Scott Leopold

🎄 It’s another Scrooge Sunday, which means we’re about to be haunted by a series of spirits as we ride the airwaves back to 1980 for a version of “A Christmas Carol” set in the studios of “WKRP in Cincinnati.”  🎙️ Gerry Davila, Scott Leopold, and Michael May join us on a trip through time that definitely wasn’t fueled by special brownies, so stop asking.  📺 You can find “Bah, Humbug” on the Internet Archive.  ****  (00:00) - Intro  (03:03) - Guest and Episode Histories  (07:55) - Carlson’s Grandfather’s Ghost  (26:03) - Christmas Past  (38:30) - Retro Commercial Break  (39:58) - Christmas Present  (46:42) - Christmas Future and The End of It  (59:17) - Final Thoughts  ****  💬 Topics & Tangents:  This episode won an Emmy for video editing, beating out an Alice in Wonderland themed episode of “The Muppet Show” starring Brooke Shields.  A teenage Jan Smithers (Bailey) on a 1966 cover of “Newsweek.”  Richard Sanders (Les Nessman) in “Day of the Tentacle.”  There’s now a real, actual WKRP-FM radio station in Cincinnati.  ****  📼 Commercials:  Kmart Christmas Commercial (1980)  Holly Jolly X’masu  ****  “WKRP in Cincinnati” and “Bah, Humbug” © 1980 Company Four.  Theme song by Bronwen’s Ghost.  Find us at adventcalendar.house.  Hosted by The Retro Network.  #s16 #1980s #scroogesunday

🎄It’s 1983, and the Worst Kids in the World are taking over the church Nativity play, smoking in the ladies’ room, and helping themselves to the sacramental grape juice.  🎙 Scott Leopold from Holly Jolly X’masu and Bob Baker from Festive Foreign Film Fans join us as we meet the Herdmans in a classic Christmas story turned TV movie starring Loretta Swit from “M*A*S*H” and a young Fairuza Balk in her on-screen debut.  ****  💬 Topics & Tangents:  Today’s TV Tropes: It’s the Best Whatever, Ever and Title Drop.  Author Barbara Robinson wrote 2 sequels: “The Best School Year Ever” (1994) and “The Best Halloween Ever” (2004).  Fairuza Balk (Beth) in “The Waterboy.”  Loretta Swit (Grace) interview: “Meanest kids in town make the best pageant,” AP via The Free Lance-Star, 1983.  Jason Michas (Leroy) as Johnny Arcade in “The Power Team” animated segment from Season 1 of “Video Power.”  Antony Holland (Reverend Hopkins) as Dr. Light — er, “Wright” — in “Captain N: The Game Master.”  Ocean Hellman (Alice) in “Danger Bay,” which keeps coming up this season.  ****  📼 Commercial:  Duracell “No Longer Under the Christmas Tree” Commercial (1983)  Festive Foreign Film Fans.  ****  “The Best Christmas Pageant Ever” © 1983 Comworld Productions.  Theme song by Bronwen’s Ghost.  Full show notes and social links at adventcalendar.house.  #s11 #1980s #nativity

🎄 It’s 1979, by way of 1933 — or the other way around — and the human from Fraggle Rock has broken into my garage with a haunted choir of singing children.  🎙️ Scott Leopold from Holly Jolly X’masu and Tommy Coombs join us as we turn the dial on our haunted time-traveling radio to find Henry Winkler at the height of his fame as the Fonz hiding under multiple layers of makeup as a Scrooge figure in Depression-era New England.  📺 You can watch “An American Christmas Carol” for free on YouTube.  ****  💬 Topics & Tangents:  Henry Winkler interview on being asked to play a Scrooge figure.  The Ford Model TT truck.  Dorian Harewood (Matt Reeves/Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come) filling in for James Avery as Shredder.  Today’s TV Trope: Recursive Fiction — and “The Identical.”  Robin Williams on “Sesame Street” showing Elmo different ways to play with a stick.  “Sister Kenny,” based on the true story of an Australian nurse.  ****  📼 Commercials:  McDonald’s Gift Certificates Christmas Commercial (1979)  Holly Jolly X’masu, your podcast destination for Japanese Christmas music.  ****  “An American Christmas Carol” © 1979 Scrooge Productions, Inc.  Theme song by Bronwen’s Ghost.  Find us at adventcalendar.house.  #s11 #1970s #scroogesunday