"Transylvania 6-5000" (1985) with Laramy Wells

Tim Williams: When the calendar aligns to give us a dreaded Friday the thirteenth, most people expect masked slashers, haunted campgrounds, or cursed crystal lakes, but what happens when you take a pair of bumbling tabloid reporters, ship them off to Eastern Europe and throw them into a castle full of eccentric characters and supposed monsters, including a vampire, a werewolf, a mummy, and a clumsy butler, turn out to be local town outcasts and misfits. rather than genuine terrors. Well, this 80s flick combined all these elements to create laughs instead of screams. And we're going to delve into the reason it became a cable staple and a cult classic. So get the tape recorder rolling, your flash bulbs ready, and get fully prepared to investigate all the silly scares as Laramie Wells and I discuss Transylvania 65000 from 1985 on this episode of the 80s Flick Flashback Podcast. Welcome to the show, everybody. I'm your host, Tim Williams. So glad to have you on this special Friday the 13th episode. And as we've already covered all the Friday the 13th movies from the 80s, had to find something else to do. So last time Laramie and I talked about Saturday the 14th. So I thought, what's another, you know,

Laramy: Yeah.

Tim Williams: kind of kooky, not really scary comedy that we can talk about instead? Yeah, not yet.

Laramy: Not not really good.

Tim Williams: Terrible movie that we can talk about. And we decided on Transylvania six five thousand. So as I mentioned already, he's back again. Welcome back to the show. An absolute master of campy eighties classics like this one. Please welcome back to the show for Moving Panels Podcast, Mr. Laramie Wells. How you doing, Laramie?

Laramy: I'm good. I my goodness. This movie, there's so much of it I flooded back into my memory. And

Tim Williams: Ha ha

Laramy: then as I'm sitting there watching it, I was like, why? 'Cause I'll go ahead and say as a child, I think I really enjoyed this movie.

Tim Williams: Mm-hmm. I'm sure, yeah.

Laramy: As a forty something year old, I did not. So it does not.

Tim Williams: Did not age well at all. Yeah. Well, we're right there talking about it. So did you see this one on television? How did you see it for the first time?

Laramy: I can't I can't exactly place it. It more than likely was on

Tim Williams: Right.

Laramy: television, but I can't I wouldn't see myself picking this one up from like Blockbuster or, you know, any local movie rental place. So I I more than

Tim Williams: Right.

Laramy: likely saw it on on on cable or it it kind

Tim Williams: Mm-hmm.

Laramy: of felt like a TBS t s movie. So yeah, but I can't place exactly, but more than likely, yeah.

Tim Williams: Yeah. I don't remember seeing this for the first time like all the way through. I do remember some friends of mine that loved this movie and would talk about it and would like I don't think necessarily doesn't have like really quotable lines, but they would but they had like inside jokes about the movie that they would remember. And so when I went back and I went back and watched it a couple of years ago and I was like, I remember more of the ending than I remember the beginning.

Laramy: Yes. Yep.

Tim Williams: So I feel like maybe I've I'd seen the end of it with them, but never seen it from the very beginning. So so yeah, it's not one that I have like huge nostalgia for, but I definitely remember seeing the cover for it on you know the VHS shelves or you know, at the video rental store. But like you, I don't I don't think I think because we'll talk about it, but because of Gina Davis's outfit. I think my dad was like, you're not gonna watch that even though it's PG thirteen, because

Laramy: Yeah.

Tim Williams: it's a little little over revealing for my, eleven year old, eleven twelve or eleven year old kid. So, but how long has it been since you rewatched it before you're watching it for the podcast?

Laramy: longer than I could even think.

Tim Williams: Ha ha ha

Laramy: I do own it on DVD, so clearly I

Tim Williams: Mm-hmm.

Laramy: have watched it, but it probably goes would go back to whenever I actually purchased that D V D was the last time I had seen it. Yeah. This isn't one I

Tim Williams: Gotcha. Yeah.

Laramy: I'm not gonna say it's not one I don't think about. There's just something about the title that always kind of sticks into my head. especially

Tim Williams: Mm-hmm.

Laramy: around like Halloween time.

Tim Williams: Mm-hmm. yeah. Yeah.

Laramy: And and even though I did discover watching it that I have distorted it some, the the little, you know, the Transylvania six, five thousand like s has

Tim Williams: Mm-hmm.

Laramy: n nestled itself somewhere in my head that it is it

Tim Williams: Right.

Laramy: is one of those earworms I get every now and then. But yeah.

Tim Williams: Yeah. And I wanna say I think kind of the same thing. Like I think I know the song more than in the movie because, you know, back in the eighties, like especially like this time mid to late eighties, when they used to be like the Halloween sounds, cassette tapes or like songs of Halloween that became really popular. I remember like trick-or-treating and certain neighbors would like have the tape like have a boom box in the top, you know, in the upstairs window blaring out the music. So you kinda knew their you know their house. So I think I remember it being or a Halloween themed teen night, skating rink or whatever, the things we did as a kid that kids today don't think about don't think about

Laramy: Yeah.

Tim Williams: doing being social. But yeah, so I think I remember the song. It wasn't like a radio song,

Laramy: Nah.

Tim Williams: but I think it was just in those like Halloween mix tapes or whatever that they would they would put out that had like Monster Mash and Somebody's Watching Me by Rockwell and Thriller or you know. A version of Thriller because they didn't have the rights to get Michael Jackson's version, but so yeah, but like I said, I it's it was on Amazon Prime. That's how I watched it today. But I know it's it's been on Prime for a while or it's on Prime a lot. So I don't know if it was like last year, maybe it's been within the last like th two to three years around Halloween, you know, around the time I want to watch horror movies, you know, it's a good kind of palette cleanser if you just watch something really

Laramy: Yeah.

