise of ''Wild Side'' The movie was just another erotic thriller until its director killed himself and Anne Heche became Ellen DeGeneres' other half, Entertainment Weekly, May 30, 1997 

“Anne Heche The One Who Got Away” by Bill Zehme, Esquire, August 1, 1997

The Man That Time Forgot by Paul Beard and Lee Hill, Neon, August 1997 

“Glory Bound an interview with Larry and Andy Wachowski” by Nat Whilk and Jayson Whitehead, Gadfly January 1998 

“Glory Bound” An interview with Larry and Andy Wachowski by Nat Whilk and Jayson Whitehead, Gadfly, January 1998

“Documentary: Donald Cammell” by Kevin Macdonald. The Observer, May 3, 1998

Donald Cammell The Ultimate Performance BBC Documentary, 1998 

“Who’s That Girl?” by Jonathan Van Meter, New York Magazine, July 27, 1998

The ‘Performance’ of a Lifetime by V.A. Musetto, New York Post, August 8, 1999 

“The Year Of The Rat, From Scottish Triumphs To Us Black Comedy And A Moving Paris Debut, It's A Great Year For The Edinburgh Film Festival” by Peter Bradshaw, The Guardian, August 20, 1999 

https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/festivals/edinburgh/1999

“A cut above, Donald Cammell's reputation has soared posthumously. Brian Pendreigh meets Frank Mazzola, the editor who has restored the director's last film” The Guardian, January 14, 2000

“The Wild Wild Test” by Trevor Johnston, Time Out London, June 28, 2000

“Donald Cammell's Wild Side, Peter Bradshaw is mesmerized by a weird tale of brutal rape, high-class call girls, zillion-dollar fraud - and an unlikely love triangle” by Peter Bradshaw, The Guardian, June 2000 

“Maybe he preferred being glamorous to being merely great” by David Thomson, The Independent, June 25, 2000

The Lost Wachowski Brothers Interview by Josh Horowitz, November 5, 2003 

“Model’s tell-all book reveals Madonna and Jolie lesbian affairs” by Tony Grew, The Pink News, Jan 15, 2007

“Madonna's Lesbian Phase Remembered” by Michael Musto, OUT, November 2013 

“Remembering The First ‘One:’ CK One Turns 25, We Look At The Legacy Of The World’s First Openly Marketed Unisex Fragrance” by Sabrina Cooper, Dazed, April 2019

“Jennifer Tilly and Gina Gershon revisit their lesbian neo-noir Bound” by Maureen Lee Lenker, Entertainment Weekly, June 06, 2019 

“Anne Heche says romance with Ellen DeGeneres got her fired from 'multimillion-dollar movie deal” by Bryan Alexander, USA TODAY, Oct 5, 2020 

“Sandra Bernhard on fall out with Madonna: ‘Her relationships just don’t last’ They were BFFs in the 1980s, but then the seemingly inseparable pair parted ways” by Ree Hines Today, Dec. 23, 2021

“Isaac Mizrahi Says Love Triangle Sparked Madonna/Sandra Bernhard Feud” by Mey Rude, OUT, February 24, 2022 

“'Pansexual' Madonna 'STOLE her best friend Sandra Bernhard's girlfriend Ingrid Casares' in the early '90s: 'She was betrayed'” by J. Peterson, Daily Mail Australia, March 1, 2022

The Year Lesbians Were Chic, Paper.com, by Trish Bendix

Donald Cammell’s Wild Side, Irish Film Institute

Donald Cammell: A Life on the Wild Side by Samuel J. Umland and Rebecca A. Umland

Lana and Lily Wachowski (Contemporary Film Directors series) by Cael M. Keegan 

Call Me Anne by Anne Heche

Call Me Crazy by Anne Heche

Please note: as an Amazon Associate Karina earns from qualifying purchases. #ad

Ellen DeGeneres and Anne Heche at the 1997 Emmy Awards

Music:

The music used in this episode, with the exception of the intro, was sourced from royalty-free music libraries and licensed music collections. The intro includes a clip from the film Casablanca.  

Excerpts from the following songs were used throughout the episode: 

Vik Fence Lardha - The Fence
Mill Wyrm - Potions
True Blue Sky - Bitters
Tessalit - Azalai
Stock Still - Reflections
One Quiet Conversation - K2
Launch Code - Kittyhawk
Song at the End of Times - Limoncello
Chai Belltini - Vermouth
Chams Pacer - Lemon Jelly
Thumbscrew - Sketchbook 2
Deixa - Orange Cat
Metropolis Calling - Kittyhawk
Smooth Edges - Lemon Jelly

Gina Gershon and Jennifer Tilly in Bound, 1996

Chazz Palminteri, David Caruso and Linda Fiorentino in Jade, 1995

Credits:

This episode was written, narrated, and produced by Karina Longworth.

Our editor this season is Evan Viola. 

Research and production assistant: Lindsey D. Schoenholtz.

Social media assistant: Brendan Whalen.

Logo design: Teddy Blanks.

Showgirls, Jade, and the Fall of Joe Eszterhas (Erotic 90’s, Part 14)

Listen to this episode on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

Joe Eszterhas’s tenure as the hottest screenwriter in town ended with two notorious 1995 flops: the NC-17 rated Showgirls (directed, like Basic Instinct, by Paul Verhoeven) and Jade (produced, like Sliver, by Robert Evans), We’ll analyze why these films failed to connect with audiences in 1995, and, more importantly, why the media at the time seized on them as major embarrassments for the industry.

Elizabeth Berkley in Showgirls, 1995

Elizabeth Berkley in Showgirls, 1995

SHOW NOTES:  

Sources:

“Joe Eszterhas Opens Up The infamous screenwriter of ''Showgirls'' participates in a 'tell-all'' interview By Dana Kennedy, Updated August 12, 1994

“Crossing the Abyss Between TV and Films” by Bernard Weinraub, NYTimes, April 16, 1995 

“Joe Eszterhas” by Erik Hedegaard, Details Magazine, May 1995

“The Ticket to Stardom? Write a Hit Movie” NYTimes, May 21, 1995 

“Dole’s Attacks Fail to Curb Hollywood on Sex, Violence : Media: Two months later, most of the industry is still pushing the limits. But subtle signs of a chill can be found” by Robert W. Welkos And Daniel Howard Cerone, La Times, July 30, 1995

“First Major Film With an NC-17 Rating Is Embraced by the Studio by Bernard Weinraub, NYTimes, July 21, 1995 

“Lap Dancing with Joe Eszterhas” By Mary Gaitskill, Mirabella, September 1995 

Elizabeth Berkley on Late Show, 1995

‘Showgirls’ and NC-17: Grin and Bare It : Movies: MGM/UA uses the controversial rating to its marketing advantage with free videos, provocative billboards and other promotional teases By Claudia Puig, LA Times, Sept. 16, 1995 

“The Naked Truth About ‘Showgirls’” by Kenneth Turan, LA Times, Sept. 22, 1995 

Showgirls Review by Janet Maslin, NYTimes, Sept. 22, 1995 

Showgirls Review by Roger Ebert, September 22, 1995 

“Crowds, Skepticism Greet ‘Showgirls’ : Movies: Controversial NC-17 film about a nude dancer earns $8.3 million on opening weekend. But viewers find furor based more on hype than heat” by Robin Rauzi, LA Times, Sept. 25, 1995 

“Girls! Girls! Girls!” by Svetkey, Benjamin and Natale, Richard, Entertainment Weekly. September 29, 1995 

“Base Instinct” Newsweek, September 24, 1995

“People” by Belinda Luscombe, TIME, Sept. 25, 1995 

“'Showgirls' makes its mark on Hollywood – The sexy new Elizabeth Berkley flick spurs a slew of upcoming stories about the world of exotic dancing” by Benjamin Svetkey, Entertainment Weekly, September 29, 1995

“Showgirls” by Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly, October 6, 1995 

Jade Review, Roger Ebert, October 13, 1995 

“Friedkin’s ‘Jade’ Mines Familiar Territory” by Kenneth Turan, LA Times, Oct. 13, 1995 

“Jade” by Brian Lowry, Variety, Oct 16, 1995 

“The Showgirl’s Net: Bad Reviews, Agent Woes, $100,000 : Movies: Elizabeth Berkley is 

Catching The Heat, But Director Paul Verhoeven Accepts Some Of The Blame” by Claudia Puig, LA Times, Oct. 11, 1995 

