Call Jane
Did That Really Happen?
This week we're traveling back to the late 60s/early 70s with Call Jane! Join us as we learn about religion and abortion activism, hospital abortion boards, and the surprisingly complex history of the snickerdoodle. Sources: News Report by Peter Heller on Abortion, 1969. Oregon Public Broadcasting. Available at https://americanarchive.org/catalog/cpb-aacip-153-988gtx44 Linda Greenhouse and Reva B. Siegel, Before Roe v. Wade: Voices That Shaped the Abortion Debate Before the Supreme Court's Ruling. Creative Commons. Available at...
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September 5
Did That Really Happen?
This week we're traveling to the 1972 Olympics with September 5! Join us as we learn about journalists like Peter Jennings and Geoffrey Mason, satellite TV, and more! NOTE: Due to a technical issue, there are some sound quality problems on Jamie's audio. We promise these issues will be fixed on our next episode. Sources: Travis Vogan, ABC News Sports: The Rise and Fall of Network Sports Television. University of California Press, 2018 Peter Jennings Interview With Larry King, 2002. Transcript available at https://transcripts.cnn.com/show/lkl/date/2002-04-10/segment/00 Charles Glass, Peter...
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Shirley
Did That Really Happen?
This week we're going back to 1972 with Shirley! Join us as we learn about Barbara Lee, Shirley Chisholm's meeting with George Wallace, the 1972 Democratic Convention, the equal time rule, and more! Note: Due to some microphone-related technical difficulties, this episode has some audio quality issues, but those will be resolved in our next episode. Source PBS: Equal Time Rule: https://www.pbs.org/standards/media-law-101/candidate-appearances/ https://www.nytimes.com/1972/06/03/archives/u-s-court-rules-mrs-chisholm-must-receive-equal-time-on-tv.html Debra Michals, "Shirley Chisholm,"...
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Nosferatu (2024)
Did That Really Happen?
This week we're traveling back to 1830s Germany (and Transylvania) with Nosferatu! Join us as we learn about the folklore of garlic, exhuming suspected vampires, plague ships, and more! Sources: Booseum: Vampires! Carnegie Museum of Natural History, available at https://carnegiemnh.org/booseum-vampires/#:~:text=Garlic%2C%20specifically%20the%20chemical%20compound,would%20%E2%80%9Ckill%E2%80%9D%20a%20vampire. Vampire Myths Originated With a Real Blood Disorder, available at https://www.queensu.ca/gazette/stories/vampire-myths-originated-real-blood-disorder Eater Video: How Garlic Became a...
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American Psycho
Did That Really Happen?
This week we're traveling back to the 1980s with American Psycho! Join us as we learn about Wall Street killers, men's skincare products, Page 6, "Hip to be Square", and more! Sources: Cynthia Weiner, "What We Miss When We Talk About the Preppy Killer," Crime Reads (2025), https://crimereads.com/what-we-miss-when-we-talk-about-the-preppy-killer/ James Feron, "Wall St. Analyst Guilty in Murder of Second Wife," The New York Times 17 March 1989, B2, 38. Leonard Buder, "Suspect Seized in Two Murders in Wall St. Area," The New York Times 23 June 1982, B1. ...
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Some Like It Hot
Did That Really Happen?
This week we're going back to the Roaring 20s with Some Like It Hot! Join us as we learn about the Valentine's Day Massacre, speakeasies, Shell Oil, blood typing, and more! Sources: "Prohibition," Mob Museum, available at https://prohibition.themobmuseum.org/the-history/the-prohibition-underworld/the-speakeasies-of-the-1920s/ Legends of America, Prohibition Speakeasies: https://www.legendsofamerica.com/ah-prohibitionspeakeasy/' Farhud DD, Zarif Yeganeh M. A brief history of human blood groups. Iran J Public Health. 2013;42(1):1-6. Epub 2013 Jan 1. PMID: 23514954; PMCID: PMC3595629. Mitra R,...
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Zola
Did That Really Happen?
