Join us as we discuss a new blockbuster movie based on a retro property- The Fall Guy! Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt star in a story about a stunt man who ends up caught up in a murder mystery in Australia. This movie is fantastic with tons of action and comedy. It doesn't try to[...]
Willie Nelson turned 91 this week and being the American icon he is Karl and Tonya decided to review one of his western movies. This one starred not only Willie Nelson (who in his mid-50s at the time was playing Doc Holliday, a man who died at 36 years old), Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings, Kris[...]
Karl and Tonya from When It Was Cool review the 1989 Tom Hanks movie The Burbs! Somehow, despite seeing this movie at the movie rental store for years and years he had never seen it. This film is actually pretty great and very fun! Carrie Fischer, Corey Feldman, and a host of other familiar faces[...]
Karl and Tonya from When It Was Cool sit down to discuss the strange and conflicting 2023 drama Dream Scenario starring Nicolas Cage. This bizarre movie presents a pretty novel storyline of an unremarkable teacher who begins appearing in the dreams of people all over the world in passive situations. He becomes a viral celebrity[...]
Karl and Tonya return with a retro movie review from 1996. George Clooney, Quentin Tarantino, and others star in this bizarre movie which switches from being solid crime escape action movie into a B-Movie vampire film about halfway through. This is one weird movie. Parts of this movie are fantastic in both scope, story, and[...]
The fifth appearance of The Batman took place in the September 1939 issue of Detective Comics. Once again, Batman was featured on the cover and this adventure pitted him against a new foe: The Monk, a mysterious man dressed in a red cloak and hood who had as his heavy a giant gorilla. We discover[...]
Karl and Tonya review a trio of movies today on the When It Was Cool podcast. We discuss the classic 1971 Gene Wilder film Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, the tremendous Tim Burton 2005 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory starring Johnny Depp, and the new prequel now streaming on Max- Wonka starring Timothee Chalmete.[...]
When It Was Cool listeners come on down! Karl and Tonya sit down to discuss one of the most iconic of game shows: The Price is Right! It seems like everyone's grandmother loved this show and was probably secretly crushing on Bob Barker. Hey, let's be honest, The Price is Right was a fun TV[...]
Today at WhenItWasCool.com we take a look at the fourth appearance chronologically of the Batman character from the pages of Detective Comics issue 30 Detective Comics issue 30 cover dated August 1939. These Batman in Order reviews are less about the creators, behind the scenes, and the process of it all, and more about the[...]
I, Karl, am writing this description. Scrabble is the bane of my existence. Tonya schools me in it ever... single... game. I don't know why. I am literate. I have a decent vocabulary, but she beats me in almost every single game. Scrabble is part crossword puzzle, part chance, and a lot of strategy. Join[...]
The third appearance of The Batman took place in Detective Comics issue 29 which came out in July 1939. It begins a two-part story arch against a mad scientist type named Doctor Death and, for the first time since Batman debuted, he managed not to kill someone... yet. In this issue the purpose of Batman's[...]
Karl and Tonya revisit and Old West favorite- Maverick! Played in the 1950's - 1962 by James Garner and in a 1994 feature movie by Mel Gibson (with a co-starring role with James Garner as well!) Maverick was a slick talking master poker player and gunslinger (and con man). Both Garner and Gibson brought a[...]
We continue our chronological look at the appearances of The Batman in chronological order. The second appearance of Batman took place in the pages of Detective Comics issue 28 cover dated June 1939. Batman swings from building to building on a rope for the first time. Completely throws a dude off a building to his[...]
Join When It Was Cool on this new series following the chronological history of The Batman from his debut in 1939 through history. This is not a documentary series about the creators and artists (though they are mentioned) but instead is a study of the character of the Batman himself and the changes he has[...]
Another book review from Karl from When It Was Cool and this one is a great book about comic books called the Untold History of Marvel Comics. This is a tremendous book tracing the history of Marvel Comics from the Golden Age until the era of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It seems that the reality[...]
Magazine/Podcast contributor Justin Jones returns to the pod to discuss The Iron Claw movie, which we saw the same day we recorded the pod (on Boxing/St Stephen's Day). What we liked and didn't like as much, what portrayals were the best and which are not nearly as bad as social media would have you believe. Short[...]
Karl and Tonya review the 2023 pro wrestling biopic The Iron Claw. This is a dramatized retelling of the tragic story of the Von Erich family which endured tragedy after tragedy including the young deaths of multiple brothers, a domineering father, and more. Karl and Tonya look at how the film did in communicating the[...]