“Jaded Instincts” by Quentin Curtis, Independent on Sunday, November 5, 1995

“Joe Eszterhas disappoints critics” by Anne Thompson, Entertainment Weekly, November 10, 1995 

“Linda Fiorentino’s Dirty Little Secret” By Lynn Darling, Esquire, November 11, 1995 

“Not Your Average” Joe By Maureen Orth, Vanity Fair April 1996 

“Joe Eszterhas: The Playboy Interview” Playboy, April 1998

“Joe Eszterhas: How did a B-movie screenwriter become an A-list celebrity?” by David Plotz, Slate, March 15, 1998 

“Round Table: Showgirls.” Film Quarterly, Vol. 56, No. 3 (Spring 2003), pp. 32-46

“The fate of the $26m scripts Joe Eszterhas sold in the 90s” by Simon Brew, Den of Geek, July 16, 2015 

“‘Showgirls’: Paul Verhoeven on the Greatest Stripper Movie Ever Made. For the camp classic's 20th anniversary, the director remembers "the most elegant movie I've ever done" by Jennifer Wood, Rolling Stone, September 22, 2015 

Bob Dole, Hollywood, and ‘Mainstreaming of Deviancy,’ 1995 Blog 

Hollywood Animal: A Memoir by Joe Eszterhas

The Friedkin Connection by William Friedkin 

Leading Lady: Sherry Lansing and the Making of a Hollywood Groundbreaker by Stephen Galloway

Please note: as an Amazon Associate Karina earns from qualifying purchases. #ad

Gina Gershon and Joe Eszterhas at an event for Showgirls, 1995

Music:

The music used in this episode, with the exception of the intro, was sourced from royalty-free music libraries and licensed music collections. The intro includes a clip from the film Casablanca.  

Excerpts from the following songs were used throughout the episode: 

Vik Fence Lardha - The Fence
Mill Wyrm - Potions
True Blue Sky - Bitters
Tessalit - Azalai
Stock Still - Reflections
One Quiet Conversation - K2
Launch Code - Kittyhawk
Song at the End of Times - Limoncello
Chai Belltini - Vermouth
Chams Pacer - Lemon Jelly
Thumbscrew - Sketchbook 2
Deixa - Orange Cat
Metropolis Calling - Kittyhawk
Smooth Edges - Lemon Jelly

Linda Fiorentino in Jade, 1995

Chazz Palminteri, David Caruso and Linda Fiorentino in Jade, 1995

Credits:

This episode was written, narrated, and produced by Karina Longworth.

Our editor this season is Evan Viola. 

Research and production assistant: Lindsey D. Schoenholtz.

Social media assistant: Brendan Whalen.

Logo design: Teddy Blanks.

Demi Moore, Disclosure, 1994

The Last Seduction, Disclosure, & Fear of the Female Boss (Erotic 90’s, Part 13)

Listen to this episode on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

The 90s were obsessed with what magazine writer Tad Friend would describe as “do me feminism” – and the attendant fear that men could be victims of female sexual aggression. Two films from 1994 married these anxieties to the still-lingering bugaboo of the 80s, the powerful career woman. But though the female stars of The Last Seduction and Disclosure (Linda Fiorentino and Demi Moore) were styled almost identically, the films had very different points of view on the panic over female power. 

Linda Fiorentino in The Last Seduction, 1994

SHOW NOTES:  

Sources:

“Home” by Peter M. Nichols, NYTimes, Oct. 8, 1992

“Lights! Action! Attitude!” PEOPLE, April 5, 1993

“A Few Good Women” by Richard Corliss, TIME Magazine, April 5, 1993

“Yes” by Tad Friend, Esquire, February 1994

“‘Disclosure’ Inks Moore” Douglas, Variety, Mar 3, 1994 

“Having Some Fun With the Barbara Stanwyck Role” by Paula S. Bernstein, NYTimes, Oct. 23, 1994 

“Fiorentino’s ‘Seduction’: An Icy Chill Of A Heart” by Kenneth Turan, LA Times, Oct. 26, 1994 

“The Last Seduction; A Femme Fatale Who Lives Up To the Description” by Janet Maslin, NYTimes, Oct. 26, 1994 

“If Linda Fiorentino were a movie, she'd be rated NC-17” by Holly Millea, Premiere, Dec 1994 

“`Disclosure' Director Relates to Thriller's Tensions” by John C. Tibbetts, The Christian Science Monitor, December 9, 1994 

“Tales From the Corner Office” by Caryn James, Dec. 11, 1994 

“He Said She Said” by Ascher-Walsh, Rebecca and Svetkey, Benjamin, Entertainment Weekly, December 16, 1994 Issue 253, p22. 

“Want Moore?” by Glickman, Elyse, Szymanski, Michael, Entertainment Weekly, December 23, 1994, Issue 254 

“Michael’s Full Disclosure” by Nancy Collins, Vanity Fair, January 1995 

“Linda Fiorentino: Why Isn’t This Star Getting an Oscar” Interview Magazine, March 1995 

“At Last, Seduction by Tad Friend” Vogue, Apr 1, 1995 

“Linda Fiorentino’s Dirty Little Secret” by Lynn Darling, Esquire, November 11, 1995 

“Michael’s Full Disclosure” By Nancy Collins, Vanity Fair, January 1995 

“There Are Movies, And Then There Are Movies” by Anita Gates, NYTimes, Jan. 15, 1995

“Brunets have more fun” by Gelman-Waxner, Libby, Premiere, February 1995, Vol. 8 Issue 6 

“Q&A: Demi Moore [Demi/Moore] = Sex” by Mim Udovitch, Rolling Stone, February 9, 1995 

The Erotic Thriller in Contemporary Cinema by Linda Ruth Williams, 2005

“‘The Sexpendables’: How Basic Instinct Birthed a Schlocky, Sexy Cottage Industry by Donald Liebenson, Vanity Fair, March 20, 2017

The Erotic Thriller in Contemporary Cinema by Linda Ruth Williams 

Please note: as an Amazon Associate Karina earns from qualifying purchases. #ad

Linda Fiorentino in Vogue, 1994

Music:

The music used in this episode, with the exception of the intro, was sourced from royalty-free music libraries and licensed music collections. The intro includes a clip from the film Casablanca.  

Excerpts from the following songs were used throughout the episode: 

Pxl Htra - The Fence
Tarte Tatin - Confectionery
Song at the End of Times - Limoncello
Vik Fenceta Lan - The Fence
Riesling - Cafe Nostro
House of Grendel - Lemuel
Norvik - Lillehammer
Deixa - Orange Cat
One Quiet Conversation - K2
Lick Stick - Nursery
Helion Ruins - Makropulos

Michael Douglas and Demi Moore in Disclosure, 1994

Credits:

This episode was written, narrated, and produced by Karina Longworth.

Our editor this season is Evan Viola. 

Research and production assistant: Lindsey D. Schoenholtz.

Social media assistant: Brendan Whalen.

Logo design: Teddy Blanks.

Demi Moore, Disclosure, 1994

Sliver and Sharon Stone as Superstar (Erotic 90’s, Part 12)

Listen to this episode on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

Sharon Stone and Joe Eszterhas’s post-Basic Instinct reunion film was one of the most troubled productions of the 90s. A post-Hitchcock tale of sexual surveillance given a technological update for the 90s, after a long battle with the MPAA the sanitized, R-rated version of Sliver was rejected by critics and audiences, but the movie and the juicy gossip leaked from its production (which included a love pentagon involving both actress and screenwriter) only enhanced Sharon Stone’s aura as an old-school Hollywood star for a decade that didn’t know what to do with her.

