The Steves invite back Ronnie Diamond to discuss the 1990 Christmas Classic, Home Alone, along with some of their favorite Christmas Songs.
Check out the Lifetime of Christmas playlist on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5hQLY7Q5fAAnhakpX7m7mJ?si=daaa31da6d7d43ad
Home Alone Discussion
Ending- Any music or audio clips were borrowed from the original source material.
The Steves invite back Ronnie Diamond to discuss the 1990 Christmas Classic, Home Alone, along with some of their favorite Christmas Songs.
Check out the Lifetime of Christmas playlist on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5hQLY7Q5fAAnhakpX7m7mJ?si=daaa31da6d7d43ad
Home Alone Discussion
Ending- Any music or audio clips were borrowed from the original source material.
Hello returning happies and new listeners. This is Steve Bennet-Martin, and this
Stephen:is Stephen Martin-Bennet. And welcome to a lifetime
Steve:of. The podcast where we take you on our journey through some of the movies, TV shows, and other bits of pop culture that are helping to keep us happy while hopefully bring a smile to your face along the way. And to
Stephen:they are parents have gone off to Paris without us. So we're forced to defend our house from burglars. As we discussed the holiday classic home alone, and we couldn't cover this movie without welcoming back our own mischievous, miss Ronnie diamond DePaul come back.
Ronnie:Thank you guys for having me. It's almost Christmas. I'm happy.
Steve:You're all
Stephen:are. Yeah. You're one day closer to Christmas than we are.
Ronnie:That was funny. You're getting ready to go to bed. I bought you awaken for the
Steve:drag. What is it like in the future? Do we have flying cars yet?
Ronnie:I'm afraid I have a magic carpet ride that takes me wherever I need to go. Now, I don't know if that's the present, the past or the future. I just spin around until something fits. And then I just sit down and enjoy the ride.
Steve:Had more than one.
Stephen:Funny enough. Okay. We were in college and whenever Ronnie was coming over, we used to cut off the breakers to turn off all the power in the house and he'd opened the door and he'd see that it was pitch black in there and he'd get all mad and he'd be like, Hamas, you turn those lights on. You turn those lights on right now. And after we wouldn't do it, he would jump and spin into the room. Going wonder.
Ronnie:I don't like the dark I never have. And I would refuse to come into that apartment with all those lights off like that. I say, hold on. Geez, turn those lights on. Now. I found please,
Stephen:besides those fun memories, what else is making us happy this week? Well, I figured
Steve:with Christmas coming right around the corner, we could have some of our Christmas hits or favorites mentioned for songs and we can make our own lifetime of Christmas playlist for our listeners. I love that
Stephen:idea. And since it was your idea, why don't you go first? Well,
Steve:after we watched a single all the way, I have to admit that I am right there with the main character in that my favorite Christmas song is Brittany's. My only wish that.
Stephen:Ah, that's a good one. What else? He got Ronnie used to dance to that one. Didn't you I've danced
Ronnie:all the phones. What's your favorite song? Ronnie. All of them.
Steve:Well, what's one of your favorite Christmas.
Ronnie:So there are several songs. I will always love the ballots. Like the holy night, the same version it's by saline or Josh Grove. And they sing the same version, just the male or female PS supported bees. And then I've always loved Mariah to get me go. And for Christmas, you know, everyone loves all I want for Christmas's year. That makes me in a great mood. Although people love her and hate her. I know. And we, we have, we have a myriad of friends who just like her, but other than the Yeah, I know darling. And you know, something that just makes me happy and smile is see, as I candy cane lane, I love that song. It makes me happy. I love the words. I love the lyrics and I love the beat to it. That my favorite song of all had immersed. Bruce said, let me put up a content warning here. This is not for young listeners. Little listeners do have big ears and they will repeat. So have you heard children now? Or you yourself are sensitive. You may not want to listen
Steve:to this part just fast, forward, 30 seconds and go for it.
Ronnie:Well, the weather outside is frightful about my whole life. As long as you got some blow gun rappers slam on my hall. Stop at five dude. That's Paul I have a go run for slower Walmart home, as we finally get our
Steve:hate to go back to the story,
Ronnie:but if you help me time, I'll go back out on your that's hold for popping, but as long as you got some blow, how'd it go rapid slow while my hope won't bump.
Steve:Thank you very much. Audio gram for Facebook.
Stephen:love that pod hall.
Ronnie:Yeah. Mother morning, mother domino. We're just going to roll out the red carpet, but this version, I can hear it all. Now. We've just been banished.
Stephen:Well in much more family friendly. I really like Kelly Clarkson's original song underneath the tree. Yes,
Steve:that is certainly a good one. We also can't have one without a glee Christmas song. And I would say one of my favorite glee ones. So as we need a little Christmas,
Ronnie:that is mine too. My favorite version of that song and my favorite
Steve:Christmas song from
Stephen:them. Yeah. And Ronnie w I mean, what musical is that originally from.