Mark presents the Winter Palace Podcast and is joined by cartoonist Zander Cannon to discuss Godzilla Minus One movie, the 1979 Godzilla comic book from Marvel Comics, the third and final hardcover collection of his comic book Kaijumax coming out, comics industry shop talk including digital art vs old school pencil and ink, color guides[...]
It's finally here, When It Was Cool looks back at the classic Hanna-Barbara space monster cartoon series The Herculoids! This cartoon series was a favorite of mine back when I was a kid and thanks to our wonderful Patreon member Andy I now have the complete series, so let's dive in! Wait a minute... basically[...]
Larry Hama returns to the G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero comic book series now being published at Skybound/Image for issue 301 or issue 1 of the new run. G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero issue 301 picks up directly where issue 300 ended and has a great new artist breathing new life into this[...]
Karl, who is a huge fan of the rock band Rush, reviews Geddy Lee's new memoire My Effin' Life which dropped a couple of weeks ago. Geddy Lee's book takes a detailed look at the history of the band, his parent's incredible story as holocaust survivors, their musical variety over the course of their 40[...]
Recently, Karl and Tonya from When It Was Cool visited the gravesite of American music legend Johnny Cash. We recently had watched an amazing documentary about the life, faith, and career of Johnny Cash and this episode of the When It Was Cool Podcast takes a look at that documentary. From the highest of highs[...]
Karl and Tonya take a trip to the movie theater this week to see the new movie The Exorcist: Believer which is a sequel to The Exorcist 50 years later. And it is a sequel, following the mother of Regan from the original as she hopes to help solve a modern-day demonic possession of two[...]
Join Karl and Tonya for a new Friday the 13th movie review podcast. Every time the real calendar hits Friday the 13th, When It Was Cool reviews another chapter in the supernatural / slasher / killer franchise featuring the hockey masked monster Jason Voorhees. This one, sad to say, is another dud with very little[...]
Join the Arkansas Hellbender this week as we try to pop a wheelie over the front handlebars. Tons of fun for everyone in the world that is Harley Davidson!
Bullshido at it's finest! The 1976 post-Bruce Lee era Master of the Flying Guillotine is one of my favorite Kung-Fu movies. It is utterly ridiculous. Featuring a one armed Kung Fu master who is the target of an evil Kung Fu master. The evil Kung Fu matches shows up at an incredibly ridiculous Kung Fu[...]
Tonya and Karl went to see the 2023 blockbuster movie Barbie starring Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling. Bringing the iconic Mattel toy property to a live action movie seemed like a challenge and this movie isn't really sure what it is. Part bizarre pink fantasy and part feminist manifesto the Barbie movie has still managed[...]
I'm all out of bubblegum. This 1988 John Carpenter cult classic starring Rowdy Roddy Piper is actually a pretty solid little movie. Join Karl from When It Was Cool as I look back on Roddy Piper's biggest film, the cult movie VHS era, and wonder if, in fact, any of you are aliens. Cause, I'd[...]
oin the Arkansas Hellbender today as we seek out the elusive Possum Pie! Somewhere under a Red Oak, someone is rolling out a pie crust and its almost Dinner time! Support the platform that houses this podcast: whenitwascool.com Support my tag team partner: dirtydawgmes on Patreon. Stop killing each other!
Join the Hellbender this week as we discuss the creepy crawlers wandering around unnoticed in his landscape. Newly rebranded to reflect current events, it's the same show with a southern twist. Enjoy the Show! Support the platform that hosts this podcast and stop killing each other.
Karl and Tonya sit down to watch the second installment of Creed from the Rocky Universe of movies and we liked this one much better than Creed I. This one brought back Ivan Drago along with his son to face Adonis Creed but Rocky isn't having any of it. A LOT happens in this movie[...]
Join The Desert Rat today as we doff our hats and pay tribute to one of the finest comic artists of our time- MAD Magazine's legendary Al Jaffee. Besides his many other contributions to MAD he invented the famous MAD fold-in feature and worked there for over 65 years. A long life well lived. Support[...]
Karl and Tonya review the next installment in the Rocky Universe with a look at Creed I (2015) where we pick up Rocky's story by way of Apollo Creed's previously unknown son Adonis Creed (Michael B. Jordan). We find out how Creed had this secret son, his rough childhood, how he travels to Philadelphia to[...]
