Beetlejuice! Betelgeuse! Beetle Juice!

The Steves discuss the 1988 Tim Burton cult classic, Beetlejuice, along with what's keeping them happy and their Binge and Purge recommendations for the week.

Happy News: The Champs-Élysées, often called the “most beautiful avenue in the world”, gets a garden makeover to match it's moniker. 

Binge and Purge:
The Stranger on Netflix
The Dead Don't Die on HBO

While discussing the plot of Beetlejuice, the Steves also touch on their own experiences with hauntings, what they'd do with their afterlives in this universe, plus how they'd recreate the famous Day-O dancing scene.

Sound off on our Facebook page with your thoughts on the movie here: https://www.facebook.com/happylifepod

Don't forget to subscribe/follow us and leave us a great rating!

Stay happy!

Transcript

Steve: 1:46

Hello returning happies and new listeners. This is Steve Bennet-Martin, and this

Stephen: 1:52

is Stephen Martin-Bennet, and welcome to a lifetime

Steve: 1:55

of happiness podcast, where we take you on our journey through some of the movies, television shows, and other bits of pop culture that are help keeping us happy while hopefully bring a smile to your face along the way. And

Stephen: 2:05

today we are summoning our favorite bio Exorcist.

Steve: 2:10

Beetle juice. Maybe you're the one who says that we're not allowed to do any sort of demon or ritual summoning in the house.

Stephen: 2:17

That's because you keep trying to bring Weegee into the house. And that's a, no-no that? Stuff's

Steve: 2:21

real. Yeah. So how about we just talk about the 1980 called classic beetle juice of the same name. I am

Stephen: 2:27

good with that, but first my love. What's making you happy this week? Well,

Steve: 2:32

as one of our friends and previous listeners or guests, John Shira pointed out today is national dress. Your dog day, the day that we're recording it on January 14th. And I'm happy to report that this week Remy has been rocking some awesome, amazing fashion, and he's going

2:47

to

Stephen: 2:47

be rocking even more soon and he looks. Absolutely adorable.

Steve: 2:51

And the outfit is this nice little preppy vest that he's been wearing to work and the office, and everyone loves him in it. He also

Stephen: 2:59

has a unicorn onesy. That is

Steve: 3:00

very cute. Yes. And what's been making you happy? My love. Well,

Stephen: 3:04

I'm happy about something that's coming up later. And just a few days. Okay. I'm getting my COVID-19 vaccination. Yes

Steve: 3:14

you are. And I'm

Stephen: 3:16

very, very excited about that. And I know that like mom and dad and your parents have already gotten theirs because they're in that age demographic. And I think this is a wonderful thing, and I hope that more people are able to get the vaccine soon that want it. Yes,

Steve: 3:37

I agree. And so before moving on to that happy news, actually following up from a recent article about areas, kind of having more space for life to move on as we,

Stephen: 3:54

and in some happy news, it's a followup to what we were talking about recently. With cities that are doing more walkable areas and did this time, it is in Paris, specifically the Psalms that laissez. So

Steve: 4:11

it's not the champs LLCs as we, as it looks like when you might read it,

Stephen: 4:15

it is not. And it is Shaun's L

Steve: 4:19

Z and it was once known as one of the most beautiful cities or streets. And they were like one of the most beautiful streets in Paris. And apparently it. Has not lived up to the name recently? No, there are a lot

Stephen: 4:31

more cars on it and that's one of the things that they're going to be reducing is they're going to make it more of a giant garden, so more landscaping and flowers and probably more tables and benches to sit outside less cars. So it goes back to thing of. People reclaiming parts of cities and neighborhoods to make it more walkable and beautiful and just make the experience of living in a city better. I love

Steve: 4:58

it.

Stephen: 4:58

Me too. And we also watched some things this week that were good. And some were not so good.

Steve: 5:06

Yes. So we will move on over the binge and purge section where we tell you whether you should binge through them or purge them from your watch list.

Stephen: 5:15

And let's go with the binge. That is a two big thumbs up.

Steve: 5:21

Yes, we are about halfway through the stranger on

Stephen: 5:24

Netflix. Yes. And it is a British crime drama mystery. And I honestly can't, don't want to tell you anything about the plot to spoil anything. All we can say is, has a very talented cast with some names that you'll recognize from Downton Abbey. Absolutely fabulous. And Buffy the vampire,

Steve: 5:48

or at least you'll, you'll notice their faces and yes. Giles is there. Yes. And

Stephen: 5:52

yes. The writing is excellent. The acting is wonderful. And I have no

Steve: 5:57

idea where it's

Stephen: 5:58

going, no idea where it's going. And I'm so very excited about that. So

Steve: 6:02

if you love a good mystery, definitely check that out on Netflix.

Stephen: 6:05

And if you love a good zombie movie, Do not check out the dead don't die.

