This Was A Thing: The Retro Podcast

Want to learn to be a  real  actor? Well, if you’re willing to plumb the depths of emotionally devestating experiences from your childhood and past, or living your life in the exact circumstances of your character, then you’re in luck! Doesn’t sound appealing? To most people, those kind of ideas (drawing on memories to inform a performance and “being” your character) is the epitome of wh...

Life is full of questions: Why are we here? What’s the point? How can I possibly get tickets to see Taylor Swift? But when Californians concerned about declines in milk consumption decided to revamp their marketing approach, they had a different two-word question in mind. And that question became a slogan, which then became a viral sensation that rocketed the ad campaign into public awareness, and...

Most people would probably say “Yes” immediately if someone agreed to pay them a million dollars for spending time on an island. But what if you had to undergo challenges like eating beetle larvae, and be judged by a jury of your peers in order to get the money? Oh, also, finding a place to poop is not fun. That may not sound like your ideal vacation, but to the first-season contestants on  S...

Hot off the presses! As some of you might know, just last week, the members of SAG-AFTRA - the union which represents TV and film actors - went on strike for the first time in decades. And while we’re not really a current events podcast (see the “Retro Podcast” subtitle), these types of battles over contracts and pay have been going on between producers and actors for as long as studios have exist...

You are not going to f#$%ing believe this: we have another Hollywood-themed episode for you! This time, though, we’re moving past the Hollywood Blacklist and looking at a different kind of censorship: the movie ratings system. That’s right, we’re doing a deep dive into who exactly is behind that four capital letter organization you see next to each rating, and why we’re stuck with the system we’ve...

Happy Fourth of July, dear listeners! Since this day is typically all about celebrating independence, we thought we'd throw a little controversy into the mix (classic This Was A Thing ) by revisiting an episode of America's history where a select group of people was targeted by the U.S. government for suspicions of communist associations and beliefs. And one community at the center of this suspici...

Please note: this episode contains content and discussion about the death of an infant and child kidnappings. Charles Lindbergh may have earned himself the nickname “Lucky Lindy” and captivated the world with his record-setting solo flight from New York to Paris, but sadly, he may be best remembered for the tragedy that befell him and his family in 1932. And while the nation mourned Lindbergh’s ch...

Calling Dick Tracy! Calling Dick Tracy!  This Was A Thing  has a mystery only a seasoned, hard-boiled comic strip detective can solve: why did a movie based on such a popular character, whose story stretches all the way from the 1930s through the late 20th century, fail to make a splash at the box office even though it featured a cotillion of celebrities? Well, call up the Retouchables a...

Roll out the VCR and pull up a folding chair, because it’s time for a good ol’ PSA. That’s right, we’re going old-school this week at  This Was a Thing , and rewinding to a more innocent time when the classrooms were full of happiness, juice boxes, and policemen leading improvisation exercises where you pretended to sell drugs to your friends.  Rob teaches Ray about Drug Abuse Resistance...

Whether it’s insider trading or nepo babies, people usually have an issue with others using exclusive privileges for personal gain. But in the world of sports betting, profiting from inside information isn't just frowned upon - for officials, it’s actually illegal. And yet that didn’t stop a certain NBA referee from doing just that, and causing one of the biggest scandals yet in the basketball lea...

Here at  This Was A Thing,  we’re no fashionistas (although Ray would argue otherwise), but even with our limited knowledge, it’s hard to avoid noticing the current trend of tapered, tighter clothes. But in the early 1900s, a garment rose to popularity that shunned that trend toward tightness, boasting extra fabric and a looser fit. More than that, this particular clothing item became so...

In honor of pride month, this week is a special episode focused on the franchise that began life as a landmark French boulevard stage comedy, and was then adapted into acclaimed films and musical. And even though the love story at the center of the story was between two men, it has captured the hearts of audiences from all sexual orientations. It also answers the age old question: what happens whe...

When a neighborhood in Niagra Falls is named "Love Canal," you might think it would be a perfect place for a weekend get-away, or an idyllic spot to raise one’s family. Tragically, as its residents discovered in 1978, a chemical company had already put this area to use as a dumping site for highly toxic chemicals - which they then covered up, literally and figuratively. But it couldn’t, and didn’t...

