The Cracked Podcast

Starting today, Cracked is increasing its podcasting output by 50%! In addition to new episodes of The Cracked Podcast every Monday and Kurt Vonneguys every third Tuesday, we're proud to launch Cracked Movie Club, which can be beamed directly into your earballs every Thursday.Each month, your hosts Tom Reimann and Abe Epperson are choosing a new director and doing deep-dives into four of their films with some of your favorite comedians, writers and Cracked personalities. First director: Steven Spielberg.To celebrate the launch, Cracked Movie Club is taking over The Cracked Podcast feed for the day so you can hear the inaugural episode. Tom and Abe are joined by comedian Daniel Van Kirk as they discuss how poisonous snakes, punishing desert sands, an outbreak of what can only be considered a modern plague, and a grown man pooping his pants all came together to create Raiders of the Lost Ark. Along the way, they question whether Jones was ultimately a better name than Smith, the logistics of maintaining a puzzle tomb in the middle of a jungle, and whether a certain Disney prince made a depressing cameo appearance.And if one episode wasn't enough for you, chaos theory is working in your favor, because episode two is available right now. Grab some fossilized mosquitos, a tub of ice cream and strap yourself in with the two female ends of a seatbelt, because Tom, Abe and Cracked's David Christopher Bell dissect Spielberg's 1993 hit, Jurassic Park.To hear episode two and get episode three the day it comes out, subscribe by searching for Cracked Movie Club on your podcast app of choice or clicking here to find it on Apple Podcasts: https://goo.gl/fQ2o72

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/fQ2o72East 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/6E5xidDocumentary: Empire of Dreams: https://goo.gl/gTYC2XImage: Alien poster: https://goo.gl/MGh0dxVideo: Alien trailer: https://goo.gl/MUNvkmImage: Star Wars poster: https://goo.gl/HWqDfyImage: Raiders of the Lost Ark poster: https://goo.gl/HJqNyUImage: E.T. poster: https://goo.gl/nVZH7xImage: Enemy Mine poster: https://goo.gl/yycWvKVideo: Seal, "Kiss From A Rose": https://goo.gl/w8JLhFVideo: Transformers - Age of Extinction: Romeo & Juliet Law scene: https://goo.gl/KDrvu7