Tim Williams: scary and you're like, okay, I need something light to change my focus. So it's probably one that I put in and and I was like, yeah, I kinda like I said, the beginning I'm like, I don't remember this

Laramy: Nah.

Tim Williams: at all. And then once it gets to the end, I'm like, yeah, I rem I remember these scenes a little bit more more vivid.

Laramy: Yeah. I even got thrown off when the movie started and there was no song or anything. it

Tim Williams: Yeah, yeah.

Laramy: was almost like did did I miss something? if if the movie

Tim Williams: Ha ha.

Laramy: f started so the like I don't know and I've seen a couple of movies recently that have done that. Like these weird eighties movies that have like this very awkward cold open before it actually gets into the

Tim Williams: Mm-hmm, mm-hmm.

Laramy: the title and and all it

Tim Williams: Mm-hmm.

Laramy: was It was weird. It just it felt

Tim Williams: Yeah.

Laramy: like it started really weird.

Tim Williams: Yeah. And I hate that too, because if I'm watching it and watching it at home, I'm tur turning the volume up, is did I hit the mute button? what's going on? and then then

Laramy: Yes. There's no noise right at the beginning.

Tim Williams: whenever then whenever the the something comes in, it's just like it's overwhelming. crap, I turned it up too loud. So yeah. All right. Well, it's that time of the show we put our nostalgic knowledge to the ultimate test. It's time for risky quizness. Here's how it works. I'm gonna give you five statements regarding the bizarre story origin, pre-production hurdles, and behind-the-scenes madness of Transylvania 65000. Laramie, you just have to tell me whether whether you think each statement is true or false. If you get three or more correct, you officially beat me and claim ultimate bragging rights. So let's dive in if you're ready.

Laramy: It's not gonna happen. That is not gonna happen.

Tim Williams: Yeah, I think you'll be I think you'll do all right. So there's only Yeah, I'm won't I won't give anything away. All here we go. Statement number one. Transylvania 65000 was partially co-produced by the multinational chemical corporation, Dow Chemical, which used funds trapped in Yugoslavia to help finance the film.

Laramy: That that is so obscure and so it has

Tim Williams: Ha ha ha

Laramy: to be true. I'm I'm gonna go with True on that one.

Tim Williams: It is true. so so strange it has to be true. Dow

Laramy: Yes, yes.

Tim Williams: Chemical had massive funds in Yugoslavian diners that were restricted by currency controls and can only be spent within the country. So to unfreeze the assets, they co-produced the movie with Jadrin Films using local crews, actors, and your Yugoslavian locations.

Laramy: It's crazy.

Tim Williams: So we have money in Yugoslavia, we can't. use so we have to make a movie in U Yugoslavia to use the money to make money. So and boy did they and boy did they make a movie to make money

Laramy: Crazy. They made a movie. Of all the movies they could have made, this was the one. Yes.

Tim Williams: This was the one they made, yeah. All right, number two, before becoming a feature film, the project was originally developed in 1980 by Croft puppet creators Sid and Marty Croft as a Saturday morning live action television series.

Laramy: Ooh, I mean I could see it being that, but I'm I'm gonna I'm gonna have to say that's fault.

Tim Williams: And you would be correct.

Laramy: Yes.

Tim Williams: while the film was first announced way back in 1980 under Croft International, it wasn't a Saturday morning puppet show. It languished in development hell as a planned feature film concept for five years before independent producers finally got it off the ground. All right. So far you're doing better than you thought. Got two for two. So here we go. Number three. Yeah.

Laramy: Yeah. Well, I had a hunch.

Tim Williams: The chaotic prop heavy kitchen scene where Carol Kane and John Biner frantically chop and slice food together was almost entirely unscripted. True or false.

Laramy: I mean the way this movie is thrown together, I would believe a lot of it is unscripted. So I'm I'm gonna say that's true.

Tim Williams: You are correct. He's three for three.

Laramy: E

Tim Williams: According to the cast, the original script direction for that entire sequence was simply three words, which is actually two words, cut vegetables.

Laramy: Ha ha ha.

Tim Williams: Kane Bine Kane and Biner improvise the entire frenetic, unhinged back and forth entirely on the spot. I

Laramy: Yeah.

Tim Williams: believe it. All right, number four. The film's title is a direct pun on a classic 1940 film. Glenn Miller Big Band Tune, which also had been adapted as the title of a famous 1963 Looney Tunes cartoon featuring Bugs Bunny. True or false?

Laramy: I actually know that to be true because it was the last Looney Tune short to be directed by Chuck Jones.

Tim Williams: wow.

Laramy: Yes.

Tim Williams: Adding trivia on the trivia. I love it. That's why you tune into this podcast. Yes, it is true. The title is a musical pun on Glenn Miller's Pennsylvania 65000, referencing the famous New York Hotel telephone number, which Warner Brothers had previously used for the 1963 Mary Melodies cartoon short featuring Bugs Bunny Dealing with a Vampire in Transylvania. Now I've seen that cartoon. many, many times. So I know I probably know that cartoon better than I know

Laramy: Yeah.

Tim Williams: this this movie. All right, he's four for four. Can we get a clean sweep?

Laramy: Ooh.

Tim Williams: Director Rudy DeLuca had to write nearly half of the dialogue and scenes on napkins during lunch breaks because the studio forced him to start filming with only thirty pages of a completed script. True or false.

Laramy: I mean you know what, I'm I'm happy that I got four of them. so I'm not gonna be upset if I get those wrong. But I also think with this movie being funded by a company just trying to use up some money with already having Carol Kane making up an ad living, I'm going to say that's true.