Steve: 6:13

Yes. It is a on HBO right now, and it is a zombie comedy with bill Murray. And so after seeing that,

Stephen: 6:22

just bill Murray, like so many talents and actors and

Steve: 6:25

actresses Darth Vader, 2.0, Kyla Ren. Yes. And There was just, it was people that we knew it was a triple a movie. And after seeing him Havana, zombie comedy, like zombie land, which was hysterical and he was funny in it. This was, I don't know. I, I didn't really see the comedy part and it

Stephen: 6:45

was weird. The line deliveries were all. Flat, but not in a dry flat, just kind of in a no emotion.

Steve: 6:56

Yeah, it was, it was. And like they were breaking the third wall at times, but not in a very clever way, in a boring way. And I feel like that song, I mean, I also didn't love the song necessarily so much. I kept playing and they kept on playing it and playing it like it and it, or talking about it and, and playing a Gomez shows up for like a moment.

Stephen: 7:15

Yeah. And so if you like zombie movies, we say purge the dead don't die. Yeah. Go

Steve: 7:22

check out zombie land one or two instead. Absolutely.

Stephen: 7:26

Both of those are still solid. Yes. But now we're on to one of my favorite movies from the eighties that I actually saw in the theater. Beetle juice.

Steve: 7:38

And I did not because it came out in 1988 and it is an American fantasy comedy directed by Tim Burton. But I do know him. Yeah.

Stephen: 7:46

Well, everybody should know

Steve: 7:47

timber. I mean, he's directed a movie or two, right? What are some movies that people might know of his nightmare before Christmas?

Stephen: 7:52

And I remember before Christmas you have Edward Scissorhands. You've got the Alison Wonderland remake. The Charlie and the chocolate factory remake, anything that is out there and fantastical is most likely Tim Burton actually. And Tim Burton directed the first Batman. Oh

Steve: 8:14

yeah. The Batman movie. Cause we talked about that later. Yes. So he is a big deal. I was also produced by the gaffing company and distributed by Warner brothers.

Stephen: 8:24

And so it's for anybody that hasn't seen it. It revolves around a recently deceased couple played by Alec Baldwin, Gina Davis, who become ghosts and are forced to haunt their own home. When an uppity New York family moves in uninvited well it's, they bought the house because the couple of disease. So I guess they were invited on their own and, you know, They want to get rid of the family. So they bring in beetle juice and scares and hilarity and Sue, and it's just a good movie. It's endearing. And I really liked it. And it actually did well, especially in the eighties. Yeah.

Steve: 9:08

I mean it grows$73.7 million on a budget of 15 million. So that's. A lot more. It's like more than five times, I think. So, you know, it did well. And it also got the Academy award for best makeup and at one, three Saturn awards, best horror film, best makeup and best supporting actress for Sylvia city.

Stephen: 9:29

And it also had a cartoon spinoff, which. We'll talk about later video games and 2018 Broadway musical.

Steve: 9:39

Yes. And so getting into this, one of the reasons why you love it and why you picked it is because of our long time and now especially love of Catherine O'Hara. Yes.

Stephen: 9:49

And Catherine O'Hara. Is, you know, her as Moira from Schitt's Creek, the mom from home alone. And she's an, every Christopher guest movie, like best in show. And she plays a character named Delia Dietz. And I think this clip is probably the best way to give you a hint as to what Catherine and her is like in this movie.

Beetlejuice Clip: 10:14

Not stop living and breathing art just because you need to relax. I'm here with you. I will live with you in this hell hole, but I must express myself. If you don't let me get out of this house and make it my own, I will go.

Stephen: 10:31

I mean, it's just perfect. She's so over the top and it's fantastic. And her. Over the top energy really balances out like the somberness of one owner rider who plays Lydia Dietz. And the younger generation will know when a rider from stranger things, well,

Steve: 10:53

place a mom now, but this is back when she was playing a daughter. Yeah. And she looks very young, but I mean, you could still tell her, like she still looks the same.

Stephen: 11:01

Oh yeah. She's aged extraordinarily well. You know, when a writer also did Tim Burton's Edward Scissorhands, and she's also really talented. She's very goth before goth was really. Coming into popularity. You have Alec

Steve: 11:21

Baldwin. Yes. And I didn't realize he used to be young. I also hear he has a brother

Stephen: 11:25

too. He has several, they have the whole Baldwin family and Alec Baldwin used to be young and hot. Yes. And now people know him from 30 rock or playing Trump.

Steve: 11:38

Yes. And so with that, and then Gina Davis was another one where. I know her from a league of their own

Stephen: 11:45

and Felman Louise and the long kiss. Goodnight. She's one of the best actresses in America, I think. And that means you just have a really solid cast and that doesn't even take into account. Michael Keaton himself noodle juice. Yes.

