POP ART: Episode 107, Clueless/The Marriage and the Model Broker


MATCHES, MATCHES, WE DON’T NEED NO STINKING MATCHES: Join me and filmmaker Elizabeth Blake-Thomas as we talk Amy Heckerling’s classic Clueless and George Cukor’s hidden gem, The Model and the Marriage Broker.

“As if”. Matchmaker, matchmaker, make me a match. Find me a find, catch me a catch…Sounds like it’s time for Episode 107 of Pop Art, the podcast where we find the pop culture in art and the art in pop culture. It’s the podcast where my guest chooses a movie from popular culture, and I’ll select a film from the more art/classic/indie side of cinema with a connection to it. For this episode, I am happy to welcome as my guest, director, writer, producer and actor Elizabeth Blake-Thomas, who has chosen as her film Clueless, while I have chosen The Model and the Marriage Broker, both films about matchmakers who may or may not be that good at their job.  

And in this episode, we answer such questions as: What was Paul Rudd’s film debut? Why do we play matchmaker? What is it about these adaptations of classics of literature placed in high school? Why did Fox’s head Daryl F. Zanuck not push Model… preventing it from becoming more successful than it was? What did film execs at Warners want changed in the roles at first that put Clueless into turnaround? Who is the lead in The Model… and what is their billing? How much was the costume budget on Clueless? What TV star debuted in The Model…? Where does Amy Heckerling appear?

Check out Blake-Thomas’s IMDB page at https://www.imdb.com/name/nm6230910/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0_tt_0_nm_8_q_elizabeth%2520blake-thomas

And be on the lookout for Shadrach and Karma’s a Bitch.

Check out my blog at https://howardcasner.wordpress.com/

My books, More Rantings and Ravings of a Screenplay Reader, The Starving Artists and Other Stories and The Five Corporations and One True Religion can be found at https://www.amazon.com/s?k=howard+casner&ref=nb_sb_noss

Be sure to like, follow or comment on my podcast. I’d love to know what you think. And check out the other episodes. On ITUNES https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/pop-art/id1511098925, Anchor: https://anchor.fm/howard-casner, and Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/5jX4noVGArDJdmcFtmrQcG, Sticher: https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/pop-art, Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/…, Breaker: https://www.breaker.audio/pop-art, Pocketcasts: https://pca.st/vfjqj6j6, Radiopublic: https://radiopublic.com/pop-art-GExxNb and other streaming sites

Check out my Script Consultation Services at http://ow.ly/HPxKE. I offer several types of service. Testimonials can be found at the blog entry.

Finally, I have published a collection of three of my plays, 3 Plays, https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08478DBXF as well as two collections of short stories, The Starving Artists and other stories, https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07FS91CKJ and The Five Corporations and the One True Church and other stories, https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07KY5Z3CF.

POP ART: Episode 106, Kramer v. Kramer/Marriage Story


CHILDHOOD BATTLES: Join me and filmmaker Dianna Ippolito (The Obscured), as we talk Kramer v. Kramer and Marriage Story, two films about divorce and child custody battles.

“What law is it that says a woman is a better parent simply by virtue of her sex?” Groucho Marx is said to have said, “Marriage is the chief cause of divorce”…Sounds like it’s time for Episode 106 of Pop Art, where we find the pop culture in art and the art in pop culture. It’s the podcast where my guest chooses a movie from popular culture, and I’ll select a film from the more art/classic/indie/foreign side of cinema with a connection to it. For this episode, I am happy to welcome as my guest, writer/director/producer Dianna Ippolito, who has chosen as her film Robert Benton’s groundbreaking Kramer vs. Kramer, while I have chosen Noah Baumbach’s more contemporary take, Marriage Story, both films about a couple going through a divorce and the custody battle that ensues.

And in this episode, we answer such questions as: Who was Laura Dern’s character based on? What was the relationship like between Streep and Hoffman on Kramer v. Kramer? What is it about Adam Driver’s looks anyway? How did Streep prevent Kramer v. Kramer from becoming misogynistic? What is incorrect when Charlie says he’s “taken a residency at UCLA. I’m directing two plays at REDCAT”? Why did Meryl Streep wear a raincoat in the final scenes of Kramer v. Kramer? Whose marriage did Noah Baumbach base Marriage Story on? What is incorrect about the legal proceedings in Kramer v. Kramer? And what is it about these sorts of movies anyway?

Check out Dianna’s IMDB page at https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2074778/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0_tt_0_nm_5_q_dianna%2520ippolito

Check out my blog at https://howardcasner.wordpress.com/

My books, More Rantings and Ravings of a Screenplay Reader, The Starving Artists and Other Stories and The Five Corporations and One True Religion can be found at https://www.amazon.com/s?k=howard+casner&ref=nb_sb_noss

Be sure to like, follow or comment on my podcast. I’d love to know what you think. And check out the other episodes. On ITUNES https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/pop-art/id1511098925, Anchor: https://anchor.fm/howard-casner, and Spotify https://open.spotify.com/show/5jX4noVGArDJdmcFtmrQcG, Sticher: https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/pop-art, Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/…, Breaker: https://www.breaker.audio/pop-art, Pocketcasts: https://pca.st/vfjqj6j6, Radiopublic: https://radiopublic.com/pop-art-GExxNb and other streaming sites

Check out my Script Consultation Services at http://ow.ly/HPxKE. I offer several types of service. Testimonials can be found at the blog entry.

Finally, I have published a collection of three of my plays, 3 Plays, https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08478DBXF as well as two collections of short stories, The Starving Artists and other stories, https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07FS91CKJ and The Five Corporations and the One True Church and other stories, https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07KY5Z3CF.