Book Vs Movie: “All the President’s Men” (1976)
The Margos search for 70's creeps, dogged reporting, and “Deep Throat”
“Follow the money.” The Watergate scandal of the early 1970s made headlines around the world as Richard Nixon and his loyal group of henchmen basically tried to intimidate their way into making Nixonian policies the law of the land (while breaking the law!)
And they would have gotten away with it too if it weren’t for those meddling Washington Post reporters Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein who painstakingly investigated the Watergate hotel break-in for years. Under the leadership of publisher Katharine Graham and editor Ben Bradlee, Woodward and Bernstein helped expose the corruption of the Nixon administration and made newspapers look cool.
“All the President’s Men” was published in 1974 and immediately became a bestseller and made stars out the Washington Post team. So, of course, Hollywood came calling with an adaptation directed by Alan J. Pakula and a screenplay by past Book Vs Movie subject William Goldman.
Robert Redford’s production company “Wildwood Enterprises” helped bring together the team which includes himself play Bob Woodward and Dustin Hoffman as Carl Bernstein. Jason Robards won a Best Supporting Actor Academy Award for playing Ben Bradlee.
So between book & movie--which did we like better? Have a listen!
In this ep the Margos discuss:
- The true story of Nixon’s crimes and why he almost got away with his multiple crimes
- The process of reporting and how much work went into it in a short period of time
- Who was “Deep Throat” and why didn’t anyone listen to Nora Ephron?
- The cast: Robert Redford (Woodward,) Dustin Hoffman (Carl Bernstein,) Jason Robards (Ben Bradlee,) Jack Warden (Harrey Rosenfeld,) Martin Balsam (Howard Simons,) Hal Holbrook (Deep Throat,) Jane Alexander (Bookkeeper,) and Ned Beatty (Dardis.)
Clips used:
- All The President’s Men trailer
- Woodward and Bernstein decide who is the better writer
- Woodward and Berstein working on the story
- Deep Throat gives advice
- Ben Bradlee stands by the story
- Music by David Shire
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Margo D. @BrooklynFitChik www.brooklynfitchick.com brooklynfitchick@gmail.com
Margo P. @ShesNachoMama https://coloniabook.weebly.com/
Book Vs Movie: Elvis & Me
Priscilla Beaulieu Presley’s 1986 Autobiography & the 1988 TV Movie
What was considered “racy” in the 80s is viewed quite differently now (and for good reason!)
Are you lonesome tonight? Listen to this episode of Book Vs Movie with the Margos and feel like you are part of an 80s Book/TV Movie club! Elvis & Me is Priscilla Beaulieu Presley’s 1985 autobiography and wow, this caused quite a stir when it was first published.
Her extraordinary life story began at 14-years-old meeting the King Of Rock & Roll (Elvis Presley) in 1959 when he was stationed in Germany in the U.S. Army. He was 24 at the time and the person who introduced them, Currie Grant, was married and 27 at the time. (We have THOUGHTS about THAT guy!)
None of this would be okay in these times and we realize that this is going to be a very delicate situation to discuss. We want to honor Priscilla’s truth while acknowledging that this is not an ideal situation for anyone.
Elvis Presley was the biggest star in the world when they met. Priscilla spending her senior year in high school living at Graceland was tabloid fodder for years. So were the sexual dalliances of Elvis who had a thing for his co-stars Ann-Margret, Shelley Fabares, and Juliet Prowse. Also, he was long known to have a fascination for very young girls which may be the reason his manager Colonel Tom Parker told Elvis to marry Priscilla in 1967.
Priscilla goes through much of the gossip at the time and gives an unflinching look at the man who would be the father of her daughter--Lisa Marie. Drug use, infidelity, and the King shooting TV shows that featured Robert Goulet get their due. Plus., we learn about how she managed to bring Graceland back from the brink of financial ruin after Elvis’ death in 1977.
Listen to this episode to hear us talk about the book & TV movie and decide which we like better.
In this ep the Margos discuss:
- Priscilla’s fascinating life (and how true is her autobiography)
- Why her version of their relationship is controversial
- The King’s peculiar life
- Our love for TV movies of the 80s
- The cast: Susan Walters (Priscilla,) Dale Midkiff (Elvis,) Linda Miller (Ann Beaulieu,) Jon Cypher (Priscilla’s stepfather,) Billy Green Bush (Elvis’s father,) Hugh Gillin (Colonel Tom Parker,) and Anne Haney (Elvis’s grandmother.)