Steve: 12:03

And so, I mean, with, with beetle juice, it was funny story about, about 80 or 90% of his lines were ad-libbed. So, you know, he definitely is the titular character. Yes. And speaking of being the titular character, I also think it's funny. Cause while it'd be hard to kind of get into it specifically in an audio format that the name is spelled two different ways. And the script and the movie originally title name was going to be beetle juice with two separate words, even though it's a compound word in the title as it is. And it's spelled all demons.

Stephen: 12:36

Yeah. It's spelled where they pronounce it, beetle Geiss. And it's a whole thing that he can't say his own name or tell you how to say his own name. You have to figure it out so that you can summon him.

Steve: 12:50

Yes. And so before we get into their summiting though, you know, that kind of gives you an overview of the actors we'll be talking about. But with the plot, I was surprised because when we started the movie, I might've watched it when I was little, but I don't have very specific memories of the plot and what happened. And so I was surprised when it started and it wasn't about Beetlejuice. It was about this couple. Right.

Stephen: 13:11

And because honestly, beetle juice is a supporting cast member. It is really. Alec Baldwin and Gina Davis, his movie, and everyone else are supporting players.

Steve: 13:24

Yes, it certainly is. And I was surprised to find them, you know, being the main characters though with it, was it about within five to 10 minutes or so they die. They die, they die driving their car off the bridge, basically to save a dog. And I can say that I would probably do the same.

Stephen: 13:40

Yeah. I mean, it, it's very sad. You know, the car flips over because the dog moves off a board and they drowned. And then all of a sudden they're stuck in their house.

Steve: 13:52

Yes they are. And they're not able to leave when they leave. They go to as a child. What scared the hell out of me, Saturn, which is a planet of earth. Worms, apparently giant were a must, sand

Stephen: 14:05

worms. Everything is sand and there's all kinds of moons. And yeah, you step out of the house that you're stuck in and you all of a sudden they're transported to Saturn where time happens differently there. And it's just, I mean, it's very, very, I mean, it's early on in Tim Burton's career. But it's so Tim Burton with the colors and even the Claymation sand worms.

Steve: 14:32

And, and it did confuse me at first when it was Saturn. Like, I didn't realize that they were talking about the planet, the planet, because I mean, I'm not a Scientologist, but I'm pretty sure that it's a gaseous planet. Well,

Stephen: 14:46

I'm going to let you in on a little secret. Yes, it's a fiction

Steve: 14:50

movie. Okay. All right. So there's not actually those sand worms on Saturn, like ready to take us when we go in the afterlife and try and leave our

Stephen: 14:58

home. So we don't know it's so far away. I don't know

Steve: 15:02

if we'll all right. Yes. Well, they end up spending most of their time and life upstairs in the house though. Even before they had people move in.

Stephen: 15:10

Yeah, they were renovating the upstairs. Adam built. An entire model of the town with intricate details and things. It's pretty impressive. It was

Steve: 15:20

impressive, but it made me, like I assumed at first that it was for something work-related. Cause I couldn't like wrap my head around people having that as a hobby, like just for fun.

Stephen: 15:30

Well, I mean, it's kind of like the people that collect the really expensive model trains and they have the whole bridges and mountains and waterfalls and things, but. I just wonder whether that's

Steve: 15:42

still popular today or if that is kind of like a dying hobby, that's going to kind of go out with those generations.

Stephen: 15:48

Huh? That's a really good question because

Steve: 15:51

like, I don't know. I just don't know any peers like around like, you know, in our age, like in their thirties or

Stephen: 15:56

forties? No. Like I would say to that are the people that get the really intricate and expensive and thousands of piece, like Lego things.

Steve: 16:06

Yeah. I think like Legos or the new model sets. I think that

Stephen: 16:10

that's probably true. And I, I mean, I didn't, I've never done any of those, but like when I was younger, I had all of the pirates in the medieval ones and I love those.

Steve: 16:19

I was gonna say, nowadays, you want to save up for the big knit working Nintendo. Oh, that

Stephen: 16:24

one, it's like 250$300, but it's like an NES and it comes with a little TV thing. They, it actually

Steve: 16:30

plays the music or something. I

16:32

want

Stephen: 16:33

that. Yes. But back to the movie. So Time passes and a family moves in to Adam and Barbara's house. And it is the Dietz family

Steve: 16:45

from New York. Yes. And I have to say that while they are a little bit eccentric, they are not overacting. That is how some of us are from New

Stephen: 16:54

York. And, you know, you've got, especially out on like the

Steve: 16:58

Hamptons out on long Island.

Stephen: 17:00

And Charles Dietz is moving there because he's had a nervous breakdown and needs to get out of the

Steve: 17:05

city. I can understand that as well.