For many people, filmmaking begins and ends with the director. We call it a director's medium. It's their vision that guides the entire production and it's their name that gets the praise when a movie is good, and gets dragged through the mud when a movie stinks. While that's somewhat accurate, it's completely forgetting about the hundreds of artists, technicians, producers and craftsmen who bring equal skill to the table and without whom our favorite movies would be totally different.Take Tim Burton, for example. His films have a "look," right? Edward Scissorhands, Pee-Wee's Great Adventure and Beetlejuice sort of exemplify Burton taking atomic age nostalgia and running it through the prism of Dr. Seuss on acid. Burton gets the credit for it, but all of those films (and a huge swath more) were art designed by the same guy, Rick Heinrichs. Without Heinrich's input, who knows what those movies would look like or if any of them would be as instantly memorable as they are now.Alex Schimdt welcomes Michael Swaim and Matt Gourley (Superego, I Was There Too, James Bonding) to talk about people like Heinrichs. Unknown artists who have had as much of a guiding hand in modern cinema as your Spielbergs, Lucases and Scorseses, but who you've never heard of. And if you're in Los Angeles in July, make sure to come to our next live podcast taping. On Saturday July 8th at 7:00pm at the UCB Sunset Theatre, former zoo tour guide and current Cracked Podcast host Alex Schmidt will be joined by Cracked's Daniel O'Brien and Katie Goldin as well as comedians Caitlin Gill, Joey Clift and Matt Kirshen as they discuss snakes, hippos, octopuses and every other animal that could Planet-0f-the-Apes us if they tried. Tickets are only $7 and available here: https://goo.gl/rVhzPCAlso, make sure to subscribe to our new podcast, Cracked Movie Club! Why? Because almost every movie you love is secretly insane. Join co-hosts Tom Reimann and Abe Epperson (plus special guests) for a journey through the secrets, strangeness, and fan theories behind movies you’ll never see the same way again. And every month focuses on one director’s work, building a case for exactly why Hollywood’s greatest minds are weirder than you ever thought possible.To get the first two episodes when they premiere on July 13th, type in, "Cracked Movie Club" into wherever you get your your podcasts or subscribe here on Apple Podcasts: https://goo.gl/fQ2o72Footnotes:Article: Fast Company: How Ben Burtt Designed The Sounds of Star Wars: https://goo.gl/CaLwxeArticle: io9: The Most Unforgettable Creations of HR Giger: https://goo.gl/NXD7QtArticle: Telegraph: Ken Adam: The Man Who Drew the Cold War: Video: Alex McDowell Lecture on Design and Storytelling: https://goo.gl/zn3f2CArticle: Wired: After Pee Wee and 'Tonight, Tonight,' Artist Wayne White is Reborn: https://goo.gl/Yz7mTxVideo: Roger Deakins Featurette: https://goo.gl/B3bHHaArticle/Podcast: NPR: The Story Behind the Stunts: Remembering Hal Needham: https://goo.gl/h9iHp1Article: Vice: Meet The Most Prolific Stuntman of All Time: https://goo.gl/WRVWv1Article: Vanity Fair: Meet the Most Powerful Woman in Hollywood: https://goo.gl/MYJjMuArticle: Playbill: The Other Chenoweth: Casting Director Gives Stage Actors Their Film Careers: https://goo.gl/Vc3cESVideo: Trailer for 'Casting By': https://goo.gl/jscnYKArticle: Wired: Love Classic Star Trek? You Owe A Huge Debt To Gene L. Coon: https://goo.gl/81CEY1Video: Godley & Creme: Cry: https://goo.gl/yNcQFkArticle: New Yorker: What Kind of A Genius is Max Martin: https://goo.gl/TQj7IUArticle: Vanity Fair: John Barry: The Man Who Knew The Score: https://goo.gl/oV7cQa

Every morning when you wake up you (probably) do the same routine. In some order, you shower, use the toilet, shave and brush your teeth. In that respect, movie characters don't seem to exist in the same universe as us. Typically we only see them there if something important is happening, like if someone is taking a shower at the Bates Motel or if Danny Glover needs to use the toilet in 'Lethal Weapon 2'.In part-three of our special mini-series 'Looking the Part', Soren Bowie and Daniel O'Brien break down the typical bathroom tropes we see all over pop-culture, from the different varieties of the scary shower sequence, to the strange way shaving is used to show a power imbalance. They're joined by screenwriter Seth W. Owen to break-down how a writer implements these types of scenes and to discuss the crazy reason so many movies have a part where the hero washes his face and then takes a long, steely look in the mirror.And if you missed the first two installments of 'Looking the Part', check them out by clicking the links below:In episode 1, Soren and Daniel break down Superman's dueling haircuts and the roles of mustaches, beards and goatees in film: https://goo.gl/hwuUvBIn episode 2, Soren and Daniel discuss scars, tattoos, costumes and the most recent two Jokers: https://goo.gl/81qZk3This episode is sponsored by Dollar Shave Club. For a limited time, new members get their 1st month along with the Executive Razor and a tube of their Dr. Carver’s Shave Butter for ONLY $5 with FREE shipping. That’s a $15 value for only $5 bucks! After that, razors are just a few bucks a month. This offer is exclusively available at DollarShaveClub.com/cracked​