Clips used:
- Elvis & Me trailer
- Priscilla meets Evlis
- Elvis meets her parents
- Singing in the film by Ronnie McDowell
Join our Patreon page to help support the show! https://www.patreon.com/bookversusmovie
Book Vs. Movie podcast https://www.facebook.com/bookversusmovie/
Twitter @bookversusmovie www.bookversusmovie.com
Email us at bookversusmoviepodcast@gmail.com
Brought to you by Audible.com You can sign up for a FREE 30-day trial here http://www.audible.com/?source_code=PDTGBPD060314004R
Margo D. @BrooklynFitChik www.brooklynfitchick.com brooklynfitchick@gmail.com
Margo P. @ShesNachoMama https://coloniabook.weebly.com/
Book Vs Movie
Coal Miner’s Daughter
The Margos Head to Butcher Hollow to Talk About One of the Top Country Music Artists of All Time
Loretta Lynn is a multi-hyphen: singer, songwriter, musician, wife, mother, and author. The Margos were thrilled to discover that the 1980 movie Coal Miner’s Daughter was based on her 1976 autobiography of the same name. As superfans--we needed to bring this episode to our followers--you are all welcome!
Loretta began her life in Butcher Hollow, Kentucky and later became one of the most revered & successful artists in recorded music. She was the oldest of eight children and by the time she was just shy of 16--she married her life mate Oliver “Doolittle” Webb. The film stars an incandescent Sissy Spacek as Lynn, Tommy Lee Jones as “Doo” Lynn, and Levon Helm (of “The Band” fame) as her father, Ted Webb.
Sure, you can argue that the movie follows the “music biopic” re the humble beginnings, the creation of the first hit song, drugs, loneliness, and the downside of fame. But dammit if this film isn’t first-class entertainment features incredible live singing performances and a complicated love story. And the hair in this film? To die for!
Spacy won an Academy Award for her performance and the film aired on cable TV in the United States repeatedly throughout the 1980ss which means there is an entire generation that knows this movie backward & forwards.
Lynn just released her second book Me & Patsy: Kickin’ Up Dust which is all about her friendship with the legendary Patsy Cline. At 87--she continues to be creative and vital. An example of resiliency to us all!
So between the autobiography and the movie, which did we like better? Click on the link below to find out!
In this ep the Margos discuss:
- The life story of Loretta Lynn
- How Sissy Spacek got into character for the part of her lifetime
- Behind the scenes tidbits from the set
- The cast Sissy Spacey (Loretta Lynn,) Tommy Lee Jones (Doo Lynn,) Levon Helm (Ted Webb,) Phyllis Boyens-Liptak (Clary Webb,) William Sanderson (Lee Dollarhide,) and Beverly D’Angelo (Patsy Cline.)
Clips Featured:
- Coal Miner’s Daughter trailer
- Doo walks Loretta home
- Doo and the “studio engineer”
- Beverly D’Angelo as Patsy Cline
- Doolittle in the studio
- Outro music Coal Miner’s Daughter (Performed by Loretta Lynn)
Join our Patreon page to help support the show! https://www.patreon.com/bookversusmovie
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Twitter @bookversusmovie www.bookversusmovie.com
Email us at bookversusmoviepodcast@gmail.com
Brought to you by Audible.com You can sign up for a FREE 30-day trial here http://www.audible.com/?source_code=PDTGBPD060314004R
Margo D. @BrooklynFitChik www.brooklynfitchick.com brooklynfitchick@gmail.com
Margo P. @ShesNachoMama https://coloniabook.weebly.com/
Book Vs. Movie Podcast (Replay)
“The Stephen King Storytime Bonus Ep
Special Guest Juliette Miranda
Just a couple of lady podcasters talking about their favorite Stephen King stories
“The Breathing Method” & “You Know, They Got a Hell of a Band”
The Stephen King bonus eps do so well for us at Book Vs Movie that we decided to have fun with the format and talk about favorite King short stories/novels/screenplays and works that have necessarily been turned into a movie (or a really cheesy one--stay tuned for those coming up!)
In this ep, Margo D. talks with Juliette Miranda of the amazing Unwriteable Rant podcast and we have a grand old time imbibing our refreshments (Margo enjoys a nice wine out of a can!) while each discussing one our favorite King short stories.
Margo D. starts with the novella The Breathing Method which appeared in the book Different Seasons in 1982. It’s the story that takes place in 1935 and told by Dr. Emlyn McCarron who meets a young pregnant woman named Sandra Stansfield. She is single and determined to have her baby in the most natural way possible and learns the then-new Lamaze method breathing from Dr. McCarron who soon falls a bit in love with her.