When Beatlemania swept the nation in the 1960s, the only logical and properly capitalistic response was to ask: “How can we steal this idea and turn it into a good ol’ American money grab?” And thus was born the idea for a show featuring four talented, eccentric bandmates who just want to make some noise, shake a timbourine, and go on some wild adventures. But when these fictional band buddies dec...

Do you ever feel like there’s just no getting away from the texts, emails, and Slack messages? Like life would be so much easier if there were a dedicated place you could go to talk with people, rather than feeling your pocket buzz at every single moment? Well, break out the cringey screen names and Away Messages, because this week, we taking AIM at a topic that’s sure to warm the modems in every...

In today’s hyper-connected world, it’s almost impossible to avoid the constant flood of news, whether it’s coming from our TVs, phones, or computers. So give your brain a break and cast your mind back to a time when news was just another segment on TV, and the idea of a 24-hour news cycle was almost unheard of – that is, until one small toddler in Midland, Texas, took an unexpected fall in her bac...

Unless you’ve been holed up in a Fortress of Solitude for the past hundred years, there’s no escaping the cultural impact of Superman. After starting life on the pages of comic books, a number of actors have donned the yellow “S” on TV and in movies. But for one man in particular, the cape of Krypton became more of a burden than a blessing. And when his death lead to murder accusations, George Ree...

Join us for a jaunt down memory lane – a.k.a., Central Park West – as we take a trip to see the nicest apartments ever to be rented by supposedly down-and-out New Yorkers. That’s right, we’re visiting Monica, Joey, Chandler, Ross, Phoebe, and, of course, Rachel. And if there’s one thing that endeared viewers to Jennifer Aniston’s waitress-turned-fashion executive, on top of her sarcasm and “will-t...

If you saw that title and you're chomping at the bit to get listening, and can hardly rein in your excitement, then you're in the right place. So hop on a rainbow, make sure you've packed your bag full with friendship, loyalty, trust, and honesty, and join us on an express journey to Equestria! Ray teaches Rob about the history of fandoms, and the specific origins of the Brony subculture within th...

Since it's almost spring, it's the perfect time to throw out those ratty rags from last year and add some fresh looks to your wardrobe. So, to inspire your inner fashionistas, we’re taking a look back at the work of an unsung hero behind the outfits of Hollywood's early movie stars: costume designer Edith Head. Ray teaches Rob about how Edith went from substitute teacher to Mae West’s costumer and...

In addition to being the birthyear of one Mr. Raymond Michael Hebel, 1987 was arguably defined by the stories of four women who came under intense public scrutiny for choices and actions which led the press to label them as "bimbos". And despite the fact that a collection of awful men with whom these women associated either harmed, betrayed, or even assaulted them, it wasn't those men who ultimate...

Roll out the red carpet and grab a tub of Redenbacher's, because it's time to go to the movies. The Academy Awards are one of the most anticipated cinema celebrations in the world, so naturally, when the show seemed like it was losing its pizzazz, the producers need to find a way to spice things up again. And what better way to do that than to add in lavish production numbers, incongruous sketches...

This one's got it all: true crime, big reveals, legal drama, Uta Hagen. So if any of those things spark your interest, then this one's for you, dear listener. Because even though this real-life case of a wealthy heiress’s mysterious coma initially seemed cut-and-dry, nothing was as simple as it seemed. Was Sunny von Bülow's coma the result of foul play? What was in that strange black bag her child...

If there's one thing America's great at, it's franchising literally anything. Self-help book series, TV show spinoffs, Subways - we love a good franchise. And when it comes to America's global influence, the movie industry continues to be one of the biggest cultural exports from the USA to other countries. So, given that American films and movie stars have so much cultural cachet, and that quintes...

Happy Valentine's Day, listeners! Or, if you prefer not to recognize this particular holiday, Happy Tuesday! Given that today's episode happens to fall on this uniquely American holiday all about capitalism-fueled love, we wanted to give you all something that fits the occasion. And what better way to celebrate a holiday of romance and rampant commercialism than an episode all about a book that si...