We discuss the deeply weird Cobra Woman, a South Seas adventure featuring evil twin Maria Montezes, cobra dancing, and a mute Lon Chaney, Jr.
Wednesday, June 27, 2018
Cobra Woman (1944)
We discuss the deeply weird Cobra Woman a South Seas adventure featuring evil twin Maria Montezes, cobra dancing, and a mute Lon Chaney, Jr.
Tuesday, June 26, 2018
Castle Talk: Lowell Dean, Writer-Director of "Another Wolfcop"
Another WolfCop, new in DVD, is a Canadian horror comedy film written and directed by Lowell Dean, who also directed the 2014 film WolfCop as well as the zombie thriller 13 Eerie (2013) and the post-apocalypse action film SuperGrid (2018).. The Wolfcop series is an irreverent horror comedy about a cop in a depressed town who becomes a werewolf but retains his identity as a police officer.
Sunday, June 24, 2018
The Lost World (1960): Atom Age Horror + Jurassic Park Homage
We augment the Atom Age Horror Retrospective with a strange, deeply problematic expedition movie from 1960 by adventure/disaster maestro Irwin Allen: The Lost World, about an expedition to a plateau where cannibals and dinosaurs played by lizards with glued-on fins roam.
Wednesday, June 20, 2018
Castle Talk: Paul Tremblay, The Cabin at the End of the World
Paul Tremblay's new book is a terrifying home invasion story about a small family under attack from four strangely polite, very scary people. We talk about the home invasion genre and how evil can sometimes sound so darn nice right up until the worst moments.
Sunday, June 17, 2018
The Blob (1958): The Atomic Age Horror
We discuss the 1958 film The Blob, often cited as the film debut of Steve McQueen.
Wednesday, June 13, 2018
California Tiki: Voodoo Island (1957)
Tiki Culture was marked by a desire to explore lost worlds, particularly of Polynesia, but always from the comfort of your own home. This urge to explore found its voice in music but also in film. Voodoo Island (1957) is a prime example of the fascination/exploration/exploitation of the South Seas. We talk about this odd feature starring Boris Karloff and others like it.
Voodoo Island (1957)
Tiki Culture was marked by a desire to explore lost worlds, particularly of Polynesia, but always from the comfort of your own home. This urge to explore found its voice in music but also in film. Voodoo Island (1957) is a prime example of the fascination/exploration/exploitation of the South Seas. We talk about this odd feature starring Boris Karloff and others like it.
Tuesday, June 12, 2018
Castle Talk: Drew Edwards on "Lucy Chaplin: Science Starlet"
We talk to Halloween Man creator Drew Edwards on his new special from Sugar Skull Media, Lucy Chaplin: Science Starlet, and about creating a new heroine who has garnered surprising attention.
Monday, June 11, 2018
THE GIANT GILA MONSTER: The Atom-Age Horror Retrospective
We take on the best giant lizard movie ever to be filmed around Lake Dallas, 1959's The Giant Gila Monster. Along the way we talk about small towns and the roles people play within them, and how films like this one can help understand the need for vaccinations. Also, a few thoughts on Godzilla 1985.
Thursday, June 7, 2018
California Tiki: Beach Party (1963)
This week we introduce California Tiki, a new podcast on America’s fascination with Tiki, that odd culture that made everyone suddenly put on Hawaiian shirts and start downing rum drinks. Tiki Culture was everywhere from the 40s to the 70s, and the reasons why are surprising, often involving exorcising America’s wartime demons. We start out with a look at Beach Party, the 1963 film that kicked off the beach movie trend and also introduced the pairing of Frankie Avalon and Annette Funicello. But at the center of the film is Robert Cummings, who plays a scientist yearning for a simpler life– a key element of Tiki.
Wednesday, June 6, 2018
Beach Party (1963)
This week we introduce California Tiki, a new podcast on America’s fascination with Tiki, that odd culture that made everyone suddenly put on Hawaiian shirts and start downing rum drinks. Tiki Culture was everywhere from the 40s to the 70s, and the reasons why are surprising, often involving exorcising America’s wartime demons. We start out with a look at Beach Party, the 1963 film that kicked off the beach movie trend and also introduced the pairing of Frankie Avalon and Annette Funicello. But at the center of the film is Robert Cummings, who plays a scientist yearning for a simpler life– a key element of Tiki.
Tuesday, June 5, 2018
Castle Talk: David Bowles, "Feathered Serpent, Dark Heart of Sky: Myths of Mexico"
David Bowles, professor at University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, talks about his sweeping new book of Myths of Mexico: Feathered Serpent, Dark Heart of Sky.
Monday, June 4, 2018
TARANTULA (1955): Atom Age Horror Retrospective PLUS "So Bad It's Good"
We look at giant-bug movie Tarantula, which actually has a lot to say about small towns and the real fear of radioactivity. Plus we discuss whether there ever can be something "so bad it's good."
Saturday, June 2, 2018
Welcome to California Tiki
Welcome to the new home of the California Tiki Podcast!
Hosts Adam Foshko and Jason Henderson will be discussing Tiki Culture in the runup to the release of our new book California Tiki from the History Press.
What is California Tiki?
After World War II, suburbs proliferated around California cities as returning soldiers traded in their uniforms for business suits. After-hours leisure activities took on an island-themed sensuality that bloomed from a new fascination with Polynesia and Hawaii. Movies and television shows filmed in Malibu and Burbank urged viewers to escape everyday life with the likes of Gidget and Hawaiian Eye. Restaurants like Don the Beachcomber and Trader Vic's sprang up to answer the demand for wild cocktails and even wilder décor. The culture--a strange hodgepodge of idols, torches, lush greenery and colorful drinks--beckoned men and women to lose themselves in exotic music and surf tunes. Authors Jason Henderson and Adam Foshko explore the state's midcentury fascination with all things Tiki.
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