Stephen: 17:07

Delia, his wife, Catherine O'Hara is coming along because she has to as his wife and wrenchingly at times. Yep. And. Lydia is there because she's there high school aged child, but she automatically likes it because someone died and she feels that the house is haunted and she loves that immediate

Steve: 17:27

well, and also Catherine, a Harris character hates the house. And so it also makes Lydia love the house because, because they hate each other. They don't like each other. Yeah. That's another her stepmother. So yes, it's the evil stepmother trope to Lydia. So, you know, she was like, Oh, she hates it. I love it. Yeah.

Stephen: 17:45

And, you know, if, what type of people let's say, you know, we were stuck in this house and we could not leave or we'd go to Saturn and sand worms and all that. What type of people. Could move in that you would want to try to haunt them away or bio exercise them

Steve: 18:08

away. I was going to say, well, I would, I would obviously try and like, like the people first. And that was the question I have is, cause it seems like there are various, we don't like them because they're other and we need to get rid of the other people. And I'm like, well, thank God that it was a white couple that moved in because could you imagine if that was a family of color moving in and they had all that talk of, we need to get them out. They're not like us.

Stephen: 18:27

Yeah, but that was the eighties. They wouldn't have done anything

Steve: 18:30

like that. Just letting you know that the whole talk of that kind of was not great. But in terms of, if I could choose who are like replacement tenants would be, I would hope that they would have a dog like Grammy. And I would hope that they, they like all the same TV shows we watch. So we gets stuck, you watching TV

Stephen: 18:51

and I would just be afraid that they would be. You

Steve: 18:57

know? Well, I was going to say, I think I would be afraid that they would live like the previous tenants of one of my past apartments where I moved out and like, I visited it like six months later and I was like, Oh no, what did you do to my place? Or with you and your whole house in Cincinnati? You do not like the lesbian.

Stephen: 19:17

Oh, not the lesbians that we talk about on the show. These are just two unknown lesbians. That we went back and saw my house and everything beautiful about the outside. They just destroyed and they put up these plaid curtains in the giant picture window, like. If I died and I was haunting that place, the moment, those lesbians covered up the picture window with plaid, curtains,

Steve: 19:39

Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice,

Stephen: 19:40

Beetlejuice, like repeatedly, but, okay. That's a good segue because you have to say his name three times.

Steve: 19:48

Yes. And the three, it was just something that like throughout the movie, they had like three, a bunch of times, but that's something that like, you know, from charmed and a lot of pop culture references, it's always about the power of three. And so I thought that that was interesting because even with our Zelda episode last week, talking about breath of the wild, there was all about the tri force. Right. But the whole that goes back. So like, even like the origin of numerology and as they were establishing the numbers, cause the first is numbers. Number one is meant to mean it's the first number to mean all. Number one is typically known as the beginning. Two is the middle and three is the end. It's also the past present and future. I mean, even in

Stephen: 20:27

religious things, there's the Holy Trinity. I mean, three, is it just, it's a big, important

Steve: 20:33

number. So, yes. And it is one that it, because it's so important to so many different religions and histories and cultures it's oftentimes used even in the occult when you're just trying to kind of make up something you're oftentimes there'll be like, well, three times just sounds right. Like, you know, effective. And it

Stephen: 20:50

is. Yeah. So if you were going to say beetle juice is named three times. Let's have the listeners get an idea of what Beetlejuice might do for them.

21:03

What are your qualifications? Ah, well, I tend to Julliard. I have a grudge with the Harvard business school. I traveled quite extensively. I lived through the black plague and I had a pretty good time during that. I've seen the XX just about 167 and I gave recycled time. I said not to mention the fact that you're talking to a guy.

Steve: 21:24

I bet you can't say that three times fast

Stephen: 21:26

cat, but like, it's just, he just think that he ad-libbed all that, which is one of the best comedic performances I have honestly ever really seen. And if you also think the genie stuff from the original cartoon Aladdin with Robin Williams, a lot of that was ad-libbed as well. So you get this comedic genius. Whenever you give someone like a blueprint of where you want them to go, and then they can just go from there and you have to give Alec Baldwin and Gina Davis credit to be able to play off of. All that add living and make it flow the way it did, because if you're watching it, you have no idea that he's ad-libbing

Steve: 22:11

reacting. I wouldn't have known that if we hadn't done the research for this episode, because it seemed perfectly scripted.

Stephen: 22:17

So, and so Barbara and Adam ended up going to the nother world to meet with their caseworker and you get this really great scene in the waiting room of the afterlife and you have all these different people. That are there you really liked the reception. Yes.

Steve: 22:38

She just looked pretty cause she had like pixie wings and I understand her story. Isn't all happiness, but she looked beautiful.

Stephen: 22:44

Yeah, because she was a former pageant contestant. And she says, you know, if I knew, then what I know now I might not have had my little accident and it shows that she slid her risk to kill herself and she's trapped forever in her. Beauty pageant gown and everything is, you know, the demands of the patriarchy ended up killing her, but there's a lot of like really creative Tim Burton things. You have the Hunter that was shrunken by the voodoo priestess. Yes.