Tim Williams: Unfortunately, that is false. But this one, this is one of those

Laramy: Yeah, I knew it had to be one.

Tim Williams: that, you guys are like, You got you're gonna trick me, you're gonna trick me. This one was a little tricky. So while the script was notoriously lean, leaving the actors to invent a lot of their own comedic business and physical shtick on set, it wasn't written on napkins at lunch. It was simply a very loose, bare bones, 30 to 40 page comedic blueprint designed to let performers like Jeff Goldblum and Michael Richards riff freely. So That one that one that was like I'll

Laramy: Yeah.

Tim Williams: I'll leave it. So, but four out of five, you still still won the round and you beat the host. So good job.

Laramy: Thank you. Thank you.

Tim Williams: Well, if you played along at home, let us know how well you did if you were playing along. Send us an an email, message us on social media, or leave us a comment right here on YouTube. All right, let's talk about the cast. Now, for a movie as bad as this, the cast is outstanding. not that they're doing their greatest work by any stretch of the imagination, but I mean, I was a little surprised, like, wow, this person, this person's this. You know, I've seen this person before. So but let's jump in. of course, Jeff Goldblum as Jack Harrison. We recently covered him on our episode about Buckaroo Bonsai. But of course, he's known for the big chill in '83, the fly in '86, Independence Day, Jurassic Park. Thor, you know, Wicked. I mean, if you don't know who Jeff Goldloom is, where are where have you been your entire life? So yeah, there you

Laramy: Yeah. Yeah. Apartments dot com. Yeah.

Tim Williams: right. So he was in the TV version of Rehearsal for Murder as well. If you want to go back and catch that one. only know that because I did a performance of it in my local theater. So

Laramy: Yep. Yeah. And then earth earth girls are easy.

Tim Williams: yeah, yep, yep. Another one with Gina Davis, which we'll get to here in a minute. So but Jeff Goldblum actually recommended Ed Bagley Jr. to director Rudy DeLuca for the role of Gil Turner, and Bagley recommended John Michael Richards for the role of Fayo. So a lot of recommendations here on this one. So but yes, yes.

Laramy: Yeah. A lot of tall actors too. All three of them are very tall.

Tim Williams: yeah. Yeah. De Luca had made a there was a comment. DeLuca said this was the the the tallest cast he'd ever worked with.

Laramy: Yeah. Yeah, Gina Davis is tall too. I d I wasn't even thinking about that. Yeah.

Tim Williams: And I I didn't yeah, exactly. Yeah, yeah. I didn't dig too much into Deluca. I wanted to get some understanding of who he was, but he has worked with Mel Brooks in a lot of his films as an actor and a little bit of writing. This was only one of two films that he directed, probably for good reason, but probably was this was his first feature film, and I think they probably they probably pulled on him because of his work with Mel Brooks. And was trying to get some of that same kind of Mel Brooks humor, which

Laramy: Yeah, it felt like they were trying to do the old Abbott and Costello meet Frankenstein. It just it

Tim Williams: for sure. Yeah. Yeah.

Laramy: just didn't work.

Tim Williams: Yeah. It's definitely old old school comedy bits that, like I said, doesn't age very well. Not good, yeah. Not good.

Laramy: Yeah, but but not good. Cause I did. I recently w re-watched Abbott and Costello meet Frankenstein

Tim Williams: Ha ha.

Laramy: for the Halloween season. Like I recently watched and I I enjoyed it. I enjoyed seeing,

Tim Williams: Right, right. Yeah.

Laramy: you know, Bella Lugosi as Dracula and Lon Cheney

Tim Williams: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.

Laramy: as the wolf man. And of course, they didn't use Boris Karloff as the Frankenstein's monster, but I enjoyed it. Like Abbott and Costello Are so good at that type of comedy. It

Tim Williams: for sure. Yeah.

Laramy: it worked. Jeff Goldblum and Ed Bagley Jr., as much as I love Ed Bagley in the Christopher Guest mockumentaries, like he's good at that.

Tim Williams: Mm-hmm, mm-hmm.

Laramy: It it didn't work here. I it

Tim Williams: Yeah.

Laramy: Michael Richards doing the little the goofy slapstick stuff he's trying to do. It

Tim Williams: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.

Laramy: it felt like he was just playing his character from UHF. Like,

Tim Williams: Yep. Yep. Yep.

Laramy: yeah. I'm I'm gonna try not to rag on this movie too much, but i I did not enjoy this rewatch.

Tim Williams: Ha ha ha. Well, let's get through more of the cast. We mentioned a couple already, but yeah. So we'll go next with Ed Bigley Jr. as Gil Turner. His film appearances include Blue Collar in 78, an Officer and a Gentleman 82. He was in this Spinal. This is Spinal Tap in 84, She Devil in '89, Batman Forever in '95. he, of course, as you mentioned, he's a recurring cast member in the mockumentaries of Christopher Guest, including Best in Show, A Mighty Wind, For Your Consideration, and Mascots. But I I agree with you. Like, They d even like him, the two of them together don't really have a lot of scenes together for them to be that comedic duo. And even when they are together, they don't really have that good comedic chemistry.

Laramy: Mm-hmm.

Tim Williams: There's really no I don't know if it's like there's really no straight man, they're both equally goofy or quirky in their own

Laramy: To me they're yeah.

Tim Williams: way.

Laramy: Yeah. They're almost both trying to play the straight man though.

Tim Williams: Yeah, yeah. But not really straight.