Zeke's surveillance mission control in Sliver, 1993

SHOW NOTES:  

Sources:

“Robert Evans Comes Home to Par” Variety, July 15, 1991 

“Sex is Back” by William Stadiem, Movieline November 1991

Playboy Interview: Sharon Stone by David Sheff, Playboy, December 1992

“ON LOCATION: ‘SLIVER’: Visualize Sharon Stone in ‘Basic Instinct.’ Now Imagine a Guy Sitting In That Chair” by Ryan Murphy, LA Times, Feb. 14, 1993 

“‘SLIVER’ UPDATE: Remember That Great Idea to Show All of William Baldwin? Well…” by Jane Galbraith, LA Times, Mar 14, 1993 

“Ratings Board an Affront to First Amendment” by Sam Frank, LA Times Mar 31, 1993

“Lights! Action! Attitude” People Magazine, April 5, 1993

“A Few Good Women,”   by Richard Corliss, TIME Magazine, April 5, 1993

“A to Z to Alternative Culture” SPIN, April 1993

“Topspin: Sex in the ‘90s” by Celia Farber, SPIN, April 1993

“Out of Africa, Part Two” by Celia Farber, SPIN, April 1993

“Par Shivers: Will Sliver Deliver” by Michael Fleming Variety, April 26, 1993 

“The Reliable Source” by Lois Romano, Washington Post, April 27, 1993

“Stone Free” by Fred Schruers, Premiere, May 1993

"Paramount's Sliver Loses Some Steam And Finally Gets An R Rating" by Robert W. Welkos, LA Times, May 9,1993

“Bucks and Blondes: Joe Eszterhas Lives The Big Dream” by Maureen Dowd, NYTimes, May 30, 1993 

“Their Little Secret” LA Times, May 14, 1993 

The Rise and Fall and, Now, Rise of Robert Evans by Bernard Weinraub, NYTimes, May 20, 1993

“Reaction as Mute as the Mimes” by Kevin Allman, LA Times, May 21, 1993 

“The Troubled Making Of ''Sliver'' -- The Lowdown On The Stormy Making Of Sharon Stone's Sexy New Thriller” by Jess Cagle, Entertainment Weekly, May 21, 1993

Liz Smiths’ column, LA Times, May 24, 1993

“Stone Gets a Sliver of Box Office But Not a Runaway” by David J. Fox, LA Times, May 24, 1993 

Sharon Stone Cover Story Premiere, May 1993

“Sharon Stone, Untamed” by Stephen Rebello. Movieline, June 1993

“Sliver” Spy Magazine, June 1993 

“Sliver” Wall Street Journal, June 3, 1993 

“Unsigned” Wall Street Journal, June 3, 1993

“Sliver” by Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly, June 4, 1993

“Meanwhile” LA Daily News, June 13, 1993

“Soft Focus” Jeffrey Ressner, US Magazine, June 1993

“Sharon Stone” by Margy Rochlin, US Magazine, June 1993

“Peek Viewing” Timeout London, July 14, 1993

“Every Day Was High Noon : That’s The Way It Seemed When Sherry Lansing Took Over Rebuilding Paramount. Now That The Tough Stuff Is Out Of The Way, The Really Hard Work Starts. Hey, Just Another Day In Hollywood” by Robert W. Welkos, LA Times, Aug. 22, 1993

“Sliver Finds its Voyeurs” by Liz Smith, LA Times, Dec 6, 1993 

“Midlife Rewrite” People, June 20, 1994

“Writing Life’s Wrongs” Sunday Times, November 13, 1994

“Is Sharon Stone Scaring You Yet?” by Bill Zehme, Esquire, March 1995

Hollywood Animal: A Memoir by Joe Eszterhas, January 27, 2004

The Beauty of Living Twice by Sharon Stone, March 30, 2021

“Photographer Loren Haynes Tells Us The Story Behind Our April 1993 Cover (And All About That Kiss!)” by Liza Lentini, SPIN, March 14, 2022

The Beauty of Living Twice by Sharon Stone

Leading Lady: Sherry Lansing and the Making of a Hollywood Groundbreaker by Stephen Galloway

Hollywood Animal: A Memoir by Joe Eszterhas

Please note: as an Amazon Associate Karina earns from qualifying purchases. #ad

Billy Baldwin and Sharon Stone in Sliver, 1993

Music:

The music used in this episode, with the exception of the intro, was sourced from royalty-free music libraries and licensed music collections. The intro includes a clip from the film Casablanca.  

Excerpts from the following songs were used throughout the episode: 

Three Stories - Skittles
Two Dollar Token - Warmbody
Song at the End of Times - Limoncello
Roadside Bunkhouse - Truckstop
Vdet - Fjell
Riesling - Cafe Nostro
Nine Count - Reflections
Chai Belltini - Vermouth
Junca - Orange Cat
Single Still - Vermouth

Joe Eszterhas and Naomi Baca and Producer Robert Evans and Christine Hoffman attend the Sliver premiere on May 19, 1993

Credits:

This episode was written, narrated, and produced by Karina Longworth.

Our editor this season is Evan Viola. 

Research and production assistant: Lindsey D. Schoenholtz.

Social media assistant: Brendan Whalen.

Logo design: Teddy Blanks.

Billy Baldwin and Sharon Stone, Sliver, 1993

Indecent Proposal (Erotic 90’s, Part 11)

Listen to this episode on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

Are men okay? Several films from 1993 answered that question with a resounding no. One of the highest grossing movies of its year, Adrian Lyne’s Indecent Proposal was misunderstood as a gimmick, and its insight into toxic masculinity and male sexual insecurity got lost in a media frenzy, much of it sparked by feminists. What had changed since Lyne’s Fatal Attraction, in Hollywood and in the culture? We’ll also talk about Proposal star Demi Moore as the controversial “diva” of the moment.

Demi Moore in Indecent Proposal, 1993

Adrian Lyne and Demi Moore on the set of Indecent Proposal

SHOW NOTES:  

Sources:

Inside Out by Demi Moore

Leading Lady: Sherry Lansing and the Making of a Hollywood Groundbreaker by Stephen Galloway

“On Lyne” by Adrian Lyne, Details Magazine, November 1990

“Hollywood Cinefile” Screen International, February 14, 1992

“Proposal Rejected” Variety, March 9, 1992 

“Hollywood Cinefile” Screen International, March 20, 1992

“In the Works” Premiere April 1992

“Redford Signs Proposal” by Marc Berman, April 20, 1992

“Demi’s Body Language” by Jennant Conant. Vanity Fair, August 1992 

“More, More, More” by Stephen Rebello Movieline, January 1993

“In Bed with the Zeitguy” by Johanna Schneller, GQ, April 1993

Adrian Lyne interview by Martha Frankl, Movieline April 1993

“A Laughably Implausible ‘Proposal’ by Kenneth Turan, LA Times, April 7, 1993 

“Paramount Gives Indecent Proposal All the Trappings of a Holiday Release” by Thomas R. King WSJ, April 7, 1993 

“Indecent Proposal; Who'd Have to Be Paid $1 Million To Spend a Night With Redford?” by Janet Maslin, NYTimes, April 7, 1993 

Indecent Proposal Review, Roger Ebert, April 07, 1993 

Indecent Proposal Review by Rita Kempley, Washington Post, April 7, 1993

“Women: Swap 'Em Or Sell 'Em” by Caryn James, NY Times, April 11, 1993

“Here’s a Critic-Proof ‘Proposal’” by Jeffrey Wells, LA Times, April 13, 1993

“Indecent Proposal” by Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly, April 16, 1993

 “Negotiations and Navigations” by Steve Erickson LA Weekly, April 16, 1993

“A flurry of…” by Patrick Goldstein, LA Times, April 18, 1993

“THE SEXES; This Proposal Is for Status Quo” by Elizabeth Kaye, NYTimes, April 18, 1993 

“Short Takes: Indecent Proposal Review” TIME, April. 19, 1993 

“How Much Is That Demi in the Window” by Jerry Adler, Newsweek, April 19, 1993 

“A ‘Proposal’ Intended for People, Not for Critics : A Movie’s Defense: Audiences Love It” by Amy Holden Jones,  LA Times  April 19, 1993 

“Paramount Gives Indecent Proposal All the Trappings of a Holiday Release” by Thomas R. King, Wall Street Journal, 1993

“Iindecent’ Debate Fuels Box Office : Movies: While Feminists, Columnists And The Public Argue The Merits Of ‘indecent Proposal,’ The Film’s Grosses Keep Climbing” by Jane Galbraith, LA Times, May 1, 1993 

“Director Strangelove” by Micahael Angeli, Playboy May, 1993 

“The Last Pinup” by Michael Angeli, Esquire, May 11, 1993 

“The US Interview: Demi Moore” by Trip Gabriel, US Magazine, May 1993

“Double Jeopardy: Movie Doubles Want More Credit And Compensation For Their Work” by Monte Williams, New York Daily News, August 29, 1993

“Demi's State Of Grace by Leslie Bennetts” Vanity Fair, December 1993

Please note: as an Amazon Associate Karina earns from qualifying purchases. #ad

Demi Moore and Robert Redford in Indecent Proposal, 1993

Woody Harrelson and Demi Moore in Indecent Proposal, 1993

Music:

The music used in this episode, with the exception of the intro, was sourced from royalty-free music libraries and licensed music collections. The intro includes a clip from the film Casablanca.  