Steve: 23:16

And the guy who burned to death Smith,

Stephen: 23:19

getting a cigarette, the man that overate and a chicken bone is still caught in his throat. The camper and a sleeping bag that has the rattlesnakes still in the sleeping bag, the woman that was solved in half for the magician, like it's really creative stuff.

Steve: 23:37

I'm so pretty that it had to be until they talked about it, textually that like how you die is how you're stuck. I was like, Oh, that's why everyone looks super unique and creative. Yeah. But yes, once, once they said that it made perfect sense, but it also is funny because Tim Burton didn't admit after the fact that using that same logic, because. Barbara and Adam drownded that they should have been technically went to the entire movie, but just logistically asking them to be wet. The whole movie is just, you know, let's give our actress and ammonia, so they die the whole movie. It just wasn't practical. So they didn't end up going

Stephen: 24:14

in that direction. And I also think that that works because it like visually it wouldn't have been as. Like you've got Alex Davis. Yeah. You've been distracted. They're attractive. Let them be attractive. Yes, I'm absolutely good while

Steve: 24:30

they still are.

Stephen: 24:33

So Barbara and Adam, the friend, Lydia Dietz, Wynnona a character because she's the only one that can see them and play why Lydia can see them.

Beetlejuice Clip: 24:50

Well, I ran through that handbook for the recently deceased. Life people ignore the strange and unusual I myself am strange and unusual

Stephen: 25:02

So, and I mean, her line delivery of that is just brilliant. How many

Steve: 25:08

times have you

Stephen: 25:08

used that? I, myself am strange and unusual. And, you know, they've got that book, the handbook for the recently deceased Gina Davis. No, she just can't. It's

Steve: 25:21

just so confusing. All of the words and even Alec they were in there for two months with a book that told them everything they needed to know, and they barely got through a paragraph. I'm like, Oh,

Stephen: 25:32

And they were gone for a couple hours and Lydia deeds is like, Oh yeah, I read your book. And it made sense. Yeah. It's that in itself?

Steve: 25:41

Cause we were stuck in this house with that book. We'd have it memorized within a month. Sure. Oh.

Stephen: 25:46

Especially when it has all those things about haunting people,

Steve: 25:50

the fun stuff you can

Stephen: 25:50

do. Exactly. Now this movie is also known for one of the most famous scenes. In pop culture that you can just say the name of a song that's associated with it. Go ahead and do the lead up to it.

Beetlejuice Clip: 26:11

Free favorites about your ghosts. Now I'm sick of that subject lighten up. I would rather talk about.

Stephen: 26:22

Yay.

Steve: 26:25

Yeah, there you go.

Stephen: 26:26

And I mean, In your mind, if you've seen this, you can picture the whole thing. It's probably one of your favorite scenes from the whole movie. It's fun. It's funny. And I just have to think that the cast themselves had to have a blast doing it because Catherine and her just goes all in. On her performance

Steve: 26:46

and they all, they all do. They all did it like great job. Like they all had the perfect facial expressions through it. I think it's so funny that Tim Burton himself didn't like the scene and he thought it wouldn't go over well with audiences because like Everett, that's the scene. Everyone knows

Stephen: 27:01

about the scene. Everybody knows. And it's going to be one of those. And during parts of cinema pop culture that will exist long after this movie. And like I've been known once the DVDs were out and everything to just cue up that sometimes before YouTube was really a thing, because I can just pull it up on YouTube, but, you know, That scene in itself. It's happy making. And that's what we're

Steve: 27:30

all about here. Yes, it's certainly isn't speaking of happy making. If we had the chance to do that to a dinner party of guests, what song would you choose to make them dance to.

Stephen: 27:43

Goodness. I think I would have to pick like something by Paula and probably like cold-hearted snake and make them do some of the Paula's movements from the music video and things. I think that would be all kinds of fun. Do you have one in your mind that you'd be like, This is what I would make you do.

Steve: 28:05

Yeah. I think that because like the song Dayo wasn't like brand new at the time, it was kind of a classic already. Right? So like in terms of like picking a classic, so to speak, that would be like fun to dance to though. I want to dance with somebody by Whitney Houston would be a fun one to do a number

Stephen: 28:18

two. That would be really cute to make these people do like a fast paced ballroom type of routine. I want to dance with somebody. Yeah. And that's such a good song too. Now, like the, the Barbara and Adam did that to try to scare the details out of the house. It didn't

Steve: 28:39

work. No,

Stephen: 28:40

they love it. They thought it was great. Like, who knew I could do the Calypso is what they say. And like now they're just. Kind of coexisting with the ghosts. Would you co-exist with a

Steve: 28:54

ghost? I probably would, but you actually did.