Laramy: 'Cause 'cause in Abbott, yeah, in Abbott and Costello meet Frankenstein, Abbott and Costello aren't actually together for a lot of that movie.

Tim Williams: okay. Gotcha.

Laramy: so it could it could still work, but yeah, there's just something I mean, the weird when when Jeff Goldblum finally confronts the wolf man and he does

Tim Williams: Mm-hmm, mm-hmm.

Laramy: this I don't know if he was trying to it almost it almost felt like a Jim Carrey-esque scream that he is trying he's trying to distort his face while he's screaming, but Jeff Goldf Jeff Goldblum

Tim Williams: yeah, yeah. Mm-hmm. Yeah, yeah.

Laramy: can't make his face move the way he was, I think, trying

Tim Williams: No.

Laramy: trying to. It's just yeah.

Tim Williams: Yeah, yeah.

Laramy: I don't know. And I It it's weird also that Ed Bagley Jr. is the love interest to Gina Davis because it with

Tim Williams: Yes.

Laramy: Jeff Goldblum being in that movie, you almost always expect

Tim Williams: Mm-hmm.

Laramy: Jeff Goldblum and Gina Davis to be the love interest. Yeah. So that

Tim Williams: Three together. Yeah. Right. Right.

Laramy: that was weird. It was just all weird. I have more thoughts as we go on, but I'm not gonna Yeah.

Tim Williams: All right. Yeah, let's get back. Let's get back to the cast. All right. And then as Dr. Malavacwa, I think I said that right. Joseph Bologna, which is not a name, is a name that I recognize only because his last name is B-O-L-O. Yeah, it's not Oscar Meyer, but anyway. Yeah.

Laramy: Yes. But that should be Oscar Meyer, yeah. My baloney has a first name.

Tim Williams: Right. But he's notable for his roles in the comedy films My Favorite Year, Blame It On Rio, and Big Daddy. He was also on TV in the musical sitcom Rags to Riches in 1987. And I thought you might know this as well. He was the voice of Inspector Dan Turpin in Superman the animated series from ninety-six to ninety-eight.

Laramy: Okay. That okay. That might be where I recognized the name, but I I wouldn't r I didn't recognize

Tim Williams: Gotcha.

Laramy: his voice.

Tim Williams: Nah. Well, which voice he's using 'cause he, has multi character or split personality. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.

Laramy: Yeah. Yeah, his Jekyll and Hyde type character, which god they never they don't explain.

Tim Williams: Explain it.

Laramy: they they try to explain every single one of the quote unquote monsters but they don't explain him. They don't explain why

Tim Williams: Mm-hmm. But him. Mm-hmm.

Laramy: when he enters the la what is it about the lab? They Yeah.

Tim Williams: Mm-hmm. Makes him go mad. Yeah. All right. The incomparable Carol Kane as Loopy.

Laramy: Yes. Yes.

Tim Williams: Of course, she became known in the 70s and 80s in films such as Dog Day Afternoon, Annie Hall, The Princess Bride, which we've covered as well as Scrooged and Flashback in 1990. So we've covered Princess Bride and Scrooge with Carol Clain, Carol Kane. But Does she f does it seem like she's playing the same character she's playing in Princess Bride in this movie? Yeah.

Laramy: Absolutely. There's even a she even says the line like I'm your wife or something at one point. And

Tim Williams: Yeah, yeah. Yeah.

Laramy: 'cause Bethany was watching it with me and I think Ruby was even in there at the time because we were like, Hey, you recognize her? And and I think

Tim Williams: Mm-hmm.

Laramy: she said it at that exact moment and and Ruby was like, yeah 'cause yeah,

Tim Williams: Yeah.

Laramy: it really it felt a lot I mean, obviously she's a lot more clingy than than yeah, than she was in

Tim Williams: Yes. Yeah, in this one. Yeah.

Laramy: Princess Pride, but it It's almost the same body language, the way she's delivering her lines. Yeah. Yeah, a lot

Tim Williams: Mm-hmm. Accent. Yeah. Yeah.

Laramy: of similarity there.

Tim Williams: But lover nonetheless, so great. So and then we'll quickly talk about Jeffrey Jones. Of course, we've already talked about him and Ferris Breeler's Day Off, as well as Beetlejuice of all the monsters in the movie. He's the one he he

Laramy: But yeah, we try to avoid him the most.

Tim Williams: was he's the one real monster from the movie. So all right. And then we've got John Biner as Radu, the butler. He made his film debut in a slightly noticeable bit in the Barbara Streisand, Ryan O'Neill, Gagfest, What's Up Doc in 1972. He never found a strong footing in film. He managed to add second banana fun to a handful of action comedies and slapstick vehicles, such as The Great Smoky Roadblock in 77, A Pleasure Doing Business in 79, and also Strokerace in 1983 with Burt Reynolds. But he did a lot of TV as well,

Laramy: Yeah.

Tim Williams: a lot of Lot of TV episodes stuff. So he was definitely that guy. Like I recognized his face immediately. And I'm like, Yeah, he's been in a bunch of stuff.

Laramy: I couldn't tell you anything he was been in, but

Tim Williams: No, I could yeah. Yeah. And then of course we've already talked about Gina Davis as Odette. we've talked about her as well in our episode about Beetlejuice, but I'll just mention that she made her acting debut in Tootsie. She was also in the horror science fiction horror movie The Fly in eighty-six, The Accidental Tourist in eighty-eight, film on Louise in ninety-one, a league of their own in ninety-two. and she's continued to act and done pretty well since then. So Of course, as we mentioned, Jeff Goldblum and her met on this film. They would co-star in two more movies, The Fly in eighty-six and Earth Girls Are Easy in eighty-eight. And they were actually married from eighty-seven to ninety-one. And director Rudy DeLuca saw forty women for the role of Odette. He liked Gina Davis and when she pulled off a compelling Bella Legosi accent, he knew he had found the one for the role.