Excerpts from the following songs were used throughout the episode: 

TJ Collie - Lemon Jelly
Divider - Chris Zabriskie
Boston Landing - Skittle
Nine Count - Reflections
Neon Drip - RadioPink
JoDon - Orange Cat
Pastel de Nata - Orange Cat
Mill Wyrm - Potions
Chai Belltini - Vermouth
Four Cluster - Fornax
Vik Fenceta Lan - The Fence

Credits:

This episode was written, narrated, and produced by Karina Longworth.

Featuring Rian Johnson as the voice of Adrian Lyne. 

Our editor this season is Evan Viola. 

Research and production assistant: Lindsey D. Schoenholtz.

Social media assistant: Brendan Whalen.

Logo design: Teddy Blanks.

Madonna: Sex, Erotica and Body of Evidence (Erotic 90’s, Part 10)

Listen to this episode on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

In the early 90s, Madonna was the biggest pop star in the world, and she used – and in the minds of some, squandered – her star capital to launch a multi-media exploration of sexuality: the album Erotica and its companion book Sex, followed by her starring role in the much-maligned erotic thriller Body of Evidence. What was Madonna really trying to do in 1992-1993, how was it perceived and misunderstood at the time, and how does the blowback she experienced then relate to how she is being criticized today?

Madonna's Justify My Love Music Video, 1990

SHOW NOTES:  

Sources:

“Madonna -- Finally, a Real Feminist” by Camille Paglia, NYTimes, Dec. 14, 1990

Madonna Video Will Steam Up Stores by Patrick Goldstein, LA Times, Dec. 2, 1990

“Madonna Set to Push Limits Once More With NC-17 Movie” LA Times, August 31, 1992

“MGM Planning No Appeal As Body Is Rated NC-17” Variety, August 31, 1992

“Madonna Exposed -- Will the Pop Star’s ''Sex'' Book be as Outrageous as its Hype?” by Sharon Isaak and Tina Jordan, Entertainment Weekly, September 25, 1992 

MTV Report, Erotica, and Sex Report, Oct 15, 1992 

“Madonna's Anticlimax” New Yorker, October 18, 1992 

“Madonna In Wonderland” by Maureen Orth and photographs by Steven Meisel, Vanity Fair, October 1992 

“The Empress Has No Clothes” by Caryn James, NYTimes, Oct. 25, 1992 

“Madonna’s Movie Will be Edited for R” David J. Fox, LA Times, Oct. 30, 1992

“The New Voyeurism, Madonna and the Selling of Sex” Newsweek Cover and Articles, November 2, 1992 

Kurt Loder on MTV News, Sex book donation declined from Arizona Public Library, 1992 

MTV Interview w/ Madonna and Steve Blame about her 'Erotica' Album, 1992 

“Madonna’s Star Turn” Liz Smith, Dec 30, 1992

Jonathan Ross Presents Erotica Madonna Interview 

“R vs. NC-17--What’s the Difference? : Filmmakers, Exhibitors Are Bewildered by Inconsistent Ratings” by David J. Fox, LA Times, Jan. 18, 1993

“American Hot Wax” by Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly, January 22, 1993

“Overexposure” Variety, January 25, 1993

https://www.boxofficemojo.com/weekend/1993W03/occasion/us_mlkday_weekend/

“Sex Machines” J. Hoberman, Village Voice, 1993 

“Baser Instincts” Terrence Rafferty, New Yorker, Jan 25, 1993

“Immaterial Girl” by David Denby, NY MAg, Jan 25, 1993

“Order in the Multiplex! Madonna’s Movie Misadventure” People, Feb 1, 1993

“Get Me Rewrite” People, Feb 1, 1993

“MGM Tug-Of-War Over Hot ‘body’ by Doris Toumarkine, The Hollywood Reporter, Feb 19, 1993

Year In Review Issue, Rolling Stone, Dec. 23, 1993

“The Madonna Complex : You Don’t Have To Tell Her It’s Been A Rocky Couple Of Years. ‘sex’ Fizzled, ‘Erotica’ Disappointed, And The Movies Bombed. Does She Think Her Grip On Pop Culture Loosened?” by Sheryl Garratt, LA Times, Oct. 23, 1994

“Express Yourself: The Making of Madonna’s 20 Greatest Music Videos” by Christopher R. Weingarten, Maura Johnston, Jason Newman, Bilge Ebiri, Rolling Stone, February 25, 2015

'Justify My Love,' 25 Years Later – A Short History of the Song, the Controversy and, Yes, the Sex Madonna's Most Scandalous Song Ever Is Now A Quarter-Century Old by Drew Mackie , People, November 2, 2015

Madonna’s ‘Erotica’ Turns 25: An Oral History of the Most Controversial ’90s Pop Album by Joe Lynch, Billboard, October 20, 2017 

“Madonna’s 9 Most Controversial Videos, From ‘Papa Don’t Preach’ to ‘God Control’ by Sal Cinquemani, web.archive.org, June 26, 2019

“'Batman Returns' 30 Years Later: Tim Burton, Michael Keaton Version Of Movie Is Still Divisive After Decades” by Elisabetta Bianchini, Yahoo News, March 4, 2022

Madonna - The Celebration Tour Announcement

“Candace Owens Accuses Madonna of 'Touching Upon Pedophilia' in 'Sex' Book” by Ryan Smith, Newsweek, Jan 26, 2023

Who Is Michael Ovitz? by Michael Ovitz

Please note: as an Amazon Associate Karina earns from qualifying purchases. #ad

Music:

The music used in this episode, with the exception of the intro, was sourced from royalty-free music libraries and licensed music collections. The intro includes a clip from the film Casablanca.  

Excerpts from the following songs were used throughout the episode: 

TJ Collie - Lemon Jelly

Divider - Chris Zabriskie

Boston Landing - Skittle

Nine Count - Reflections

Neon Drip - RadioPink

JoDon - Orange Cat

Pastel de Nata - Orange Cat

Mill Wyrm - Potions

Chai Belltini - Vermouth

Four Cluster - Fornax

Vik Fenceta Lan - The Fence

Vik Fenceta - The Fence

Madonna shot by Steven Meisel for Vanity Fair 1992

Credits:

This episode was written, narrated, and produced by Karina Longworth.

Our editor this season is Evan Viola. 

Research and production assistant: Lindsey D. Schoenholtz.

Social media assistant: Brendan Whalen.

Logo design: Teddy Blanks.

Madonna and Willem Dafoe in Body of Evidence (1992)

Red Shoe Diaries and Sex on TV in the 90s. (Erotic 90’s, Part 9)

Listen to this episode on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

While the MPAA’s confusing and hypocritical ratings decisions were leaving filmmakers flummoxed in the early 90s, cable TV was opening up new possibilities for erotic content. Today we will offer a brief history of sex on TV, and then focus on Red Shoe Diaries, the cheesy-but-charming late night softcore soap that was the brainchild of 9 ½ Weeks writers/producers Zalman King and Patricia Knop. 

David Duchovny in Zalman King's Red Shoe Diaries, 1992

SHOW NOTES:  

Sources:

Channel J Pornography Is Cause Of Lockout Law by Sally Bedell Smith, NYTimes, March 5, 1984

Premiere Magazine profile by Nancy Griffin, September, 1991

“Red Shoes Diaries” by Ken Tucker, Entertainment Weekly, May 01, 1992 

“Unsafe Sex” by Ivor Davis, Los Angeles Magazine, May 1992

“Red Shoe Diaries Review”, Variety, May 15, 1992 

“TV Review: ‘Red Shoe Diaries’: A Peek at Cinematic Foreplay” by Chris Willman, La Times, May 16, 1992 

“Moviemaker Takes His Flair for Erotic Fare to Showtime” by Steve Weinstein, LA Times, May 18, 1992

“The Pleasure Principle” by Dan Zevin, US Magazine, August 1992

“Tales From The Sheets“ by Jeffrey Ressner, US Magazine, August 1992

“You Get What You Pay For: Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About Cable Sex” by Michael Kaplan, US Magazine, August 1992

“Eden Forbidden Interludes” by Tony Scott, Variety, Jun 25, 1993

“Playboy Series Makes Move Into the Mainstream” by N.F. Mendoza, LA Times, June 26, 1993

“Zalman King: His Erotic ‘Shoe’ Fits” by N.F. Mendoza, LA Times, June 27, 1993

“USA Joins With Playboy To Present Adult Series 'Eden' by Martie Zad, Washington Post, June 27, 1993 

“Now, The Sex Files On Pay Cable, After Hours, Men And Women Do Much More Than Communicate” by Ginia Bellafante, TIME, June 10, 1996 