Stephen: 28:57

Didn't you? I did. I had two ghosts in my 1893 Victorian house in Cincinnati. Tell me more, tell me more. Well, I went to this paranormal thing in Cincinnati and I sat in. On this woman that does like explores hauntings places in the area. And I spoke with her afterwards and she had been to my house several years before I moved in. But she's like, Oh yeah, I've been to your house. There are two ghosts there and it

Steve: 29:26

would have been scarier if she had been to your house after you moved in. And he's like,

Stephen: 29:32

well, that was what I thought. The first time that I, I heard them, I thought it was the people that had, I had purchased the house from, they still had some things in the attic and I thought that they were there picking stuff up. And I heard a voice. I heard moving around. I go upstairs. And there's nothing, but, you know, I did actually see both of them. Over time, but

Steve: 29:58

your mother's the only one you had a little girl thing in the house. I liked that

Stephen: 30:02

bit of the story, the ghost on the second floor, I always called her Nicole because she looked like Nicole Kidman's character from the others. And she had red hair purple dress. And my best friend Brady was living with me for a bit. And his niece came to stay for the weekend with us. Lovely girl, always. Bubbly good spirits. And when the morning at breakfast, she was just in a bad mood and we're like, Mara, what's the matter. And she's like, I couldn't sleep well. Why honey? That red headed lady just kept talking all night long and. There is like I told you,

Steve: 30:43

I told you. Yeah. So at least she wasn't like cow. No, she was they were both friendly. Go certain, not as harmful at least is what beetle juice does.

Stephen: 30:52

Oh, Hey try. Like, and that's the scene that as a child scared me. So the deeds are walking on the second floor balcony and the railing on the banister turns into a giant snake with Beatles juices, head. Almost kills the father Knox ortho ortho down the stairs. And, but like, you know, I don't like snakes and a giant rattlesnake. No

Steve: 31:20

boy, no. Yes. And so, I mean, that kind of caused like a little bit of a confusion. They didn't want to work with beetle juice already. So with that done though, they want it to summon though, and work out something with Adam and Barb still to like, you know, do some sort of. Hollywood thing to get, you know, paranormal investigators in the house and sprints like an attraction.

Stephen: 31:42

Yeah. Like the father was always trying to make money. And so at that point, once they had evidence of haunting, they were going to turn the whole town into the premier site in America for paranormal investigation and experiences. And they they're bringing the money man up to the house. And then they have ortho who says, who has stolen the handbook for the recently deceased. And

Steve: 32:08

he said, everyone can read it, but Gina Davis, everyone. But

Stephen: 32:11

Gina Davis can read the book. And Tina Davis is always so smart, but just not here. And so he thinks that he can make them come forth. But what he actually does is he brings their spirits back to the real world and they start dying and just like decaying. And so Lydia is like, I have to save them because at this point, Lydia and Adam and Barbara all love each other and they want to have this weird like friendship, family. And so Lydia makes a deal with beetle juice to save. Adam and Barbara, but in return, she has to marry him. And this whole hilarity ensues, Adam and Barbara are trying to stop beetle juice. And lo and behold, she can't read a book, but girl contain a sand worm and comes in and

Steve: 33:02

saves. Yes, they do not ended up getting married, which is weird because for whatever reason, I could have sworn something about the cartoon that I saw before I saw the movie made me think they got married after all, but I don't even, it

Stephen: 33:13

was. Oh, the cartoon is so

Steve: 33:16

problematic. Yes. And so they ended up living happily ever after the DCIS and the Maitland's actually together, but not so much beetle juice because he is waiting in another world and he tries to cut in line in front of the voodoo

Stephen: 33:29

and yeah, the voodoo priest ends up shrinking his head and. Michael Keaton is just so, so brilliant. And as I said, comedic roles, don't always get the recognition that they deserve. And this is one of those that I think honestly, was an Oscar worthy performance. Like for best supporting actor, he could have easily nailed that. It was so good.

Steve: 33:55

Yeah. Yes, he did. He did a good job on it and I'm not normally a huge fan of his type of humor, but he did really well on this movie. And I

Stephen: 34:03

also think that he's probably the best Batman that has ever played Batman. Just

Steve: 34:08

saying, all right there,

Stephen: 34:11

do you, who's your favorite Batman? The one

Steve: 34:13

from the dark Knight trilogy

Stephen: 34:15

Christian bale.

