July 10, 2017
EP. 191 — How Jaws And Alien Invented The Summer Blockbuster
Big cardboard cutouts in movie theater lobbies. Promotional cups at fast food restaurants. Kickass soundtracks featuring Seal. These things were once not part of our summer movie lexicon. And in the case of the tie-in song from Seal, they sadly haven’t been for about twenty years.
Somewhere between the release of Jaws in 1975 and the mid-80s, the summer movie became it’s own genre. Not specifically action, horror, sci-fi or comedy, it can’t be placed into it’s own single category, but much like the Supreme Court’s views on pornography, you know it when you see it. There are certain movies like Jurassic Park, E.T., and even Guardians of the Galaxy, where they just make you feel like summer.
So, in anticipation of the launch of Cracked’s new podcast, Cracked Movie Club, Alex Schmidt is welcoming on the show’s two hosts, Tom Reimann and Abe Epperson for an ode to the summer movie. They trace the summer movie’s origins in the seventies through to the state of the summer movie today, and then crown one film the best summer movie of all time.
To subscribe to Cracked Movie Club and get the first two episodes when they premiere on July 13th, search for it in your podcast app of choice or click here to subscribe on Apple Podcasts: https://goo.gl/fQ2o72
East Coast! The Cracked Podcast is coming to you! The Cracked Podcast will be a part of the Now Hear This podcast festival in New York, taking place September 8th-10th. For $20 off your ticket, head to NowHearThisFest.com and enter code ‘CRACKED’ at checkout.
Footnotes:
Video: Cracked: How An Indiana Jones Action Figure Created The PG-13 Rating: https://goo.gl/6E5xid
Documentary: Empire of Dreams: https://goo.gl/gTYC2X
Image: Alien poster: https://goo.gl/MGh0dx
Video: Alien trailer: https://goo.gl/MUNvkm
Image: Star Wars poster: https://goo.gl/HWqDfy
Image: Raiders of the Lost Ark poster: https://goo.gl/HJqNyU
Image: E.T. poster: https://goo.gl/nVZH7x
Image: Enemy Mine poster: https://goo.gl/yycWvK
Video: Seal, “Kiss From A Rose”: https://goo.gl/w8JLhF
Video: Transformers – Age of Extinction: Romeo & Juliet Law scene: https://goo.gl/KDrvu7
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