Believe it or not, the idea of the summer break wasn't invented until very recently. Before kids got the summer off, school basically was the break from months of grueling farm work or any of the other countless horrors we subjected children to before modern labor laws. As people moved out of farming jobs into the cities and modes of transportation out of the cities became cheaper and more efficient, the travel and recreation industry took flight. By the end of the twentieth century, resort towns, roadside attractions and theme parks were a main staple of the summer vacation and a huge source of money for local economies. Or at least the ones you've heard of were.On this week's podcast, Alex Schmidt is joined by Cracked writers and editors David Christopher Bell and Tom Reimann to discuss the origins of the summer break, how Disneyland was built, and a weird catalogue of failed theme parks lost to history.And if you're in Los Angeles in July, make sure to come to our next live podcast taping. On Saturday July 8th at 7:00pm at the UCB Sunset Theatre, former zoo tour guide and current Cracked Podcast host Alex Schmidt will be joined by Cracked's Daniel O'Brien and Katie Goldin as well as comedians Caitlin Gill, Joey Clift and Matt Kirshen as they discuss snakes, hippos, octopuses and every other animal that could Planet-0f-the-Apes us if they tried. Tickets are only $7 and available here: https://goo.gl/rVhzPCAlso, be sure to get caught-up on our Cracked Podcast mini-series 'Looking the Part' co-hosted by Soren Bowie and Daniel O'Brien. Each Friday, Soren and Daniel are taking a deep-dive into the theories and hidden meanings behind movie hair, costumes and make-up. They examine the cryptic psychological reason behind Superman's dueling haircuts, why Ledger's Joker has scars and Leto's Joker has tattoos and a whole lot more. Check out episode 1 here: https://goo.gl/hwuUvBCheck out episode 2 here: https://goo.gl/81qZk3And stay tuned to the Cracked Podcast for episode 3 this Friday.Footnotes:Article: Cracked: 8 Amusement Parks That Died Surreal and Bizarre Deaths: https://goo.gl/62P2xQArticle: Slate: Do Kids Need a Summer Vacation: https://goo.gl/uVc9DBArticle: PBS: Debunking the Myth of Summer Vacation: https://goo.gl/ieCCvsArticle: Smithsonian Magazine: Where Was The Birthplace of the American Vacation: https://goo.gl/hiHiK8Article: LA Times: How Disney Used Shell Companies To Start Its Magic Kingdom: https://goo.gl/1n8LfjArticle: Disney Parks: Bob Foster and the Founding of a Disney Kingdom: https://goo.gl/wg5ArVArticle: Washington Post: This S.C. roadside attraction is garish, tacky and un-PC — but I stopped anyway: https://goo.gl/H3b4iVPhoto: Six Flags Over Texas: Map With Confederacy Land: https://goo.gl/r1b6ewPhotoset: Weather Channel: You Can Rent This 'Wizard of Oz' Them Park: https://goo.gl/1FkNwqArticle: Cracked: 6 Insane Summer Camps That Will Make You Wish You Were a Kid: https://goo.gl/CidkkHArticle: Cracked: 5 Disney Park Attractions You Won't Believe Existed: https://goo.gl/uqFJ43Article: Cracked: 6 Ways Fourth of July Used To Make 'The Purge' Look Tame: https://goo.gl/5Sthd1Wikipedia: Shania Twain: https://goo.gl/3DvgrU

Admit it: the Harry Potter movies would be totally different if he didn't have a cool scar. If Harry looked like Gary Oldman in 'Hannibal', Hermione and Ron be afraid to talk to him and even the Dementors would think twice before getting close to him. But Harry's scar is pencil-thin, and hides behind his hair. He's got a good-guy scar. And characters like Heath Ledger's Joker, Freddy Krueger and Scar? Obviously bad guys, right? 'The Lion King' wasn't even trying when they named their bad guy. Last week, in episode one of "Looking the Part," Soren Bowie and Daniel O'Brien analyzed what filmmakers were subtly telegraphing to audiences with characters' hair, mustaches and beards. This week the guys are joined by costume designer Jenna Wright to take a look at the skin, how scars and tattoos are used on good guys vs. bad guys, and the role costuming plays in developing a character. This episode is sponsored by Dollar Shave Club. For a limited time, new members get their 1st month along with the Executive Razor and a tube of their Dr. Carver’s Shave Butter for ONLY $5 with FREE shipping.  That’s a $15 value for only $5 bucks! After that, razors are just a few bucks a month.  This offer is exclusively available at DollarShaveClub.com/cracked