Steve: 34:16

Yes. Well, yeah, whatever, I'm, I'm, I'm more of a, I can't even think words tonight. I'm more of a Marvel guy than a DC guy. Anyway, I

Stephen: 34:30

am too, but there's something about Batman that I've always like, that's the one DC character that I'm like, Oh, okay. I'm good with you and all your villains. I like the 1960s. I was

Steve: 34:41

just say we actually watched it and we didn't put it on binge and purge, but we watched the animated

Stephen: 34:46

Netflix. We did, we watched Batman, the killing joke, and that was very grown

Steve: 34:51

up for a cartoon. Yeah. It was an adults, one based off of a graphic novel. So don't watch it with your children. If you think that it's like a kid's family

Stephen: 34:59

cartoon, it's the same actors and actresses from. Batman, the animated series, the voice actors, but it is very grown up with cursing and more deaf. Yeah. And sex and

Steve: 35:09

violence. Yeah. So, but I mean, it was, it was well done and it was interesting. It ended. Uniquely, but I mean, you can tell that. I mean, it was a very well done adaptation of a comic book. Yes.

Stephen: 35:20

Now there's something very interesting about beetle juice with Netflix. Yes.

Steve: 35:26

This was actually the very first DVD sent out by Netflix back in 1998. So,

Stephen: 35:32

I didn't even know Netflix was around back then. I looked it up. They started in 1997. Yes.

Steve: 35:37

And like, it must've been like, I mean, at the time they must've been just like a small mom and pop thing or type of thing

Stephen: 35:43

crazy to me because I didn't get a DVD player until 2000.

Steve: 35:48

And you're always the first one to get everything when it comes out typically.

Stephen: 35:52

And I was still on the early side. Of DVDs, like at that point. So that's really fascinating to me that it was out beforehand. Tim Burton also made a love

Steve: 36:06

match on the show. Yes, he did. And it worked out best for your little Moira

Stephen: 36:10

Rose. Yeah. So Catherine, I, her, I met her husband. I here,

Steve: 36:13

yes, he was the production designer, Bo Welch. And while making the film Tim, Tim Burton had suggested so well that he asked Catherine O'Hara out near the end of filming. And his response was basically like, I didn't even know that I could ask her out. So I'm glad that he told me I was allowed to, and I did. And. You know, we got married and lived happily ever after, ever since. And I did check and they are still together to this day. I mean, and I love when Hollywood people are there. I have long success for our relationships,

Stephen: 36:40

but I also love that 30 years ago, she still had her physical comedy, her facial expressions and her perfect line delivery. Like this is a woman that. Has been enacting powerhouse for a very long

Steve: 36:56

time. Yes, she certainly has. She did disappear. It seems for a little bit there, but I mean, she certainly has come back and I'm really hoping that shit's Creek was, you know, the start of a second career for her. Well, she just goes onto more

Stephen: 37:08

and more. If you watched any of the Christopher guest movies she's been around, but. I'll have to introduce you to those.

Steve: 37:14

I watched the best in show in once, but I don't remember it.

Stephen: 37:17

We'll watch it again. It's so good. Now there've been talk for years about a cul the Seth Graham Smith, who wrote the book for pride and prejudice and zombies and some other. And I believe he also did Abraham Lincoln vampire Hunter. Okay. And was going to. Right. The new beetle juice sequel that was supposed to take place. Hawaii. Well, there was originally the beetle juice goes Hawaiian, but that one got scrapped early on, and then they were going to do this 27 years later thing with Catherine O'Hara, one owner rider. And and it was in development purgatory for awhile Warner brothers. Said in 2019, it's not happening. And then in 2020, Danny Elfman, who did the music for this and is brilliant with when he does music revived speculation saying that he had been in talks. So less than a year after Warner brothers is like, Oh, it's been shelved. The guy that does music, music is like maybe it's not as dead as we all thought.

Steve: 38:31

You know, at that point, I also wonder because it's been so long, whether the reason why they're saying that there's not going to be a sequel is because they're working on our reboot because we are in the age of reboots. And I almost feel like as much as this kind of like held up all for adults nowadays, I think that the younger generation. I don't know. What do you think of the idea of a reboot versus a SQL today?

Stephen: 38:52

They were going to do it as a reboot. I, I would almost like it to be a thing where it can be a reboot, but at least have a line or two to acknowledge. That the first one existed. I don't want them to pretend like the first movie.

Steve: 39:11

Yeah. I agree. Like kind of like a reboot, like how the saved by the bell had their reboots for the show where like the original one did happen, but maybe this is like beetle juice with like a new family and it's a similar situation, but like they're not having to be tied to these characters in the story. They can, you know, redo it a bit and make it so that's like a similar formula, but. You know, new jokes and new setups and everything. Yeah. I

Stephen: 39:34

would be all for that. And maybe like this time it's, there's a hotel or something and there's more people, I don't know. I there's all kinds of ways that could go. Now we've talked around this, but there was a cartoon for a little over two years in the late eighties, early nineties on ABC morning, Saturday mornings. And so. I have a love, hate relationship with it. Did you ever watch it? I

Steve: 40:04

know that I watched it and I had watched bits and pieces of it out of context. And, but it was before watching the movie at all. And so it confused me a lot, but like on both ends, it didn't do me any favor. Well, that's

Stephen: 40:17

because in the cartoon, Lydia and Beetlejuice are best friends and that's a mess that confused me and like, she couldn't go to the nether world with him and they can have adventures. Adam and Barbara aren't mentioned her parents are there and it's definitely kid and family friendly, but I don't know. I've seen, I saw the movie first and I remember watching the cartoon on Saturday mornings, but. I guess I was still me back then going, no, this isn't right. Oh, beetle juice is the bad guy. Yeah. But this was beetle juice as the good guy on the star.