Karl and Tonya sit down to discuss the latest Toy Story movie which find our cast of toy characters on a road trip in an RV where they discover former toy companion Bo Peep, who now leaves as a free unowned toy. A new toy enters the story- Forky, who, of course, gets lost and[...]
Karl and Tonya return with a review of 2010's Toy Story 3. In this adventure the toy's owner, Andy, goes off to college and a misunderstanding finds his toys not ending up in the attic as they were supposed to but instead- IN THE TRASH! It all works out of course and ultimately the toys[...]
Join the Desert Rat this week as he cusses and discusses the differences in cultures of the desert dwellers verses the hillbillies and how he is coping. Culture shock is covered and then a verbal tour of his new stomping ground. Support the platform that houses this podcast and Stop Killing Each other!
Karl and Tonya return for a review of the second Toy Story movie from Pixar / Disney where Woody (Tom Hanks) learns his origin story and meets his fellow toy property friends Jessie and Bullseye. A rescue mission is launched that takes us inside a toy store and a new Buzz Lightyear enters the scene.[...]
Karl and Tonya sit down to review one of the all-time classic modern age Pixar / Disney Movies: Toy Story from 1995. We meet Woody and the gang for the first time and get the origin story of Buzz Lightyear. The Toy Story movies are a lot of fun and the first one is really[...]
The final movie of the mainline Rocky movies (after this the Rocky universe transitions to the Creed movies) and this one is probably my favorite. Tonya also loves it. Rocky finally gives his son a speech that essentially sums up the spirit of the all the Rocky movies. Yes, at 60 years of age, Rocky[...]
One of my favorite shows as a kid. Gil Gerrard stars as a United States astronaut on a deep space mission, however, a malfunction puts him into suspended animation and he returns to Earth... in the 25th century. But first, he meets some aliens (which people on Earth already know about in the 25th century.)[...]
After many years, I’m happy to say we have got Mark Waid as a guest. And what better subject to discuss, fresh off his new book Dark Crisis - Big Bang, than the concept of continuity and the multiverse. Why has the idea of multiple worlds become so popular in the last decade or so,[...]
Tonya says it best, "Wouldn't it great if we could just ignore away parts of our life like they did with the whole Rocky 5 movie?" Yeah, this movie isn't as terrible as I remembered but it isn't great either. Rocky and Adrianne are back in the poor house thanks to some stupid shenanigans Paulie[...]
Karl introduces Tonya to Rocky 4. Is it East verses West or man against man? The Burning Heart of Rocky Balboa goes after the stoic Russian Ivan Drago to avenge Apollo Creed in this mid-1980s pop culture classic which also gave us "Living in America" by James Brown. It also gave us iconic training in[...]
Our retro movie review today takes a look back at Rocky III from 1982, one of the most important pop culture movies of the decade. This movie introduces the world to Mr. T as Clubber Lang against Rocky Balbo (Sylvester Stallone) with an appearance by a pre-WWE champion Hulk Hogan. This movie gave us Eye[...]
It's the rematch of the century! World heavyweight champion Apollo Creed seeks to avenge his near defeat to Rocky Balbo. However, Adrian, Rocky's wife, does not want him to fight again fearing the loss of his eyesight and further injury. She's also pregnant with their child. Will Rocky fight Creed? Who will win the rematch?[...]
It's another Friday the 13th so it's time for our When It Was Cool review of the next installment in the series and this time it's in 3D! This installment is terrible. Friday the 13th Part 3 is the worst of the lot so far, saved only because Jason gets his iconic hockey mask in[...]
Happy Friday the 13th! As is now tradition at When It Was Cool we present to you a review of a Friday the 13th movie. This is the second one from 1981 and as far as story line progression goes, the sole survivor from Part 1 dies quickly in part 2 in a storyline that[...]
Happy Friday the 13th... I guess. Anyway, this is a great day to review the first of the Friday the 13th slasher movies. Part 1 was released in 1980 and was a straight up slasher movie. Karl and Tonya discuss Jason's mother being the antagonist in this film and the little we get to see[...]
We begin our reviews of the classic sports and human spirit triumph Rocky movies by looking back at Rocky (1) (1976) starring Sylvester Stallone and Carl Weathers. This is one of my favorite movie series. As my wife asked as I was watching this, "Is this a love story or a boxing movie?" It's both[...]
Join The Desert Rat today as we travel The Purple Heart Trail. The purpose of the Purple Heart Trail is to create a symbolic and honorary system of roads, highways, bridges, and other monuments that give tribute to the men and women who have been awarded the Purple Heart medal. The actual format and design[...]