Understatement time: movies are hard to make. Every movie from The Godfather II to Joe Dirt 2​ is the result of years and years of tireless hard work from artists, craftsmen, teamsters, executives and advertisers-- all working in high pressure situations with tight deadlines, huge egos and insane amounts of money at play. Like GDP of a small island nation amount of money. Odds are behind every movie, there's an absolutely insane story of inappropriate behavior, blatant disregard for safety regulations and famous people trying to murder each other. This week on the podcast, Alex Schmidt is joined by Cracked's Daniel O'Brien and Tom Reimann, comedian Jamie Loftus and writer Dave Schilling (The Guardian, Bleacher Report, Vice) to cover 17 movies with absolutely batsh*t behind the scenes stories, like basically every late-period Marlon Brando movie, the screwball comedy that shot an iconic scene on 9/11 and the backstage antics that led a very famous actor to punch James Cameron in the face. If you need some hot new threads for the summer, be sure to check out our new Cracked Podcast Merch. And for a limited time, get 20% off your order when you use the code CRACKED at checkout: https://goo.gl/2J8Nh3 Footnotes: ​Article: Cracked: 6 Insane Dick Moves By Directors Behind Famous Movies: https://goo.gl/JB88mh Article: Cracked: 6 Famous Films You Had No Idea Were Hell Behind The Scenes: https://goo.gl/KoDcf7 Article: Cracked: 6 Great Movies That Were A Disaster Behind The Scenes: https://goo.gl/aElYpy ​Article: Cracked: 5 Famous Movies That Were Insane Parties Behind The Scenes: https://goo.gl/lvZLQy Article: Cracked: 7 Insane Behind The Scenes Problems Recent Movies Dealt With: https://goo.gl/3MlTNb Article: Cracked: 6 Classic Movies Made Possible By Reckless Endangerment: https://goo.gl/dKgBU Article: Cracked: 5 Great Movie Scenes Made Possible By Reckless Endangerment: https://goo.gl/81V33 Article: Cracked: 12 Classic Movie Moments Made Possible By Abuse And Murder: https://goo.gl/hvav0 Video: Marlon Brando Reads Cue Cards Off A Baby in Superman: https://goo.gl/eGiezr ​Video: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Clip: https://goo.gl/fYCf45 Video: Master of Disguise - Turtle Club Clip: https://goo.gl/wU2VLS​

Every cheesy soap opera gives it away from the start-- the dashing Dr. Iago Montana is back from the dead...with a goatee. We as the audience know: IT'S NOT HIM, IT'S HIS EVIL TWIN! SEND HIM BACK FROM WHENCE HE CAME! Again, it's easy to spot this from a mile away when you see it on a soap opera or a children's cartoon. The crazy thing is, whether you know it or not, every movie and TV show uses a special shorthand to convey if a character is good, evil, happy, sad, trustworthy or complicated. And more often than not, this shorthand is baked into how a character presents themselves. You just need to know what to look for. That's why in our new podcast mini-series sponsored by Dollar Shave Club, Cracked senior editor Soren Bowie and head of video Daniel O'Brien will dissect how characters' grooming habits, costumes and make-up are the biggest spoilers of all. This week on episode one, the guys will take a look at Superman's dueling hair styles, what different types of facial hair say and what it means when a character chooses to be bald. This episode is sponsored by Dollar Shave Club. For a limited time, new members get their 1st month along with the Executive Razor and a tube of their Dr. Carver’s Shave Butter for ONLY $5 with FREE shipping. That’s a $15 value for only $5 bucks! After that, razors are just a few bucks a month. This offer is exclusively available at ​www.dollarshaveclub.com/cracked​.