Laramy: Which they they definitely have to show off by having her just say lines from Dracula.

Tim Williams: Yeah, yeah, exactly.

Laramy: Listen to them, my children of the night.

Tim Williams: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. And then,

Laramy: What music they make like she does it all.

Tim Williams: and then we also mentioned Michael Richards as Fajos. of course, he's most known for playing Cosmo Kramer on Seinfeld. We talked about him in our episode about UHF. And so that's about all we have to say about Michael Richards.

Laramy: Another not great guy that's in this movie.

Tim Williams: yeah, I also thought it was me worth mentioning. Within a minute of starting his audition, he won them over by crashing around and slipping on the floor. But the producers actually tried to talk the director out of casting him because they thought he was too crass.

Laramy: Hm. Little

Tim Williams: So

Laramy: did they know.

Tim Williams: yeah, what was to come? Yeah. now this is one that I did not know, and probably it took me, I like I recognize the name, but I couldn't figure it out. But Larry the Wolfman is played by Donald Gibb

Laramy: Donald Gibb, yeah.

Tim Williams: Ogre from the Renge Revenge of the Nerds series. And we also talked about him in Bloodsport as the Kumite fighter Ray Jackson. So but yeah, I would not have thought. That was Donald Gibb in that, but

Laramy: No, I only knew because I saw it in the credits. That was the only way I knew that.

Tim Williams: I was like, I know that name, Donald Gibb, but what is it? And then I when I pulled up the I was doing the research, I like, That's where I know that name from.

Laramy: Yeah. No, I recognized the name as soon as I as soon as I saw him, as soon as I saw the name in the opening credits. But then my brain's going

Tim Williams: Mm-hmm.

Laramy: like, who is he in this? And honestly,

Tim Williams: Ha ha ha.

Laramy: I would not have ever picked him out as the Wolfman. It wasn't until as it

Tim Williams: No, no.

Laramy: got towards the end and I went, Is he the Wolfman? And then the closing credits, I confirmed it. Yes. Yes, he is.

Tim Williams: Mm-hmm.

Laramy: But nah. yeah, I

Tim Williams: Yeah.

Laramy: I guess if you can't see his No offense. I love Donald Gibb as an actor, but if you can't see his lazy eye, I guess you can't it's it's hard to to Yeah. 'Cause

Tim Williams: Mm hmm. Yeah, yeah. It's harder to be hard to tell it's him. Yeah.

Laramy: he was covered head to toe. you could not see a bit of

Tim Williams: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.

Laramy: him

Tim Williams: And what's crazy is then at the end when they're doing like all the little mock like newspaper articles and they they show him shaved. It doesn't, it's not even a picture of

Laramy: That's that's not him, yeah.

Tim Williams: Donald. It's not even him. So it's like that was dumb. All right. We're almost done with the cast. Getting through it pretty quick. Teresa Ganzel is another name that I probably wouldn't recognize, but I did recognize the face as Elizabeth El Ellison. I guess the some semi-love interest for Jeff Goldblum. The woman he's trying to pursue. she moved to LA, but after a few frustrating years trying to get work as a serious actor, she tried dyeing her brunette hair with a blonde with a bottle of peroxide. The quote unquote blonde shtick worked, and so did she. She perfected her Ditzy Blonde persona in feature films such as National Lampoons movie Madness, My Favorite Year, and what I know her from The Toy with Richard Pryor and Jackie Gleason. So. I saw her face. I was like, I definitely know who that is. That's the lady from the toy. A move.

Laramy: Yeah. I don't know if I recognized her from the toy, but I I know her from something and I haven't I didn't bother to look but

Tim Williams: Yeah. She did a lot of she did a lot of yeah, she she did a lot of TV as well. I think she did some Threes Company episodes and a few Cheers, Love Boat, those type of rotating guest star shows.

Laramy: Man, she's done a ton of voice work.

Tim Williams: Mm yeah, she has, yep. Yep. And then special appearance by Norman Fell at there at the beginning as Mac Turner, the I guess the newspaper editor. Yeah,

Laramy: The editor, yeah.

Tim Williams: of course. He is forever Mr. Roper from Three's Company we just talked about, and it's spin off the Ropers. So yeah,

Laramy: Yeah, that's it.

Tim Williams: nice little nice little cameo there of him him at the beginning. And then I had to mention it, but the director, Rudy DeLuca, does make a cameo as well. He's the animal discovered in the bushes. who was actually, having relations

Laramy: Yes.

Tim Williams: with the girlfriend. he actually filmed that scene with his pants down and bare butt showing, but it was edited out to get the PG rating.

Laramy: Okay.

Tim Williams: So we can have plenty of Gina Davis cleavage, but can't see that butt crack. Anyway.

Laramy: No. I I I have so I was sitting here looking through Teresa Ganzel's IMDB and I realized

Tim Williams: Thomography. Yeah.

Laramy: what I know her from.

Tim Williams: What's that?

Laramy: She is a random customer in Goodburger.

Tim Williams: wow. Okay.

Laramy: Yeah. That is one hundred percent what I recognize her from.

Tim Williams: Ha ha I don't know if I've ever watched Good Burger all the way through. I love Keenan and Kel and I I know the movies but it's like I've seen clips of it, but I've never actually watched it all the way through. I need to.

Laramy: Yeah. No, yeah, the good burger, I'd I'd recommend. The sequel, you're good. You can pass. Pass on the sequel.