How can y'all hate Barney the big purple dinosaur? Well, apparently, a lot of you did. A new documentary attempts to document the sour relationship between a fun, happy show for toddlers featuring a person in a big purple dinosaur suit and the rabid base of (mostly adults) who hate him and how it impacted[...]
The When It Was Cool comic book review podcast takes a look back to the first major superhero comic featuring the first appearance of Superman. How did the 1938 Superman differ from later versions? What powers did the original golden age Superman have? A very interesting comic book that pioneered the era of the super[...]
Another great El Santo verses Dracula film review for you this month. Pre-dating the earlier reviewed El Santo and Blue Demon verses Dracula and the Wolfman, El Santo faces the revived vampire lord Dracula in Mexico. Played by the same actor as the previously mentioned film, it seems to share little, if any, continuity. However,[...]
Join Karl as he reviews the 2022 Marvel Special Presentation from Disney Plus - Werewolf by Night! Werewolf by Night was one of Marvel Comics 1970 horror titles and this special brings the Werewolf, along with Ulysses and Elsa Bloodstone (and one other mystery monster) into the Marvel Cinematic Universe! A fun show! Spoilers are[...]
I can't believe I have never done a podcast review for my favorite of the Universal Studios monster movies - Dracula (1931) starring Bela Lugosi in his legendary role. A role that redefined who and what Dracula was even into the modern era. From the surreal and macabre studio sets, to the ambiance that Bela[...]
Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror is a 1922 silent German horror film directed by F. W. Murnau and starring Max Schreck as Count Orlok, a vampire. Nosferatu was produced by Prana Film and is an unauthorized and unofficial adaptation of Bram Stoker's 1897 novel Dracula. Various names and other details were changed from the novel,[...]
Join The Desert Rat today as VVe take a look at one of the largest interactive manhunts ever created, Americas Most VVanted. From its inception in the late 80s until today, this program has left several marks in the popular culture, and perhaps even altered the publics interaction vvith lavv enforcement. Also, bios on John[...]
Join The Desert Rat on the Yellow Brick Road this episode as we look back on the movie classic, The Wizard of Oz. Support the platform that houses this podcast: whenitwascool.com Support my tag team partner, dirtydawgmes on Patreon Stop Killing Each Other!
The first Boston album spawned hit after hit despite Boston being only a marginally real band. No, seriously, the story of Boston is strange. The backstory of the song Rock and Roll Band is a complete fiction. However, Brad Delp was a real person and an incredible vocalist. Sadly, his life took a downward spiral[...]
I've got a retro TV review for you today. The famous episode of I Love Lucy where Lucy tries to pass herself off as Superman at her kid's birthday party only to, predictably, mess things up. But the real Superman (George Reeves) swoops in to save the day. A really fun and iconic sitcom episode[...]
In the 1970s, Marvel tried to ride the sucess of the Incredible Hulk TV series by adding a live-action Captain America show as well. Two TV specials aired. We have previously reviewed the first one and today we look back at the second and final one- Captain America II - Death Too Soon. While these[...]
Today we travel back in time to 1979 and take a look at the first of two Captain America TV specials. Building off the popularity of The Incredible Hulk series, while not exactly true to the comics, the Captain America TV special was not too bad. Actually, it's probably way better than you remember. While[...]
There were two Superman movie serials produced, one in 1948 and another in 1950. This week we look at the first where Superman faces an original masked crime lord called The Spider Lady. The serial is actually pretty decent aside from the low budget and animated flight sequences. Most of the actors are fine and[...]
Today we take a look back at the first of the famous Fleischer film animated shorts from 1941 - Superman: Mad Scientist. These animated films were known for being very advanced for their time and still hold up quite well today. With an epic cinematic score, tremendous voice acting, and exciting plots, it's no wonder[...]
Join Karl from WhenItWasCool.com as he looks back at a classic prime time television show from his childhood. This episode we look back at the trucking comedy/drama BJ and The Bear. As a kid this featured everything you needed for a fun TV show- an 18 wheeler truck and a monkey. You seldom ever see[...]
When It Was Cool reviews the 1950 serialized film Atom Man vs Superman. This is one of the best super hero films of pre-TV era and features a Mad Scientist verses Superman in one of Superman's regular tropes from the Golden Age. Join Karl from WhenItWasCool.com with a look back at the early days of[...]
