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INTERVIEW: LEE GAMBIN ON THE RISE AND FALL OF THE VERY SPECIAL EPISODE

Release Date: 01/18/2021

Viewmasters

In this episode two ancient critics believed dead discuss two other ancient critics believed dead! We're back to update you on our sad lives and talk about some standout episodes of Siskel & Ebert. Is this the beginning of a new renaissance?!

EPISODE #68 - TOP OF THE POPS CHRISTMAS DAY SPECIAL 1984

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And now for something completely different! This Christmas we're discussing the classic Top of the Pops Christmas special from 1984! We've got Frankie Goes to Hollywood, Duran Duran, Band-Aid with "Do They Know It's Christmas" and many more! Will Ed find the treasure in his backyard? Will Rusty appreciate art made after the year 1992? The special is on youtube if you want to have the ultimate experience. The ultimate experience? OK, maybe that's overselling it.

EPISODE #67 - SPIDER-MAN 2

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We return with our most shocking episode EVER! News will be revealed, bank accounts will be destroyed, Sam Raimi's SPIDER-MAN 2 will be occasionally mentioned! If you've been listening all along you won't wanna miss this episode!

EPISODE #66 - THREE O'CLOCK HIGH

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We're back with the cult favorite 1987 fight film THREE O'CLOCK HIGH. Director Phil Joanou, all but forgotten today, was the hottest name of the mid-80s, he was supposed to be the next Spielberg! We talk about how that all went wrong when he defied Spielberg with the (great!) direction he took this film. We also talk about classic topics like Ed's humiliating interactions with contractors, Rusty's baby bribery, and embarrassing high school experiences.

EPISODE #65 - EWOKS: BATTLE FOR ENDOR

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EPISODE #64 - SURF 2

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We're doing a deep dive into this obscure 80s comedy, recently restored by Vinegar Syndrome. Can a film with Eddie Deezen getting top billing ever disappoint?! Is this the secret classic Rusty's been looking for? Has Ed pissed his pants since our last recording, whenever that was?! As always please rate and review and follow @80stimeportal on instagram

30 Minutes or Less Episode #11 - WHAT A DUMMY

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EPISODE #63 - SUMMER SCHOOL

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School's out for the weekend, and for summer, and FOREVER! We disagree heartily on the greatness of the Carl Reiner cable classic SUMMER SCHOOL. How does Rusty's 27 pages of notes stack up against Ed's similarly volumnious research?! Why did they spend so much time researching this dreck?! Is there any details about the actors' lives they DIDN'T mention!? We go deep this week in our desperate quest for 100 episodes...we'll get there someday...

EPISODE #62 - THE QUIET EARTH

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We return with a discussion of the 1985 Kiwi sci-fi classic, THE QUIET EARTH. What would you do in this situation? How quickly until you devolved into complete madness? How many stories about plumbers will Rusty tell this week? All this and more on episode 62 of Viewmasters!

EPISODE #61 - NEW YORK NINJA

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Wow! Do you remember this podcast? Well, it's back, and we are talking about NEW YORK NINJA (1984/2021). What did we think of Vinegar Syndrome's unique experiment? Why are the streets so full of rage? Do we still remember how to podcast?! All this and more as Rusty returns to tell us where he's been and what's happened to us so far in 2022.

More Episodes

Film writer/historian Lee Gambin returns to tell us all about the history of the very special sitcom episode! We count down 5 of the wildest episodes as Lee explains the social and historical history behind these educational, wild, and controversial departures from the typical television sitcom plot. His new two volume book "Tonight, on a Very Special Episode" features essays from Lee and a group of super-talented writers on the most notable examples of this genre from 1956 - 1998. Pick it up wherever! It's GREAT! (And I have a lot of film/tv books)

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