Tim Williams: Yeah. Yeah. All right, anybody else from the cast worth mentioning?

Laramy: No, not unless you know who the Bendy Bendy dude was. the other character that they don't explain or do anything about.

Tim Williams: Nope. There was he whoever it was was not anybody well known and had any kind of background that that was worth mentioning. So Yugoslavian.

Laramy: Yeah, I'm sure he was just some circus performer that they got, but yeah. Or or the the hand that reaches out of the water and grabs Aide Begley Jr.

Tim Williams: yeah. N never never explained at all. Yeah.

Laramy: Yeah. There's my God. I gotta I'm going to this movie was horrible.

Tim Williams: Yeah. And so yeah, if for those that don't know, Laramie always brings me on his episodes.

Laramy: Ha ha ha.

Tim Williams: We have a yearly tradition of watching the worst comic book adaptation movie. So it's nice to know that I got Laramie to do a terrible eighties movie, which he's done a couple. So that's it's it's good to watch him squirm.

Laramy: Yeah. I have. But but there's something about a a movie like Saturday the fourteenth, which

Tim Williams: Yeah.

Laramy: is bad, but there's still there there's campiness about it that you enjoy and you pre there's

Tim Williams: Mm-hmm.

Laramy: something about this movie, and I think it's the fact that they try to explain everything. But it doesn't

Tim Williams: Mm-hmm.

Laramy: explain everything.

Tim Williams: Yeah.

Laramy: Cause even the butler and Carol Kane, where it's just all of a sudden like, yeah, we can stand up straight. We're we're perfectly fine. And and our son who

Tim Williams: Yeah, yeah.

Laramy: thinks he c he's also yeah, he he can stand up straight too. Just just stand up. Yeah. Wha why we have to call you master,

Tim Williams: Mm-hmm. Yeah. Yeah. Mm-hmm. It's definitely one of those where like

Laramy: we're not going to explain. Yep.

Tim Williams: Yeah, yeah, that just the running gags that have no no no reason no rhyme or reason. But yeah, this is definitely feels like one of those movies where okay, we've spent all the money or we've run out of time. So let's just we need a a tight ugly we need a

Laramy: It's not tight, don't don't say it's tight.

Tim Williams: not tight, but no, we need a a buttoned a buttoned up ending that will just, you know. So yeah.

Laramy: the ending of a Saturday night live sketch. It was just like

Tim Williams: Yeah. Right, right.

Laramy: We're gonna end it, but it's not gonna make sense.

Tim Williams: All right. Well, when iconic scenes, let's go ahead and and if if there is one, but if someone says to you Transylvania six five thousand, what's the first scene that pops in your head?

Laramy: considering that I saw this as probably a a preteen, teenage boy, it is Gina Davis's outfit that

Tim Williams: I was gonna say the exact same thing. That's that's really it.

Laramy: That's it. That's really it.

Tim Williams: That if I think about this movie, that and that's I'll I'll honestly say as I was re-watching it today, I was like, when is Gina Davis gonna be in this movie?

Laramy: Yeah.

Tim Williams: Like stop talking and bring on Gina Davis. I'm ready to just get the movie starts having some life when she shows up. So but yeah, crazy, crazy, crazy. dare I ask, do you have any favorite scenes?

Laramy: I do not. I

Tim Williams: Are any other scenes you want to talk about?

Laramy: I w I will admit the the as you mentioned in the the quiz section, the

Tim Williams: Mm-hmm.

Laramy: the banter between the butler, I don't know the actor's name, and Carol Kane, I mean

Tim Williams: Yeah. Yeah. Mm-hmm.

Laramy: I just when when two great ad liber improv actors are getting to just

Tim Williams: Improv, mm.

Laramy: do their thing, like that that's great. Like I loved when he's Going to cut up the grapefruits, and she just starts tossing grapefruits at him.

Tim Williams: Yeah.

Laramy: it's it's great. I I'm

Tim Williams: Mm-hmm.

Laramy: yeah, that that I enjoy. I didn't remember it. I'm probably going to forget about it in a couple of days, but but

Tim Williams: Mm-hmm. for sure, yeah.

Laramy: it definitely those moments were very enjoy enjoyable.

Tim Williams: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Yeah, I didn't understand the running gag of Ed Bigley Jr. always like closing a door on Carol Kane or like I think they did it twice where you know she's at the window and you know, you missed a spot. And then she's in the closet. Like I didn't didn't really get that. But no, no,

Laramy: No. And I didn't get Michael Richards' character at all. At all.

Tim Williams: no, no purpose whatsoever besides just trying to do some kind of physical, like you said, physical slapstick.

Laramy: The

Tim Williams: type of comedy, but

Laramy: funniest thing that the funniest bit of his is when Ed Bakeley Jr. opens up the the secret thing and he's just on the little writing machine. Like to me, that was the funniest little bit. That was just so random. But the stuff where he's like, watch this, watch this, watch this. I'm like, no, no, I

Tim Williams: yeah, yeah, yeah. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

Laramy: don't, I don't want to watch this. Like, it's like a toddler. Like,

Tim Williams: Mm-hmm.

Laramy: Stewart from Mad T V. Look at look at what I can do. Yeah.

Tim Williams: Yeah. Right, right. All right, well let's jump into some scenes and trivia and we'll we'll wrap this one up.

Laramy: Yeah.

Tim Williams: believe it or not, Rudy DeLuca originally wrote it to air on television with Tom Hanks and Peter Scolari after he saw Bosom Buddies in nineteen eighty. He even met with Scolari, the production company rejected the Hanks option because they had never heard of him, and then turned down Paul Riser for the same reason.