Steve: 40:57

Yeah. And I, and that's why when I saw Barbara and Adam, I was like, who are they in the movie? Cause I didn't know them from the cartoon. And now that you said they weren't there, I'm like that's

Stephen: 41:05

right. Well, that's kind of like the Maleficent live action movie.

Steve: 41:08

Like you don't like it when bad guys start being told that they're good or whatever they they're

Stephen: 41:13

switched. Yeah. Like I swear if they ever made Well, they're making the Cruella de Vil movie. If

Steve: 41:19

they make her a good guy, that's something messed up.

Stephen: 41:22

I will reach through the screen. Yes. So

Steve: 41:26

I

Stephen: 41:26

bet you, sir will. And we talked to that. They did a Broadway musical.

Steve: 41:32

Yes. And it was unfortunately ended up mixed due to the recent situation on Broadway. But you know, that just goes to show that this, this beetle juice, isn't something that people have stopped talking about. They're still that interested. Started working in 2016. And it debuted in March, 2020. So it, it,

Stephen: 41:50

I saw that on the Tony's and I sell it in the Macy's parade and the songs were really good. Like, I really hope that it tours because whoever Was behind the original writing and songs and everything. They did a really good job and, you know, they had, and it played tribute to the original movie because it had the deeds family and everybody. So yeah, it was really, really well done. Now, this is the first time you've seen it kind of as an adult. And I've talked about it for ever in the day. What do you feel about it now?

Steve: 42:32

I feel that I was willing and able to do this episode of the podcast. Cause it makes me really happy. And it's not one of my top 10 favorite movies or even top 50, but it it's not a bad movie. I just feel like a lot of the. You know, I'd be interested and open to seeing a, like a reboot in the movie so I can see kind of what it is now, because I feel like part of your love for it is a bit of nostalgia as well.

Stephen: 42:56

I, but I also, you can't deny that the acting was good.

Steve: 43:01

No, everything about it was good. It was a good movie. I I'm not absolutely head over heels in love with it, but it was a good movie. It was a solid movie. I, I, you know, like there are movies that are classics that I'll give crap about just to give you crap about them. You mean like Goonies, I wasn't going to say it just in case we end up having to do with it.

Stephen: 43:21

We're going to do an

43:21

egg

Steve: 43:22

Connie's up and sustainable. We'll do that after episode 200. No,

Stephen: 43:27

not that long. We'll see.

Steve: 43:29

But yes, but I mean, like, I, I wouldn't, I wouldn't. Yeah. Decider a bad mouth at it. It's a good movie. And if you know, a couple of months from now, you want her to watch it again. I'm not going to throw a temper tantrum. You're just going to have to.

Stephen: 43:41

And I think the special effects done in a very Tim Burton way helps the special effects to hold up because. They aren't trying to be a realistic, they're trying to be fantastical and it's okay. That it looks a little Claymation. Yeah. Like

Steve: 43:56

Claymation as, as graphics, better than like the very early CGI stuff like that. Like, especially like in the, like the late eighties to the nineties, a lot of times I feel like Claymation ended up looking better on camera, then their version of CGI at the time. Yeah.

Stephen: 44:11

So I think the movie holds up really well. I mean, Michael Keaton, Catherine O'Hara Wenona Ryder, Gina Davis, Alec Baldwin. Like those are a list celebrities now. So yeah, you got to have a really good cast and the day O scene and the shake shake, shake Sonora at the end.

Steve: 44:32

I like that one better than the first one. Just not the scene itself, but the song.

Stephen: 44:37

Yeah. Shake, shake, shake, shake your body line.

Steve: 44:42

I love it all. Yes, we are fans of Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice. Yes. And if you are fans of us, the best thing that you can do is subscribe. So you get new episodes weekly. Leave us a five-star review. If you're listening on Apple pie.

Stephen: 44:59

Yes, we'd be forever grateful. If you're on Facebook, you can find us at facebook.com/happy life pod. If you're friends with us personally, on Facebook. Please interact with us on there. You can find us on Twitter at happy life pod and even, yeah. Instagram.

Steve: 45:19

Yes. And we are doing the Instagram now, somewhat reliably. So for us, so thank you everyone. And yes, it's happy life pod H a P P Y L I F E P O D.

Stephen: 45:33

And until next time stay happy.