The ending of this book scared Margo D. so much that she waited 20 years to attempt it again. It has not been adapted as a film yet but is technically in development with director Scott Derrickson (Doctor Strange and The Day the Earth Stood Still) attached.
Juliette Miranda then talks about one of her favorite king short stories “You Know, The Have a Hell of a Band” which originally appeared in the 1992 collection of rock and roll based stories--Shock Rock which was edited by Jeff Gelb.
In this story, a bickering couple (King’s specialty!) are hopelessly lost while driving on vacation. They eventually wind up in a town which just happens to be haunted by the ghosts of famous dead musicians such as Janis Joplin, Elvis Presley, and Buddy Holly just to name a few.
Because it is a Stephen King story--things get weird and creepy in no time. There was an adaptation of this story which appeared in the anthology series Nightmares & Dreamscapes and it is--kind of stinky. But it’s also fun and we have a great time discussing what we like about the Shock Rock book as well.
Margo D. also talks about her favorite story Shock Rock--Bob Dylan, Troy Johnson and the Speed Queen by F. Paul Wilson.
I hope you enjoy this different take on our usual Stephen King bonus eps.
You can listen to it using the link below.
Clips used:
Don’t Fear the Reaper by Blue Oyster Cult
Book Vs. Movie podcast https://www.facebook.com/bookversusmovie/
Find us on Apple Podcasts
Twitter @bookversusmovie www.bookversusmovie.com
Email us at bookversusmoviepodcast@gmail.com
Brought to you by Audible.com You can sign up for a FREE 30-day trial here http://www.audible.com/?source_code=PDTGBPD060314004R
Margo D. @BrooklynFitChik www.brooklynfitchick.com brooklynfitchick@gmail.com
Margo P. @ShesNachoMama http://thechingonahomesteader.weebly.com/
Book Vs. Movie Podcast
The Stephen King Bonus Ep
With Special Guest Adam Riske (F This Movie)
Two podcasting, movie geeks talk about two classic Stephen King stories
“Sleepwalkers” & “Sometimes They Come Back”
In this special “Stephen King” ep, Margo D. and Adam Riske who is a contributor to the excellent movie podcast F This Movie, get together to talk about two rather weird Stephen King productions that they both love for nostalgic reasons. Then we wander off into some unexpected pop-culture tangents-- but let's get into the movies first.
Adam begins with 1992’s Sleepwalkers which stars Brian Krause, Madchen Amick, and Alice Krige. King penned the screenplay based on an unpublished story and it is directed by his pal Mick Garris who also helmed King's The Stand and the updated The Shining.
What is this movie about? Well, it has a mother and son who are not only creepy supernatural creatures who feed on virgins and then skip town. They are also involved with each other romantically! Amick plays his love interest and her parents are played by Cindy Pickett and Lyman Ward who played “Ferris Beuler’s” parents (they have since divorced.)
There are all kinds of strangeness with this movie including the herding of cats, a graveyard picnic date scene and an appearance by Mark Hamill! It’s pretty fantastic.
Margo D. chose Sometimes They Come Back which was first featured in King’s collection of short stories Night Shift. The 1991 CBS-TV movie starred Tim Matheson, Brooke Adams and Nicholas Sadler (whom Adam and Margo recall from his famous appearance in a 1990 episode of The Cosby Show.)
Matheson plays Jim Norman, a school teacher who lost his brother to a tragic gang attack and now must face his past as they all somehow show up in his life to raise hell once again.
The original in printed form scared the bejeebus out of a young Margo. The TV adaptation? Not so much but it makes for an amazing discussion with the following topics covered:
- HBO’s original sex comedy Dream On starring Brian Benben
- Chanteuse Jane Child and her amazing 90s hit Don’t Wanna Fall in Love
- Our differing opinions on the upcoming Pet Semetary remake. (Adam is not sure about that one)
Hope you enjoy this different take on our usual Stephen King bonus eps. (Margo breaks out into several giggle fits here.)
You can listen to it using the link below.
Clips used:
Don’t Fear the Reaper by Blue Oyster Cult
Book Vs. Movie podcast https://www.facebook.com/bookversusmovie/
Find us in Apple Podcasts
Twitter @bookversusmovie www.bookversusmovie.com
Email us at bookversusmoviepodcast@gmail.com
Brought to you by Audible.com You can sign up for a FREE 30-day trial here http://www.audible.com/?source_code=PDTGBPD060314004R
Margo D. @BrooklynFitChik www.brooklynfitchick.com brooklynfitchick@gmail.com
Margo P. @ShesNachoMama http://thechingonahomesteader.weebly.com/