This week we're traveling back to the ye old internet days of 2015 with Zola! Join us as we learn about Vine, Backpage, Florida strip club rules, and more! Sources: Casey Newton, "Why Vine Died: Closing the Loop" The Verge (2016) https://www.theverge.com/2016/10/28/13456208/why-vine-died-twitter-shutdown John Herrman, "Vine Changed the Internet Forever. How Much Does the Internet Miss It?" New York Times (2020). Justin Perlman, "What was Backpage? Why Did It Shut Down?" Philadelphia Weekly February 29, 2024....
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Aguirre, The Wrath of God
Did That Really Happen?
This week we're going back to 16th-century Peru with Aguirre, The Wrath of God! Join us as we learn about Spanish women who went on expeditions, the real Lope de Aguirre, the wild stories behind the production of this film, and more! Content Warning: This episode contains discussions of incest and sexual abuse. Sources: Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aguirre,_the_Wrath_of_God Roger Ebert Review: https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/great-movie-aguirre-the-wrath-of-god-1972 Geoff Andrew, "Great Beginnings: Aguirre, The Wrath of God," BFI:...
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65
Did That Really Happen?
This week we travel back to dinosaur times with 65! Join us as we learn about all kinds of prehistoric weirdness, including pack-hunting dinosaurs, Spanish moss, swamp creatures, the big asteroid, and more! Sources: Emily Osterloff, "How an Asteroid Ended the Age of the Dinosaurs," Natural History Museum, available at https://www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/how-an-asteroid-caused-extinction-of-dinosaurs.html#:~:text=The%20impact%20site%2C%20known%20as,largest%20crater%20on%20the%20planet. Eric Hand, "Updated: Drilling of Dinosaur-killing Impact Crater Explains Buried Circular Hills," Science,...
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Blade Runner
Did That Really Happen?
It's a new year, so it's once again time for our annual special episode on depictions of the future! Join us as we take a look at 2019-as-imagined-in-1981's Blade Runner, with discussions of gas flares, Japanese influence on American culture, the resurgence of 1940s fashion, and more! Sources: Ryan Britt, "Blade Runner: How Its Problems Made It a Better Movie," Den of Geek, available at https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/blade-runner-making-of-history/ Roger Ebert Review: https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/blade-runner-directors-cut-1992 Ben Sherlock, "Like Tears in Rain," Screen Rant,...
info_outlineFor our last episode of 2024, we're traveling back to 1920s Hollywood with Singin' in the Rain! Join us as we learn about mood music on set, elocution lessons, fan magazines, stunts, and more!
Sources:
Pamela Hutchinson, "The Silent Era Film Stars Who Risked Life and Limb Doing Their Own Stunts," The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/film/filmblog/2015/sep/07/silent-era-film-stars-risked-their-lives-doing-film-stunts
"The Evolution of Stunts: Part I," British Action Academy, available at https://www.britishactionacademy.com/blog/the-action-reel/the-evolution-of-stunts-part-one/
Ronald Haver, "Singin' in the Rain," Criterion Collection (1988), https://www.criterion.com/current/posts/817-singin-in-the-rain
Earl Hess and Pratibha Dabholkar, Singin in the Rain: The Making of an American Masterpiece (University of Kansas Press, 2009), https://www.jstor.org/stable/jj.1544771
https://www.rogerebert.com/interviews/donald-oconnor-singin-in-the-rain-star-dead-at-78
Turner Classic Movies, "Debbie Reynolds Talks About Singin' in the Rain," https://youtu.be/EEizqKN7dpA?si=eiXIx2fvbUig5LgA
Nolan Moore, "The Obscure Accordionist Who Played Mood Music on Silent Film Sets," Atlas Obscura (Sept. 20, 2016). https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/the-obscure-accordionist-who-played-mood-music-on-silent-film-sets
Patrick Miller, "Music and the Silent Film," Perspectives of New Music (1982/3): 582-4. http://www.jstor.com/stable/832894
Pamela Hutchinson, "Photoplay magazine: the birth of celebrity culture," The Guardian 26 January 2016, https://www.theguardian.com/film/filmblog/2016/jan/26/photoplay-magazine-hollywood-film-studios-stars-celebrity-culture
Photoplay [Jul-Dec 1930] | Media History Digital Library
Dan Nosowitz, "How a Fake British Accent Took Old Hollywood by Storm," Atlas Obscura, available at https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/how-a-fake-british-accent-took-old-hollywood-by-storm