Checking the news right now, things are a little, how do you say...fucked. But there is some hope. As one of our guests puts it, "Rome wasn't burnt down in a day." Despite your Richard Spencers, your animated frog avatars and the whole extended cast of characters hell-bent on returning America to its pre-civil rights glory ("a hot dog cost a nickel and you could physically assault any person of color you saw! ") there are still people fighting for good in this country. That's why this week we're chatting with comedians/podcasters/activists and all-around cool dudes W. Kamau Bell and Hari Kondabolu. Their podcast "Politically Reactive" is the modern guide to surviving in the age of Trump-- from how to be an active part of the resistance to just how to stay happy and not let the whole dumpster fire weigh you down on a day-to-day basis. First, Jack O'Brien and Daniel O'Brien chat with W. Kamau Bell about his show "United Shades of America," what it was like interviewing Richard Spencer and a KKK leader and how he would go about fixing the violence in Chicago. Later, Alex Schmidt and Katie Goldin speak with Hari Kondabolu about #covfefe, how being a touring comedian gives you a different view of America and an absolutely crazy video of Malcom X on a Canadian Game show. If you need some hot new threads for the summer, be sure to check out our new Cracked Podcast Merch. And for a limited time, get 20% off your order when you use the code CRACKED at checkout: https://goo.gl/2J8Nh3 Also, make sure to stay tuned to the Cracked Podcast feed for a special three-part miniseries hosted by Soren Bowie starting this Friday, June 17th. Soren and Daniel O'Brien are dissecting movie make-up and costumes to show that how a character appears is the biggest spoiler of them all. Footnotes: Podcast: Politically Reactive: https://goo.gl/Nxh4Iv Website: W. Kamau Bell: https://goo.gl/zHt0Y3 Website: Hari Kondabolu: https://goo.gl/WAFZFH Website: United Shades of America on CNN: https://goo.gl/JV0kde Book: The Awkward Thoughts of W. Kamau Bell: https://goo.gl/HTjbXk Album: Hari Kondabolu's New Material Night Volume One: https://goo.gl/945WUm Video: Malcom X on Canadian Game Show: https://goo.gl/eJEn3W

Serious Talk. It's Jack's last episode. After 11 years at Cracked, our intrepid editor-in-chief and podcast host extraordinaire Jack O'Brien is hanging up the cleats to tackle new projects, end world hunger and find the Zodiac killer. But that doesn't mean this podcast is going anywhere. Jack is joined this week by NEW Cracked Podcast host Alex Schmidt as they sit down with Michael Swaim, Daniel O'Brien, Soren Bowie and Jason Pargin (aka David Wong) to reminisce over Jack's 11 years of service, how they all landed at Cracked and their favorite Cracked Podcast topics from the first 182 episodes. To keep up with Jack, be sure to follow him on Twitter: twitter.com/jack_obrien To follow your new Cracked Podcast host, you can find him on Twitter: twitter.com/alexschmidty And if you need some hot new threads for the summer, be sure to check out our new Cracked Podcast MERCH: https://goo.gl/2J8Nh3 Also, be sure to come see the next live taping of the Cracked Podcast on Saturday, June 10th at 7pm at the UCB Sunset Theater in Los Angeles. Guests inlcude Daniel O'Brien, Tom Reimann, Jamie Loftus (The Bechdel Cast) and Dave Schilling (Bleacher Report, Grantland, Vice) as the Cracked crew discusses insane behind the scenes stories from movies and tv shows. Tickets are $7 and available here: https://goo.gl/lsCBDm Footnotes: Video: TED: James Flynn: Why Our IQ Levels Are Higher Than Our Grandparents: https://goo.gl/MMRp4L Video: Clip from Fractured Flickers: https://goo.gl/UPBhG2 Book: Michael Shermer: Why People Believe Weird Things: https://goo.gl/fXBHp7 Podcast: Cracked: Insane Simpsons Easter Eggs (Explained By Simpsons Writers): https://goo.gl/zhfWQb Podcast: Cracked: More Simpsons Writer's Room Stories (From a Simpsons Writer): https://goo.gl/7HVBM6 Book: Daniel O'Brien: How to Fight Presidents: https://goo.gl/yXfDjH Article: Esquire: Todd Marinovich: The Man Who Never Was: https://goo.gl/C89avK Podcast: Cracked: Why Class in America Isn't About Income: https://goo.gl/2tliZx Article: Siderea: Class (American): https://goo.gl/tlmX4S Article: Slate Star Codex: Staying Classy: https://goo.gl/2eYdF6 Article: Slate Star Codex: I Can Tolerate Anything Except the Outgroup: https://goo.gl/ZrwgcS