“Red, White And Blue Sleaze: Al Goldstein’s Infamous ‘Midnight Blue’ Cable Access Program”, Dangerous Minds, Feb 10, 2014

“‘Wild Orchid’ director Zalman King dies at 70 by Jack Hannah” CNN, February 4, 2012 

“David Duchovny on Zalman King” by Sara Vilkomerson, Entertainment Weekly, Feb 07, 2012 

“Zalman King, Creator of Soft-Core Films, Dies at 70” by Douglas Martin, NYTimes, Feb. 8, 2012 

“REMEMBER THIS? Masturbation, Nudists, and Street Interviews: An Oral History of HBO’s Real Sex” by Molly Langmuir, Vulture, July 30, 2013

“An Oral History Of Showtime’s ‘Red Shoe Diaries’” by Chris O'Connell, MEL Magazine, Jul 25, 2019 

“Zalman King: The Forgotten Auteur Who Revolutionised Sex, Kink And Female Desire On Screen” The Independent, April 27, 2020

“‘Emily in Paris’ and the Rise of Ambient TV” by Kyle Chayka, The New Yorker, November 16, 2020

Getting Comfortable with Robin Byrd, anildash.com, Jan 28, 2021

Please note: as an Amazon Associate Karina earns from qualifying purchases. #ad

Matt LeBlanc and Nina Siemaszko in Red Shoe Diaries "Just Like That" (1992)

Music:

The music used in this episode, with the exception of the intro, was sourced from royalty-free music libraries and licensed music collections. The intro includes a clip from the film Casablanca.  

Excerpts from the following songs were used throughout the episode: 

Vik Fenceta Lan - The Fence

Helion Ruins - Makropulos

Mill Wyrm - Potions

Daymaze - Orange Cat

Launch Code - Kittyhawk

Bask VX - Limoncello

Cicle Vascule - Cicle Kadde

Junca - Orange Cat

Will be war soon? - Kosta T

Benbient - Canton Becker

Laura Johnson in Red Shoe Diaries, "Double Dare" (1992)

Credits:

This episode was written, narrated, and produced by Karina Longworth.

Featuring Noah Segan as the voice of Zalman King. 

Our editor this season is Evan Viola. 

Research and production assistant: Lindsey D. Schoenholtz.

Social media assistant: Brendan Whalen.

Logo design: Teddy Blanks.

David Duchovny in Red Shoe Diaries, "Jake's Story" (1992)

90s Lolitas, volume 1: Drew Barrymore, Amy Fisher and Alicia Silverstone (Erotic 90’s, Part 8)

Listen to this episode on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

Culture in the 90s was obsessed with the sex lives of teenagers. This is a theme we will come back to several times throughout the season. In this episode, we’ll talk about Drew Barrymore, who became a massive star at age 7 in E.T., went to rehab at 13, became an emancipated minor at 15, and immediately started pushing buttons with naked photo shoots and her comeback role as a murderously seductive teen in Poison Ivy. With teenaged Drew scantily clad in magazines and on screen – and “Long Island Lolita” Amy Fisher making headlines for shooting her adult lover’s wife – the media was eager to exploit the precocious sexuality of other teen girls. But while she made her film debut in the Poison Ivy-esque The Crush, Alicia Silverstone vocally pushed back on being branded “the next Lolita”.

Update May 23, 2023: In this episode, I mistakenly credited the role of Cooper’s mom in Poison Ivy to Kathy Ireland. The actual actress in the film is Cheryl Ladd. This was a stupid mistake on my part, and I regret the error. I regret all errors, which is why I try very, very hard not to make them, but as I don’t have a fact checking staff, and I myself am stretched very, very thin, sometimes they will unfortunately slip through. However, I was made to regret this error even more than I would another error, because of the hostility some listeners used on social media to point it out. I am certainly afraid to ever make a mistake in the future!

SHOW NOTES:  

Sources:

Wildflower by Drew Barrymore

Little Girl Lost by Drew Barrymore and Todd Gold

“The Cast and Creator of ET Have Moved on, But, Six Years Later, The Movie Phones Home New Records” People Magazine, December 5, 1988

“I Wanted People to Know I Had A Problem” by Elaine Warren, TV Guide, March 25, 1989

“Drew Barrymore’s Struggle: No Happy Ending” People Magazine, January 29, 1990

“Child Star, Child Addict” by Joanne Kaufman, Ladies Home Journal, March 1990

“New Line Offers $50 mil 6-pic Pack at Cannes” Variety, May 9, 1991

“Barrymore…Drew Barrymore” Interview Magazine, July 1991

“Drew Drops In” by Lynn Snowden, ELLE, September 1991

“Poison Ivy” by Todd McCarthy, Variety February 3, 1992

“The Return of Drew” by Stephen Rebello, Movieline, March 1992

“Movie Review: Family Itchin’ for Trouble” by Peter Rainer, LA Times May 8, 1992

“How 'Poison Ivy' Got Its Sting” NY Times, May 3, 1992

“Poison Ivy” by Jeff Menell, Hollywood Reporter, May 7, 1992

"She Joins A Family And Leaves It Well And Truly Wrecked" Janet Maslin, NY Times, May 8, 1992

“Movie Review: Family Itchin’ for Trouble” by Peter Rainer, LA Times May 8, 1992

Poison Ivy, Folks! Siskel & Ebert, May 8, 1992

‘POISON IVY'; Lesbianism: Not a Nasty Word. NY Times, May 17, 1992

“Morning Report” LA Times, June 29, 1992

“Poison Ivy” by Lawrence Frascella, US Magazine June 1992

“Splendor in the Grass” Cover Story, Interview Magazine, July 1992

“Dirty Directing”: interviews with Adrian Lyne, Paul Verhoeven and Katt Shea Ruben by Lawrence Frascella, US Magazine August 1992

“Drew” by Mary Murphy, TV Guide, 1992 

“Sex, Lies & Videotapes” by Joe Treen, People Magazine, October 12, 1992

“Correspondence…” Rolling Stone, December 10, 1992

“Inside Movies: In Brief” US Magazine, January 1993

“Amy Fisher Story a Surprise Smash In 3 TV Movies” NYTimes, Jan. 5, 1993

“The Crown Princess” by Stephen Rebello, Movieline, March 1995

“Amy’s VCR Plus” TV Guide, March 6, 1993

“Barrymore ‘Nightmare’” Hollywood Reporter, March 15, 1993

“Dirty White Girl” by Pat Jordan, GQ, March 1993

“Crazy for Drew” by David Handelman, Vogue, June 1993

“Alicia Silverstone” Interview Magazine, February 1994

“Wild at Heart” by Christian Wright, Allure, March 1994

“Morning Report” Los Angeles Times, March 25, 1994

Drew Barrymore Marries Jeremy Thomas by Cindy Pearlman, Entertainment Weekly, April 29, 1994

“Production Line” Screen International, June 10, 1994

“Xpansive Drew” Interview by Ricki Lake for Interview Magazine, October 1994

“True Drew” photos by Ellen von Unwerth, Playboy, February 1995

“A Dash Of Cold Water” People Magazine, March 20, 1995

“The Making of Alicia Silverstone” by A.J. Jacobs and Jeff Gordinier EW, March 31, 1995

“She's 18, and Ready or Not She's a Celebrity” James Ryan, NY Times, July 16, 1995

“Fresh Princess” by Richard Natale, LA Times, July 16, 1995

“Little Girl? Not!” Bart Mills, Chicago Tribune, July 16, 1995

“The Girl With The Most Cake” US Magazine, July 1995

“Alicia in Wonderland” by Michael Musto, Vanity Fair, August 1995

“Women We Love” issue, Esquire, August 1995

“Love Me So Naughty” by Kristen O’Neill, Premiere, August 1995

“Ballad of a Teenage Queen” by Rich Cohen, Rolling Stone, September 1995

“Alicia Clueless About Hollywood at Just 19, Battling Cruel From ‘Batgirl to Fatgirl’ Jokes After Shock Oscar Appearance”, March, New York Daily News, 1996 

“Ciao To Vanity Productions” by Sharon Waxman, Washington Post, June 23, 1998

“Drew Barrymore: The Day I Divorced My Mother – An Exclusive Extract From Drew Barrymore’s Memoir Wildflower” The Guardian, Oct 15, 2015 

“Which of Those Three Amy Fisher TV Movies Was the Best—And Which Was the Trashiest? by Dustin Krcatovich, May 19, 2016

Alicia Silverstone: 'I probably behaved not as well as I could have' by Benjamin Lee, April 18, 2020

“Here’s What Drew Barrymore Sent Godfather Steven Spielberg After Posing for Playboy in 1995” (Video) by Andi Ortiz, The Wrap, February 22, 2021

Please note: as an Amazon Associate Karina earns from qualifying purchases. #ad

Music:

The music used in this episode, with the exception of the intro, was sourced from royalty-free music libraries and licensed music collections. The intro includes a clip from the film Casablanca.  