Laramy: It it would have been a better movie. Peter Scolari and Tom Hanks would have made this a better movie. Yeah. You put you put

Tim Williams: for sure. Would have been yes. Yes. Absolutely.

Laramy: Tom Hanks in the Jeff Goldblum role. You put Peter Scolari in the Ed Bagley Jr. role. I can I can even I'd

Tim Williams: Mm-hmm.

Laramy: I'd be even okay with cause shorter Peter Scolari with taller Gina Davis. Especially, especially

Tim Williams: yeah, yeah. Perfect.

Laramy: in that scene where she's, put your head in my bosom.

Tim Williams: Yeah. Right, right.

Laramy: my god. Yes. Give me that movie. Throw me into that universe where that movie exists. That it that's the movie I want. Yes.

Tim Williams: And we will watch it.

Laramy: And Tom Hanks is I I like Jeff Goldblum. And Jeff Goldblum can be funny. This was

Tim Williams: Mm-hmm. yeah. Mm-hmm.

Laramy: not his type of comedy. But it is 100%

Tim Williams: No, no.

Laramy: Tom Hanks' type of comedy. The man, give me that movie. Yes.

Tim Williams: yeah, for sure. For sure. Yeah. Got Larry me excited. I'm so happy.

Laramy: Yes, let's talk about that movie.

Tim Williams: All right. next little bit of trivia. The little girl playing Elizabeth's daughter was a locally cast Crow Croat, Croat, Croat, C R O A T, who spoke no English. She had to be taught

Laramy: Kinda had a feeling.

Tim Williams: to speak her lines phonetically. Yeah. And then there was not there was not very much trivia for this movie for for lots of reasons. But I have to, this one was just too good not to not to not to mention. Leonard Malton reviewing this film for entertainment tonight gave it one of the shortest reviews ever. Quote, Transylvania 65000 stunk. I'm Leonard Malton, Entertainment Tonight. End quote. That was it.

Laramy: There you go. Yes. Greatest review ever. Yeah.

Tim Williams: Ha ha.

Laramy: you saying all of that, I did notice. I did notice there is

Tim Williams: Mm-hmm.

Laramy: a audio commentary with

Tim Williams: Mm-hmm.

Laramy: the writer director, Rudy DeLuca, and visual consultant Steve Haberman. I would actually watch this movie with commentary just to hear like what the crap they were thinking. Like

Tim Williams: Right. Might be worth listening to.

Laramy: Yeah.

Tim Williams: And usually when I'm usually when I'm pulling up trivia, a lot of the trivia stuff that I find is usually excerpts from

Laramy: Yes.

Tim Williams: the commentary. So I wonder if there just wasn't if they just don't talk a lot about the behind the scenes stuff. So I don't know. Yeah.

Laramy: There it's just a lot of commentary with them going, yeah, yeah, yeah. We Yeah, we did that. Yeah. Yeah.

Tim Williams: Yeah, we did that.

Laramy: yeah, yeah. You remember that? Yeah. right. Yeah. It's yeah.

Tim Williams: Mm-hmm.

Laramy: Commentary's probably as boring as the movie.

Tim Williams: All right, let's talk about box office. The film was released theatrically in the United States by New World Pictures on November 8th, 1985. It grossed $2.5 million for the weekend, finishing in fifth place. Overall, it grossed about $7 million in the United States and Canada box office against a $3 million budget, making it a modest box office success. Yeah. Yeah.

Laramy: Not a bad box yeah. Not a bad return. Almost almost making a profit there probably.

Tim Williams: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. All right, it's time to take a look at how well this 80s flick holds up today. It's the rewatchability nostalgia meter. It's our way of measuring how enjoyable a movie is for repeat viewings along with the waves and nostalgia it brings. Here's how it works: it's a one to ten scale. Any number between one and ten will do, but here are a few parameters to help you decide. At the bottom of the meter, a number one is I saw it once, and that was enough. Right in the middle of the meter is a number five, which means it's a good rewatch every couple of years. And at the top of the meter, the highly coveted. Highly rewatchable and full of nostalgia 10. These are your parameters. Laramie, where does Transylvania six five thousand rank for you on the rewatchability nostalgia meter?

Laramy: it would be great if I could make a joke connecting it to the number six five thousand. may maybe

Tim Williams: But you don't want to go that high.

Laramy: maybe six minus five thousand would be the best I could do. yeah, I I have to put it I'm gonna I I'm gonna put it like a two point five. Like

Tim Williams: Okay.

Laramy: It has enough nostalgia for me because I did say at the beginning, when I was a kid, I really enjoyed this movie. it it's

Tim Williams: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.

Laramy: stupid. but it's one of those that now, you know, 30, 40 years later, watching it, it's one of those that it disappoints you, you know, because you had

Tim Williams: Ha ha ha.

Laramy: that nostalgia for it, and then you watch it and you're

Tim Williams: Mm-hmm. yeah.

Laramy: like, This is not what I remembered.

Tim Williams: Yep. Yep.

Laramy: but there was a lot of it I do remember and did remember

Tim Williams: Mm-hmm.

Laramy: as it played out. st but stuff that I forgot that I remembered. And so so

Tim Williams: Mm-hmm, mm-hmm.

Laramy: it's got just enough nostalgia for me to put it at a 2.5. But yeah, this isn't one that I'm going to again, I do own it. I'm not gonna be upgrading it to a Blu-ray or Forge or if they even yeah, if they even

Tim Williams: I don't even know if it's on Blu ray.

Laramy: bothered. but I know I I probably even had it on VHS way back, but I'm I'm good with it the way it is and you know, it might get pulled out twenty years from now again. But yeah,

Tim Williams: Mm.