In conjunction with a new feature article at When It Was Cool, host Karl discusses his 100 favorite comic book issues of all time. These are the comic books that made him a fan and collector for over 40 years. These are not the best or the greatest (we have a list for that too)[...]
Captain America is a Marvel Comics legend and as World War II raged in 1944 it only made sense that the movie serials would adapt America's hero to the silver screen... except they completely missed the point. No, Captain America wasn't fighting our wartime enemies and boosting public moral at home. Instead, he was a[...]
Everything you want to know about the year 1986 in retro pop culture. I was doing some research on 1986 UWF pro wrestling and it got me to thinking about 1986 and WOW what a great year in pop culture: Haley's Comet, G.I. Joe, Heart, Boston, Genesis, Aliens, Top Gun, Watchmen, Dark Knight Returns, and[...]
Batman was already an established pop culture sensation by the late 1940s and this was his second movie which introduced Robin. Robin was much older in this movie serial than the comic book version and this serial has some problems. Still, it inspired the 1966 Batman television show, so it has a place in pop[...]
Here is a look back at the classic 1978 Christopher Reeve Superman movie. Remembered fondly by most, the movie is not without some difficulties. Still, it's a world better than what was to come. Join Karl as he looks back at one of the most iconic movies of the 1970s - Superman!
From the files of WhenItWasCool.com here is our retro TV review of one of the most fun television shows ever, the iconic Batman 1966 television series starring Adam West and Burt Ward against a colorful and amazing lineup of supervillains. Same Bat-time, same Bat-channel for retro movie and TV fun!
The latest The 100 List from WhenItWasCool.com is the 100 Greatest Superhero Movies of All Time. As we do with each of these list, we discuss the results on a podcast special. Join Karl from When It Was Cool as he talks about the multiple Batman movies on the list, the vast range of Superman[...]
An audio companion to our popular 1983 The Year in Pop Culture article from WhenItWasCool.com taking a look back at the movies, music, TV, toys, and popular culture of 1983. MASH, Return of the Jedi, KISS, The Police, Metallica, G.I. Joe, Atari, Scarface, and more! This show was previously available to our Patreons. Check us[...]
There's no new When It Was Cool Podcast this week. Tonya is super sick with the flu and it's the end of the year so here is a fun retro TV review that our Patreons have previously heard. This is a review of the 1979 made for TV Marvel Comics movie Captain America. There would[...]
When It Was Cool reviews one of the best of the old Republic movie serials - Adventures of Captain Marvel from 1941. By saying the magic word Shazam young Billy Batson becomes Earth's mightiest mortal Captain Marvel. This serial took some liberties with Captain Marvel's origins but still ended up producing one of the first[...]
The 100 Greatest Comic Books and Graphic Novels of All Time podcast special has been available to our Patreon supporters for a long time and is the audio special accompanying the most popular article in the history of the WhenItWasCool.com website. Now we are making it available for free to show you the kind of[...]
On this episode of the When It Was Cool Podcast from WhenItWasCool.com in honor of July 2018 having a Friday the 13th the duo of Karl and Tonya discuss the horror movie franchise. We discover, in spite of both of us seeing every film, that we really don't know what's going on! Is there a[...]
The 100 Greatest Artists in Rock and Roll and Pop Music History list hit the When It Was Cool website on June 16, 2017 and has quickly became our most read article in the history of the website. Now you can hear When It Was Cool hosts Karl and Tonya discuss the lists, who made[...]
This week Karl from When It Was Cool talks about his love of the 1970s - 1980s Saturday morning cartoon series The Super Friends and it's various relaunches including Galactic Guardians and more! Superman, Batman and Robin, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, Wendy and Marvin and Wonder Dog, Zan and Jayna and Gleek the Wonder Twins, Hawkman,[...]
When It Was Cool reviews, remembers, and celebrates the toys, music, action figures, television, movies, and popular culture of the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s. Star Wars, G.I. Joe, Super Friends, Comic Books, Comics, DC Comics, Marvel Comics, My Little Pony, Alice in Wonderland, books, Six Million Dollar Man, Godzilla, video games, and all things retro.
Podcast Home
All podcast content including episodes, graphics, and podcast descriptions are directy attributed to When It Was Cool or their podcast platform partner. If you believe your copyrighted work is in use without your permission, you can follow our process outlined here. See terms of use.
All podcast content including episodes, graphics, and podcast descriptions are directy attributed to When It Was Cool or their podcast platform partner. If you believe your copyrighted work is in use without your permission, you can follow our process outlined here. See terms of use.