Excerpts from the following songs were used throughout the episode: 

Gra Landsby - Fjell
Eggs and Powder - Muffuletta
Holo - Grey River
Cobalt Blue - Marble Run
House of Grendel - Lemuel
Inside the Paper Crane - Origami
Chai Belltini - Vermouth
Cicle Vascule - Cicle Kadde
Vdet - Fjell
Mill Wyrm - Potions
Riesling - Cafe Nostro
Plum Blossom - Kokura Station
Jespen - Texana
Where it All Happened - Cold Case
Vik Fenceta - The Fence

Alicia Silverstone in Aerosmith's Cryin' Music Video, 1993

Alicia Silverstone in The Crush, 1993

Credits:

This episode was written, narrated, and produced by Karina Longworth.

Our editor this season is Evan Viola. 

Research and production assistant: Lindsey D. Schoenholtz.

Social media assistant: Brendan Whalen.

Logo design: Teddy Blanks.

Alicia Silverstone on the Oscars Red Carpet, 1996

Murphy Brown, Dan Quayle and Damage (Erotic 90’s, Part 7)

Listen to this episode on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

In the early 90s, one of the biggest scripted shows on TV was Murphy Brown, starring 40-something Candice Bergen as a product of the 60s whose high-powered career precluded marriage and family. When the character became a single mother, and was criticized for it by vice president Dan Quayle, a massive conversation about “family values” began that would change the culture – and, arguably, American politics. Off-screen, Bergen was married to French filmmaker Louis Malle. While his wife was in the middle of the “family values” maelstrom, Malle was making Damage, one of the most sexually intense films of the 90s, and one which used sexuality to explicitly critique the hypocrisy of politicians.

Louis Malle and Candice Bergen at the Academy Awards, 1988

SHOW NOTES:  

Sources:
A Fine Romance and Knock Wood by Candice Bergen

Malle on Malle, edited by Philip French, by Louis Malle

Louis Malle: Interviews edited by Christopher Beach

Candice Bergen: Happy To Settle Down by Judy Klemesrud, NYTimes, April 13, 1984

“Candice Bergen” by Bill Ziehm, US Magazine, October 30, 1989

“Candice” by Carol Kramer, McCalls, October 1989

Cover story by Linda Ellerbee, Ladies Home Journal, June 1990 

“Louis Malle by Bergen” Interview Magazine, June 1990 

“Candice Bergen: Beyond Beautiful” by Maureen Dowd, McCalls, October 1991

“Murphy’s Laws” by Jim Jerome, PEOPLE, December 2, 1991

“Editorial: Sexually Explicit Lives” by Robin Morgan. MS, March/April 1992

“Malle’s Aforethought: The French Director Makes Sure He’s In Charge On ‘damage’: He Snapped Up The Rights, Handpicked The Actors And Raised The Money” by David Gritten, LA Times, April 26, 1992 

“On Location: Movies: Malle’s Aforethought The French Director Makes Sure He’s In Charge On ‘Damage’: He Snapped Up The Rights, Handpicked The Actors And Raised The Money” by David Gritten, LA Times, April 26, 1992

James Danforth Quayle, Iii, “Murphy Brown Speech,” Voices of Democracy via UMD.edu, May 19, 1992 

Commonwealth Club of California Records, Hoover Institution Library & Archives @ Stanford University, May 19, 1992

“After The Riots; Quayle Says Riots Sprang From Lack Of Family Values” by Andrew Rosenthal, NYTimes, May 20, 1992 

“Quayle To Murphy Brown: You Tramp!”, Daily News, May 20, 1992 

“Quayle: 'Hollywood Doesn't Get It” by John E. Yang and Ann Devroy, Washington Post, May 21, 1992 

“The Unwed Mother of All TV Battles: Television: The furor involving Vice President Dan Quayle and “Murphy Brown” illustrates the impact that TV can have as a social force” by Rick Du Brow, LA Times, MAY 21, 1992

“Quale Attack Can’t Hurt Murphy Brown” Associated Press, May 27, 1992 

“Dan Quayle Vs. Murphy Brown The Vice President Takes On A Tv Character Over Family Values” TIME, June 1, 1992 

“The Pleasure Principle” and “Sex in Entertainment: How Far Can it Go?” by Dan Zevin, US Magazine Sex in Entertainment Issue, August 1992  

“Murphy In A Landslide: ‘Brown’ Victory Spells Trouble For Quayle, Prez” by Elizabeth Jensen, NY Daily News, August 31, 1992 

“When Baby Makes Two” by Joe Rhodes, TV Guide, September 19,1992

“Hollywood and Politics” TIME, September 21, 1992  

“Having it All” by Richard Corliss, TIME, September 21, 1992

“Sitcom Politics” by Richard Zoglin, TIME, September 21, 1992 

“Reviewing the NC-17 Film Rating: Clear Guide or an X by a New Name?” by William Grimes, NYTimes, November 30, 1992

“ON THE RUN WITH: Jeremy Irons; Wrapping Himself Inside Enigmas” by Caryn James, NYTimes, Nov. 18, 1992 

“NC-17 Damage Control” Variety, November 30, 1992

“Malle Tries to Limit Damage” The Hollywood Reporter, November 23, 1992

“Candy Can” by Roger Rosenblatt, Vanity Fair, December 1992

“Damage Control” LA Times, December 8, 1992

“Having It All: Actress Candice Bergen Leads A Life That Murphy Brown Could Envy” by Richard Corliss, Vanity Fair, December 12, 1992

“Malle: MPAA’s Ratings Show ‘Aesthetic Myopia” The Hollywood Reporter, December 16, 1992

“Uncut Damage Premiere Sets Off Battle of Sexes” by Bridget Byrne, LA Times, December 17, 1992 

“Louis Malle Cuts a Film and Grows Indignant” NYTimes, December 22, 1992 

“Sexual Obsession, Edited for an R” by Janet Maslin December 23, 1992 

“Damage” by Amy Taubin, Village Voice December 29, 1992

“Damage” Boxoffice, January 1993

“Stiff Upper Libido” by Richard Corliss, TIME, January 11, 1993 

“Movies” by Bruce Williamson, Playboy, January 1993

“Film: Louis Malle’s Tale of Obsessive Love” Julie Salamon, Wall Street Journal, January 7, 1993

“Last Word” Hollywood Reporter May 11, 1993

“Sitcomfirmation: When 'Designing Women' Took On Clarence Thomas In Prime Time

Back In Late 1991, 'The Strange Case Of Clarence And Anita' Tackled The Most Infamous Confirmation Hearing In American History” by Inkoo Kang, MTV.com, April 13, 2016

Please note: as an Amazon Associate Karina earns from qualifying purchases. #ad

Music:

The music used in this episode, with the exception of the intro, was sourced from royalty-free music libraries and licensed music collections. The intro includes a clip from the film Casablanca.  

Excerpts from the following songs were used throughout the episode: 

Kamilah - Sunflower
Base Camp - K2
Metropolis Calling - Kittyhawk
Copley Beat - Skittle
Dowdy - Muffuletta
Guild Rat - El Baul
Four Cluster - Fornax
Rumoi Night - Kokura Station
Chai Belltini - Vermouth
Vik Fenceta - The Fence
JoDon - Orange Cat
Heather - Migration
Helion Ruins - Makropulos

Candice Bergen as Murphy Brown, 1992

Credits:

This episode was written, narrated, and produced by Karina Longworth.

Our editor this season is Evan Viola. 

Research and production assistant: Lindsey D. Schoenholtz.

Social media assistant: Brendan Whalen.

Logo design: Teddy Blanks.

Juliette Binoche and Jeremy Irons in Damage (1992)

Basic Instinct (Erotic 90’s, Part 6)

Listen to this episode on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

One of the biggest hits of 1992, Basic Instinct was sold as Michael Douglas’s return to Fatal Attraction territory, but its success owed to an alchemy of three other creatives: a writer (Joe Eszterhas) who was driven to become the highest-paid scribe in movies; a director (Paul Verhoeven) who was determined to redefine the amount of sex considered acceptable in a Hollywood movie; and a female lead (Sharon Stone) who had waited a long time for her breakout role, and finally found it in a bisexual murderess with the sheen of a Hitchcock blonde. We’ll talk about all of that, detailing the extremely messy production that was protested by LGBT activists – and its screenwriter – virtually from beginning to end, and examine Basic Instinct as a collision of toxicity and commerce that was emblematic of just-pre-Clinton era. 

