Enjoy Stuff: A TechnoRetro Podcast

If adventure has a name, it must be Indiana Jones.  This week, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade turns 30 and Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom turns 35!  

 

In the NEWS:

 

SuperFriend: Antony Soehner

The author of Gather the Party, Unite the Party, and Assemble the Party stops in for a chat about Denver Pop Culture Convention, lessons learned in the adventure of writing, and what we are likely to see from him next.

 

The Temple of Doom and The Last Crusade

Indiana Jones returned to theaters in 1984 and 1989 with a prequel and a sequel to Raiders of the Lost Ark.  Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom is set before the events of Raiders as Indy and Short Round end up rescuing enslaved children in India.  We get an even earlier look at our adventurous archaeologist in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade when we see Henry Jones, Jr. as a Boy Scout in the sequel to Raiders of the Lost Ark.  PLUS: shazbazzar and Jedi Shua remember the night they saw Raiders of the Lost Jedi Temple of Doom at Hollywood Studios in 2010.

 

TechnoRetro Arcade: Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom

If arcade adventure has a name, it might be Indiana Jones.  In 1985, the arcade adaptation of Temple of Doom hit malls, pizza places, and skating rinks with a fun rendition of the movie that drove the MPAA to invent the PG-13 rating.  Rescue slaves.  Defeat Thuggees.  Return the Sankara stones.  All in the name of fortune and glory (the arcade makes a fortune in quarters by the guy who gets the glory for his high score on the game).

 

Feedback:

EarBud Jedi Holmes shares the origin story of the Mogwai from Gremlins and reveals Hondo in the next issue of Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge.

 

Thanks for tuning in to TechnoRetro Dads, EarBuds!  Be sure to check out episodes you may have missed on iTunes, Apple Podcasts, or at TechnoRetroDads.libsyn.com.  Don’t forget to rate and review TechnoRetro Dads on iTunes, share us and with us on social media, get TechnoRetro merchandise at TeePublic, and join discussions on Discord about toys, cereal, games, movies and/or shows from the ‘70s and ‘80s by giving the ‘Dads your feedback via voice mail at (209) 878-7323 or sending us your mp3dback via electronic-M to podcast@TechnoRetroDads.com.

Direct download: TRDads_07.08.mp3
Category:TechnoRetro Dads -- posted at: 12:00pm EDT

Whether you remember him from The Carol Burnett Show, The Apple Dumpling Gang, or his appearances as Dorf on The Tonight Show or home video releases, if you remember Tim Conway, you remember him fondly.  We remember the laughter and joy he brought us from childhood into the age and size of grown-ups.

 

In the NEWS:

  • TRON goes vertical in Walt Disney World
  • Muppet Babies are actual Muppets again
  • Comedian Tim Conway dies at age 85 

 

We Love Our Cereal…

…and new kid-style adult-cereal claims to love us back.  Magic Spoon launches four flavors of “healthy” cereal with a hefty price tag.  PLUS: Toy Story 4 has inspired cereal makers to create Carnival Berry cereal.

 

TechnoRetro Arcade

CONSPIRACY: The government used unsuspecting video gamers in arcades in the Pacific Northwest in psychological experiments in 1981 through a strange coin-operated game called Polybius.

CONTROVERSY: Polybius is an urban legend that has contributed to countless hours wasted in search of a fictional video game that never really existed.

Which side do you take in the ongoing debate about Polybius?

 

TIM CONWAY:

From The Carol Burnett Show to Saturday Mornings with The New Scooby-Doo Movies, Tim Conway lent his vocal talent as well as his knack for physical comedy to television screens across America.

But that’s not all!  When families said, “Let’s All Go to the Movies” in the ‘70s, it could have been in anticipation of lots of laughter in response to watching the comedic prowess of Tim Conway in The Apple Dumpling Gang or The Apple Dumpling Gang Rides Again.

Thanks, Tim Conway, for years of funniness and fond memories!

 

Thanks for tuning in to TechnoRetro Dads, EarBuds!  Be sure to check out episodes you may have missed on iTunes, Apple Podcasts, or at TechnoRetroDads.libsyn.com.  Don’t forget to rate and review TechnoRetro Dads on iTunes, share us and with us on social media, get TechnoRetro merchandise at TeePublic, and join discussions on Discord about toys, cereal, games, movies and/or shows from the ‘70s and ‘80s by giving the ‘Dads your feedback via voice mail at (209) 878-7323 or sending us your mp3dback via electronic-M to podcast@TechnoRetroDads.com.

Direct download: TRDads_07.07.mp3
Category:TechnoRetro Dads -- posted at: 6:00am EDT

Chewbacca immediately connected with audiences, both young and old, when Star Wars first hit theaters in 1977.  Imagined by George Lucas and realized through Peter Mayhew, Chewbacca has continued to be the loyal friend and lovable copilot we always wanted to have.