Laramy: it's it's yeah, it it's very low for me.

Tim Williams: Yeah, it's not very high for me either. Once again, it's not I have some nostalgia, but mainly flight friends of mine that were fans of it more so than I was. it's not one that I'm gonna want to watch every couple of years. I'm won't go as low as you're going, but I will do like a f I was gonna go three. So pretty close what you had. So like three, maybe not every couple of years, maybe once a decade is probably enough. Maybe once every twelve years, maybe. but yeah. So well, let us know where you think Transylvania 65000 should rank on the rewatchability nostalgia meter. Send us an email at info at 80s flickflashback.com. Let us know on social media or leave us a comment right here on YouTube if that's where you're watching. So all right, Laramie, I appreciate you joining. I know it's Friday the 13th. You have King Size, which is your your second podcast outside of moving panels, but what you got? celebrating Stephen King on Friday the thirteenth.

Laramy: Yeah. So yeah, King Size we only release on Friday the thirteenth's Halloween and on Stephen King's birthday. and we got a the of course this Friday the thirteenth we have an episode and we me and my wife are covering apt pupil. which

Tim Williams: yeah.

Laramy: will pretty much wrap up the different seasons book because there's only four stories in it. He only turned well, I say he only. Only three of them have been turned into movies, and I believe this will end in the I've discussed all three of them now with with that people

Tim Williams: Mm-hmm.

Laramy: 'cause Shaw Shank, of course, my favorite movie ever. and we covered that on Kingsized and I have covered Stand By Me multiple times. so

Tim Williams: Yes, we have.

Laramy: yeah. And then so App Pupil finishes that out because the breathing method, the fourth story, has not been adapted. So Yeah. Very, very dark story if you've if you've never seen it.

Tim Williams: Mm-hmm.

Laramy: of course the novella is so much darker than the movie, but you'll have to check

Tim Williams: Mm-hmm.

Laramy: out the episode and hear how it compares.

Tim Williams: Nice. And what you got going on for moving panels in November?

Laramy: so in November we we get through spooky season and we're before we head into the holidays, I I usually have a hard time coming up with what I'm gonna do. you and I a couple of weeks ago did cover Thunderbolts and

Tim Williams: Mm-hmm.

Laramy: I I have an episode on Venom coming in in a

Tim Williams: Hm, yeah.

Laramy: yeah, right the in the second half of November. And then of course we get into holiday stuff. in December. So looking forward to that.

Tim Williams: Yep. Looking forward to yeah.

Laramy: also gonna be covering 'cause my wife Bethany, her birthday is at the end of November and as I do with Bethany

Tim Williams: Mm-hmm.

Laramy: and my daughters, I like to give them their own episode. And we are going to talk about a little known graphic novel and movie called I Killed Giants. which yep,

Tim Williams: I I've heard of that. Yeah.

Laramy: it's a very, very powerful story. And we haven't recorded that one yet, so looking forward to doing that.

Tim Williams: Nice, nice. Definitely check both of those podcasts out here this November. But yeah, I'm looking forward to getting into the holiday spirit. So we've done, you know, we did our John Carpenter October with The Fog and They Live and then followed it up with a Friday the thirteenth episode, which a little bit more more comedy with or tried to be comedy with Transylvania Six Five Thousand. But yeah. But our next episode will be Laramie be back with me with some other co-hosts. We're gonna cover our first Muppet movie. So we're doing Muppets the Great Muppet Caper. I always wanna I

Laramy: Great Muppet Kipper. Yep.

Tim Williams: I was like I'm trying to remember we're doing which one we're doing the Great Mupp Muppet Caper or Muppets Take Manhattan. But of course we can't do the Muppet movie because it came out in the seventies, but it's my podcast. We'll see what happens. I may I may break break my own rules. But All right, well, that's a wrap on another trip to the greatest decade of cinema. If we sparked a memory or helped you rediscover a classic today, please head over to Apple Podcast and leave us a five-star review. It truly helps the show reach more fans like you. To make sure you're always in the loop for our next deep dive, hit that follow or subscribe button. And if you want to help keep the show running, consider becoming a partner at buymeacoffee.com. For more 80s goodness, our digital headquarters is always open at 80s flickflashback.com. And while you're there, check out our tea public store for original designs and movie-inspired merch that'll have you looking like a 1980s icons. We're talking about the holidays. We do have special Christmas themed t-shirts, some from Die Hard, what do I got? Die Hard, Christmas Vacation, a Christmas story. So definitely go check those out and get you some. And also, we got other great merch that'll be great gifts for any 80s flick friends, loving friends that you have. You can get on a t shirt, on a mug, a hat,

Laramy: Mm-hmm.

Tim Williams: shorts, socks. They've they've a T public has expanded its its foray of what you can put our my designs, our designs on. So definitely check it out. And there you've got a store on T public as well, right? Yeah.

Laramy: We do. We moving panels. I haven't put any Stephen King stuff, haven't made any designs for it, but yeah, we've got some moving panel stuff. I I haven't gone the route of trying to come up with specific like holiday themed designs, but we've we've got

Tim Williams: Mm-hmm.

Laramy: our usual. So yeah, you can check us out as well. Yeah, get get a tote bag, a a sticker, whatever. Yeah.

Tim Williams: Yeah, yeah, yeah. Stickers, buttons, yeah. All right. Well, thank you, Laramie, for joining. Thanks everybody for listening for 80s flick flashback. I'm Tim Williams. Crap. I like crap. I love crap. I need crap. Crap is what sells newspapers. Look around you. Crap, crap, crap, crap, crap, crap, crap.