SHOW NOTES:  

Sources:
“The Letter That’s Shaking Hollywood by Nina J. Easton, LA Times, Oct. 19, 1989

“Carolco Buys Joe Eszterhas Script for Record $3 Million” by Nina J. Easton, LA Times, June 26, 1990 

“Scripters Win New Muscle With Old Formulas.” by Peter Bart, Variety, July 11, 1990

“Dishing with Sharon” by Marilyn Grabowski, Playboy, July 1990

“Eszterhas vs.Verhoeven” by Nina J. Easton, LA Times, August 23, 1990

“The Regal Rogue of Hollywood” by William R. Katovsky, Winter 1990/1991 

“Women on Warpath Over ‘Base’ Instinct” NEW YORK Magazine, January 21, 1991

Sharon Stone / Pearl Jam on Saturday Night Live (S17 E17), April 11, 1992  

“Gays Bashing ‘Basic Instinct’” by David J. Fox and Donna Rosenthal, LA Times, April 29, 1991

“31 Protestors Busted at SF Basic Location” by Jim Harwood, May 1, 1991

“20 Arrested for Protesting Instinct’” The Hollywood Reporter, May 1, 1991

“Basic Protest Poorly Attended” by Marc Berman, Variety, June 10, 1991

“Say it Aint So, Joe!” by Lynn Hirschberg, Vanity Fair, August 1991

“Violent Melodrama Of a Sizzling Movie Brings Rating Battle” by Bernard Weinraub, NYTimes, Jan. 30, 1992

“Sharon Stone: Wild Thing” Movieline via lebeauleblog, January, 1992 

“Blood And Lust” by Kenneth Turan, LA Times, March 20, 1992

“Film: Sadomasochism and the Meaning of Life”’ Julie Salamon, Wall Street Journal, March 20, 1992

“Basic Instinct” by Rita Kempley, Washington Post, March 20, 1992

“The Sympathetic Sinner” by Nancy Griffin, Premiere, April 1992

“Review/Film; Sure, She May Be Mean, But Is She a Murderer?” by Janet Maslin, NYTimes, March 20, 1992

“The Pleasure Principle” by Dan Zevin, Us Magazine, August 1992

From the US Weekly “Sex” issue, August 1992:“The Ratings Game” by Peter Travers; “Tales from the Sheets“ by Jeffrey Ressner; “Dirty Directing” by Lawrence Frascella; “The Pleasure Principle” by Dan Zevin

“Sharon Stone” by David Sheff, Playboy December 1992

“Stone Goddess” by Kevin Sessums, Vanity Fair, April 1993 

“Sharon Stone, Untamed” by Stephen Rebello. Movieline, June 1993

“Not Your Average Joe” by Maureen Orth, Vanity Fair, April 1996 

“Sharon Stone Readies ''Basic Instinct 2'' by Gary Susman, Entertainment Weekly, September 10, 2004

Hollywood Animal: A Memoir by Joe Eszterhas, January 27, 2004

The Beauty of Living Twice by Sharon Stone, March 30, 2021

Please note: as an Amazon Associate Karina earns from qualifying purchases. #ad

Sharon Stone, 1991

Music:

The music used in this episode, with the exception of the intro, was sourced from royalty-free music libraries and licensed music collections. The intro includes a clip from the film Casablanca.  

Excerpts from the following songs were used throughout the episode: 

Ewa Valley - Cloud Harbor
Launch Code - Kittyhawk
Vengeful - Warmbody
Floating Whist - Aeronaut
Gaddy - Little Rock
Gusty Hollow - Migration
Jat Poure - The Sweet Hots
Mknt - Simple Machines
Our Only Lark - Bitters
Maisie Dreamer - Nursery
Lick Stick - Nursery
Four Cluster - Fornax
Junca - Orange Cat

Michael Douglas and Sharon Stone in Basic Instinct, 1992

Credits:

This episode was written, narrated, and produced by Karina Longworth.

Our editor this season is Evan Viola. 

Research and production assistant: Lindsey D. Schoenholtz.

Social media assistant: Brendan Whalen.

Logo design: Teddy Blanks.

Activist Ada Bello protesting Basic Instinct's portrayal of LGBT characters

The Blanks From Hell: Fatal Attraction’s Children (Erotic 90’s, Part 5)

Listen to this episode on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

In the five years after the release of Fatal Attraction, Hollywood scrambled to make one movie after another about homes and workplaces invaded and threatened by sexy outsiders. Today we’ll talk about five of these films: Presumed Innocent (1990), The Hand that Rocks the Cradle (1992), Single White Female (1992), Consenting Adults (1992), and The Temp (1993).

SHOW NOTES:  

Sources:
“What Makes Hollywood Bid Big for a Hot Novel” by Aljean Harmetz, NYTimes, Feb 8, 1987

“UA Deals Rights to Innocent to WB”, The Hollywood Reporter, July 27, 1988

“Books: All Rise! Action!” by Richard Corliss, TIME, June 11, 1990 

“Reel-life Heroics” by Glenn Plaskin, Long Beach Press-Telegram, July 21, 1990

“Presumed Innocent' Tackles a Tough Case” by David A. Kaplan, NYTimes, July 22, 1990

“Film: Harrison Ford, ’Presumed Innocent’” by Julie Salamon, Wall Street Journal, July 26, 1990

“Crimes of Dispassion” by Helen Knode, LA Weekly, July 27, 1990

“A Solid Case: Film: ‘Presumed Innocent’ brilliantly captures the novel’s essence, and features a tour de force performance from Harrison Ford By Sheila Benson, LA Times, July 27, 1990 

“A Full House for ‘Presumed Innocent’ By Jeannine Stein, LA Times, July 27, 1990 

“Presumed Innocent” by Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly, July 27, 1990 

“Who Killed a Prosecutor? Her Lover? Or Another?” by Janet Maslin, NYTimes, July 27, 1990 

“Hollywood Report” by Martin A. Grove, The Hollywood Reporter, August 3, 1990

“On Their Case” by Georgia Brown, Village Voice, Sept 7, 1990

“Film: Harrison Ford, ’Presumed Innocent’” by Julie Salamon, Wall Street Journal, July 26, 1990

“FILM; Say Hello To the Nanny From Hell” By Bernard Weinraub, NYTimes, Jan. 5, 1992 

“UP AND COMING: Julianne Moore; Nanny's Nemesis” by Amy Clyde, NYTimes, Feb. 9, 1992 

“Rebecca De Mornay: Back with a vengeance -- Her terrifying portrayal of an evil nanny in ''The Hand That Rocks the Cradle jump-starts a stalled career” by Trish Dietch Rohrer, Entertainment Weekly, February 14, 1992

"She Was Bad News: Male Paranoia and the Contemporary New Woman” by Amelia Jones,  Camera Obscura. Jan-May91, Issue 25/26, p296-320. 25p.

“Dish” Claudia Eller, Variety, March 3, 1992

“SWF Finds Roomie Who Splits More Than Rent” by Peter Rainer, LA Times, August 14, 1992 

“Trend Alert: Looks like the Cradle Rocked Hollywood” by Andy Marx, LA Times, 1992

“Double Whammy” by Graham Fuller, Interview, Aug, 1992

“Single White Female”, Todd  McCarthy, Variety, Aug 10, 1992

“Single White Female,” Henry Sheehan, The Hollywood Reporter, Aug 10, 1992

“Film: The Roommate From Hell” Julie Salamon, Wall Street Journal, Aug 13, 1992

“Old Formulas, New Variations” by David Ansen, Newsweek, Aug 17, 1992

“The Current Cinema: Tricks” by Michael Sragow, New Yorker, Aug 24, 1992

“Single White Female” by John Powers, New York Magazine, August 31, 1992

“The Single Hottest Cut” by Barbara Foley, LA Times Aug 9, 1992

“The Single Hottest Cut: * Hair: Bridget Fonda spawned a legion of imitators with her short sexy do. Its appeal, says a stylist, is that it “focuses on the unique beauty of each person’s face.” By Barbara Foley, LA Times, Sept. 9, 1992 

“For the Other Fonda, Bridget, It's No Easy Ride” By Jeffrey Wells, NYTimes, Aug. 30, 1992

“Meeting the Neighbors Is a Very Big Mistake” by Janet Maslin, NYTimes, Oct. 16, 1992

“Consenting Adults” by Brian Lowry, Variety, Oct 16, 1992

“Barbet’s Feast” Brian Case, Time Out London, Nov 11, 1992

“Consenting Adults” by Kevin McManus, Washington Post, Oct. 16, 1992

Please note: as an Amazon Associate Karina earns from qualifying purchases. #ad

Timothy Hutton and Lara Flynn Boyle in The Temp, 1993

Music:

The music used in this episode, with the exception of the intro, was sourced from royalty-free music libraries and licensed music collections. The intro includes a clip from the film Casablanca.  