 

In the NEWS:

Get scholarly with Gremlins 2Willow will likely return in a sequel series on Disney+.  Peter Mayhew, the big-hearted man who gave life to Chewbacca, left this life a couple weeks ago.   In other Star Wars news, Jeff Baucom shared a link to a fan edit of the lightsaber battle in Star Wars: A New Hope and Disney announces release dates for three new Star Wars movies. 

 

Star Wars Scrapbook

May has always been Star Wars month for fans of the saga.  Pop-culture has saddled the pun-laden “May the 4th” as Star Wars Day, but long before that, May 25th has been considered the more significant day, being the release date of the movie that started it all with Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia, Han Solo, Chewbacca, R2-D2, C-3PO, and Ben Kenobi.  In this week’s Star Wars Scrapbook, JediShua and shazbazzar look back at major events in May over the past several decades.

 

Feedback

A brief note from Kali (“13K”) reminds us of the ever-growing number of EarBuds tuning in to TechnoRetro Dads every week.  Thanks for tuning in, EarBuds, and thanks for your input each week.  Let your voice be heard by calling (209) TR-TRDAD (209) 878-7323 and leaving us a voicemail.  Maybe you have a memory of (or with) Peter Mayhew that you’d like to share with other fans of Chewbacca.  Call soon!

 

Thanks for tuning in to TechnoRetro Dads, EarBuds!  Be sure to check out episodes you may have missed on iTunes, Apple Podcasts, or at TechnoRetroDads.libsyn.com.  Don’t forget to rate and review TechnoRetro Dads on iTunes, share us and with us on social media, get TechnoRetro merchandise at TeePublic, and join discussions on Discord about toys, cereal, games, movies and/or shows from the ‘70s and ‘80s by giving the ‘Dads your feedback via voice mail at (209) 878-7323 or sending us your mp3dback via electronic-M to podcast@TechnoRetroDads.com.

 

Direct download: TRDads_07.06.mp3
Category:TechnoRetro Dads -- posted at: 6:00pm EDT

It’s been an adventurous week with the ‘Dads as shazbazzar took an unexpected trip to Ashland, Kentucky and JediShua battled strange magicks which had cursed his castle in Arvada, Colorado.  So this seemed like a good time to FLASHBACK to seasons 2, 3, and 5 of TechnoRetro Dads in some of the Dungeons & Dragons discussions from the past.

Toys in the Attic

JediShua and shazbazzar first talked about playing Dungeons & Dragons in July 2014.  From their first Basic Sets to their experiences with the “older kids” and Advanced Dungeons & Dragons, shazbazzar and JediShua remember friends like Randy McClure, Jason Fisher, Jeff Grimm, Perry Lipker, and more.  Dungeons & Dragons was nothing like the ‘Dads expected (no one was actually killing anyone), it was all about becoming a different person in a moderated community story-telling adventure where players’ characters interact with foes and friends in a fantasy setting where magic is real, dragons exist, and it’s always good to have an interesting (and interested) Dungeon Master.  And try not to shoot your friends’ pets.

 

SuperFriend Michael Witwer

After last fall’s release of his second book about Dungeons & Dragons, it seemed fitting to revisit the first two times SuperFriend Michael Witwer appeared on TechnoRetro Dads.  Introducing his book, Empire of Imagination: Gary Gygax and the Birth of Dungeons & Dragons, Mike gives some insight into what EarBuds can expect in the book.  Then, soon after its release, he returns for a more-informed discussion with the ‘Dads after they had both read the biographical history of Dungeons & Dragons.

 

Saturday Mornings

JediShua and shazbazzar reminisce about watching Dungeons & Dragons, an animated series from the ‘80s that featured a group of kids at an amusement park who were magically transported into the world of Dungeons & Dragons when they rode a specific rollercoaster.  As one of the last cartoons of their childhood, the ‘Dads fondly remember the short series as their imaginations ran wild with ideas of how to incorporate some ideas from the television show into their gaming experiences.

 

We Love Our Cereal…

…and the younger versions of our kids did, too!  The shazlings and the Shualings join in for a cereal challenge, long ago, as the ‘Dads sat down for a bowl of Corn Pops in a Cereal Challenge from years ago.  Part of the Cereal Challenge was to eat cereal while watching some classic cartoons from the ‘70s and ‘80s.  While eating Corn Pops, the TechnoRetro families tuned in to the animated Dungeons & Dragons cartoon from the mid-eighties. 

 

Thanks for tuning in to TechnoRetro Dads, EarBuds!  While you’re waiting for a brand-new episode, why not read (or lazy read) Michael Witwer's Empire of Imagination?  But don’t forget to rate and review TechnoRetro Dads on iTunes, share us and with us on social media, get TechnoRetro merch at TeePublic, and join discussions on Discord about toys, cereal, games, movies and/or shows from the ‘70s and ‘80s by giving the ‘Dads your feedback via voice mail at (209) 878-7323 or sending us your mp3dback via electronic-M to podcast@TechnoRetroDads.com.

 

Share and enjoy.

Direct download: TRDads_07.05.mp3
Category:TechnoRetro Dads -- posted at: 6:00am EDT

1