Excerpts from the following songs were used throughout the episode: 

Ewa Valley - Cloud Harbor
Launch Code - Kittyhawk
Vengeful - Warmbody
Floating Whist - Aeronaut
Gaddy - Little Rock
Gusty Hollow - Migration
Jat Poure - The Sweet Hots
Mknt - Simple Machines
Our Only Lark - Bitters
Maisie Dreamer - Nursery
Lick Stick - Nursery
Four Cluster - Fornax
Junca - Orange Cat

Consenting Adults, 1992

Credits:

This episode was written, narrated, and produced by Karina Longworth.

Our editor this season is Evan Viola. 

Research and production assistant: Lindsey D. Schoenholtz.

Social media assistant: Brendan Whalen.

Logo design: Teddy Blanks.

Thelma & Louise (Erotic 90s, Part 4)

Listen to this episode on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

One of the most controversial movies of the 1990s, Thelma & Louise pushed every hot button of the new decade: date rape, sexual harassment, the failure of the feminist movement to create real change for the working class, and how pissed off women were, or were not, entitled to be about all of the above. Though it made more noise as a media phenomenon than at the box office, Thelma & Louise made so many people so mad that it had the feeling of a turning point. We’ll talk about the anger the movie communicated, the anger it inspired, and debate its lasting legacy.

SHOW NOTES:  

Sources:
“Living: Onward, Women! The Superwoman Is Weary, The Young Are Complacent, But Feminism Is Not Dead. And, Baby, There's Still A Long Way To Go” by Claudia Wallis Monday, TIME, Dec. 04, 1989

“The President’s Manhood” by Asa Baber, Playboy, May 1990

“Dealing with Lady Macbeth” by Asa Baber, Playboy, October 1990

“The True Sister Profile” by Asa Baber, Playboy, November 1990

“Driving with Daisy” by Asa Baber, Playboy, December 1990

“Lost in America” Premiere, April 1991

“A Question of Focus” by Asa Baber, Playboy, March 1991

“Thelma and Louise” Review by Henry Sheehan, The Hollywood Reporter, May 6, 1991

Thelma and Louise, Roger Ebert May, 1991

“Thelma & Louise” Variety, May 13, 1991

“Queens of the Road: Thelma and Louise Leave Hollywood in the Dust” by John Powers and Helen Knode, LA Weekly, May 24, 1991

“Ms. Maverick” Profile of Susan Sarandon by Jay Carr, Long Beach Press-Telegram, May 25, 1991

“Borderline” by J. Hoberman, Village Voice, May 28, 1991

“Her Say” by Nancy Randle, Chicago Tribune, c. 1991

“Film: Hollywood-Style Firefighters; Ladies on the Lam” by Julie Salamon, Wall Street Journal, May 30, 1991

“Movies” by Bruce Williamson, Playboy, May 1991

Thelma & Louise By Peter Travers, Rolling Stone, May 24, 1991

Movie Reviews: Smooth Ride For ‘Thelma & Louise’ By Kenneth Turan, La Times, May 24, 1991

“Outlaw Princesses” by Terrence Rafferty, New Yorker, May 26, 1991

“A Postcard From the Edge” by Richard Schickel, TIME May 27, 1991

“True or False: Thelma and Louise or Just Good Ol Boys? side by side editorials by Peter Rainer and Sheila Benson, LA Times, May 31, 1991

“Driving Force” by Lisa Schwarzbaum, Entertainment Weekly, May 31, 1991

“Film: Hollywood-Style Firefighters; Ladies on the Lam” by Julie Salamon, Wall Street Journal, May 30, 1991

“The Current Cinema: Outlaw Princesses” by Terrence Rafferty, New Yorker, June 3, 1991

“The Third Woman of Thelma and Louise” NYTimes, June 6, 1991 

“Road Games” Anne Thompson, LA WEEKLY, June 21, 1991

“Films” by Stuart Klawans, The Nation, June 24, 1991

“Toxic Feminism on the Big Screen” U.S. News & World Report; Washington Vol. 110, Iss. 22, Jun 10, 1991

“Thelma, Louise Hit the Road” by Andrew Sarris, NY Observer, June 10, 1991

“Lay Off 'Thelma and Louise'” by Janet Maslin, NYTimes, June 16, 1991 

“Women Who Kill Too Much: Is Thelma and Louise Feminism, or Fascism?” Laura Shapiro

 Andrew Murr, Karen Springen, Newsweek, June 17, 1991

“Can Thelma and Louise Continue to Defy Gravity?” by Anne Thompson, Variety June 17, 1991

“Films” by Stuart Klaxons, The Nation, June 24, 1991

“Faces Places” US, June 27, 1991

'Thelma And Louise'; It's All In the Context”  Letter to the Editor,  NYTimes, June 30, 1991 

“Gender Bender Over Thelma & Louise, A White-Hot Debate Rages Over Whether Thelma & Louise Celebrates Liberated Females, Male Bashers -- Or Outlaws” By Richard Schickel Monday, Time Magazine, June 24, 1991 

“Is This What Feminism is All About?” TIME, Margaret Carlson Monday, June 24, 1991 

“Get a Grip Guys: This is Fantasy” by Patt Morrison, LA Times, July 22, 91

“Killer Bimbos” by Richard Grenier, Commentary, Sept 1991 

“Their Endless Summer: Which Other Movies March Off to Video, Thelma and Louis Keeps 

Rolling Along” LA Times, Sept 15, 1991

“Men” by Asa Baber, Playboy, October 1991

“Guerrilla Feminism” by Asa Baber, Playboy, October 1991

“The Movie Management Of Rape” by Schulman, Sarah, Cineaste, Dec 1991

“The Woes of ‘91” The Ten Most Important Films of a Troubled Year” By John H. Richardson, Premiere, February 1992

“Shorts” The Hollywood Reporter, May 5, 1992

“Thelma and Louise” Screen International, February 26, 1993

“The Mutant Offspring of Thelma and Louise, Mantrack” by Joe Bob Briggs, Playboy, Playboy 41, issue 2 (1994) 

How Thelma & Louise Captured a Moment in the History of American Feminism” by Olivia B. Waxman, TIME, May 23, 2016

“Susan Sarandon On ‘Thelma & Louise’: We Didn’t Set Out To Make A Feminist Film” By Christie D’zurilla, LA Times, Dec. 14, 2016 

Off the Cliff: How the Making of Thelma & Louise Drove Hollywood to the Edge by Becky Aikman

“'Thelma & Louise' Ending Deleted Scene Shows What Really Happened to Them”

by Safeeyah Kazi, Newsweek, May 24, 2021 

Please note: as an Amazon Associate Karina earns from qualifying purchases. #ad

Geena Davis and Susan Sarandon in Thelma & Louise, 1991

Music:

The music used in this episode, with the exception of the intro, was sourced from royalty-free music libraries and licensed music collections. The intro includes a clip from the film Casablanca.  

Excerpts from the following songs were used throughout the episode: 

Ewa Valley - Cloud Harbor
Launch Code - Kittyhawk
Vengeful - Warmbody
Floating Whist - Aeronaut
Gaddy - Little Rock
Gusty Hollow - Migration
Jat Poure - The Sweet Hots
Mknt - Simple Machines
Our Only Lark - Bitters
Maisie Dreamer - Nursery
Lick Stick - Nursery
Four Cluster - Fornax
Junca - Orange Cat

Susan Sarandon and Timothy Carhart in Thelma & Louise, 1991

Credits:

This episode was written, narrated, and produced by Karina Longworth.

Our editor this season is Evan Viola. 

Research and production assistant: Lindsey D. Schoenholtz.

Social media assistant: Brendan Whalen.

Logo design: Teddy Blanks.

Brad Pitt in Thelma & Louise, 1991