Ronnie:Oh,
Steve:Ryan and
Ronnie:teammate. Yeah, not the run with, not the one with Roslyn Russell. I love that version, but the one Landsbury Angela Lansbury back in the days, that's the original.
Stephen:What does auntie Mame tell everyone? Is that a life advice
Ronnie:drank
Stephen:all night? No. Life is a buffet and most poor falls, or we
Ronnie:live live as a bank or the most pools suck as a starving today.
Stephen:Rhonda used to tell me that and I thought it used to make it up. And then I finally saw the movie and realized another Ronnie ism was someone.
Steve:Yes, there we go.
Ronnie:No, now, you know, very well. A lot of my Ronnie isms are mine and mine alone. However, sometimes I do steal and I do plagiarize and I admit to it, but I don't really it's the source, for example, can anyone out there. Just rub some unicorn oil into it to this day, neither Monica, nor Steve can find that quote, but I still have it. It's not mine. I stole it, but they don't notice. So they've been trying for years to find that. So I
Stephen:totally, I totally thought it was.
Ronnie:No, no. I told you all, that's not mine. I claim it if it's not mine, but I don't necessarily give the source. I though I'm a good journalist that way, or at least a good copy.
Stephen:So I also love a version of river. You know, the it's coming on Christmas, the cutting down trees, it was putting up. Raymond is singing songs of joy and.
Steve:and
Stephen:I also like Christina, Aguilera's this Christmas. That
Steve:is a good one. I also love Brianna Louis'. One more sleep as an original Christmas. And
Ronnie:she has the most fabulous voice. I don't know why she is not more popular. She has done so well. Her voice is beyond compare in my opinion. I don't know why we're not always hear more and more from her. I don't know if he's fabulous in my eyes.
Steve:She's now one of the judges on the new RuPaul singing con. So isn't
she?
Stephen:Oh, okay. Queens.
Ronnie:I'll have to see that. Yeah,
Steve:it's on paramount plus app. Yes. Okay. And speaking of Ru the UK finale this year had premiered a Christmas song that I've been really loving as a new song. Hasis it's Christmas,
Stephen:which, which is really. But I think no Christmas list would be complete if it didn't have earth, the kits, Santa baby
Ronnie:love earth, the kit, you know, she only passed a few years ago. She lived at very old, lovely boys. Love the woman, but she, and oh, who was the other? Julie, Julie Newmar, Julie Newmar, the original cat woman.
Stephen:I mean, how can you look at Julia Newmar and not say that she statue in. So everyone I know that that conversation was all over the place. So I check the show notes for a link and we'll also put up a special post on our socials that we'll link to this playlist on Spotify. With call it a lifetime of Christmas.
Steve:Yes. We all have to admit one of Ronnie's songs, but we'll make sure that it still isn't even 12. Yes. Now, Ronnie, by chance, after doing a quick Google search with Dr. Internet is your unicorn oil line from the stepmother in the 1965 TV movie for syndrome.
Ronnie:That would be correct. I knew when the golden star to go see back in the day, we didn't have any internet. We had to use, we had to use pigeon carrier to communicate with each other. I had morning post and afternoon post. So there was nowhere they could Google it. It wouldn't have been able to be found.
Stephen:Is that version the one that had Leslie and Warren as Cinderella?
Ronnie:No. No. The Cinderella is Julie Andrews. Wait, wait. No, no, no. You're right. You're correct. I'm thinking, no, you are correct. I believe.
Steve:Okay. Well, I, I'm glad that I solved
Stephen:the mystery and we all know Leslie and one is miss Scarlet from clue. Yes,
Steve:we do. And let's get into
Stephen:home alone. Yes. Because after all that, we do have a movie to talk about
Ronnie:and it doesn't involve unicorn
Steve:that we know that we know of. Yes, no, for those not familiar, first of all, go watch it because we will spoil it. But home alone is a 1990 American comedy film directed by Chris Columbus. Not the one that was horrible,
Stephen:not the one that has been killed.
Steve:Yes. And it was written by John Hughes. How do we know Chris Columbus?
Stephen:So he was relatively new at the time. This was his only third directing gig, but he went on to direct movies like Mrs. Doubtfire, the first two Harry Potter movies, the Percy Jackson movies. And he's produced over 43 movies, including the upcoming gremlins reboot and or sequel. We're not sure.
Steve:Yes. And one thing I found interesting when I was researching this was that he was originally set to direct a national Lampoon's Christmas vacation instead of home alone. But he quit before shooting due to personality clashes with Chevy chase who treated him, quote unquote
Stephen:Derek, which is not a shock because many people in Hollywood, even recently with the show community that was on NBC have said that it's hard to work with Chevy chase because of his piss poor attitude and holier than thou personally. Yeah.
Ronnie:You know what? And once you get a reputation, like. No one wants to be around people like that anymore. And people, people just videotape it, put it online. And then your, your, your evil, hateful repugnant behavior for which you ought to be flogged is then out there for everyone. And I say, Bravo,
Steve:it keeps you in line in public. Hi, Ronnie.
Ronnie:I do try to behave myself. I work on comportment department and always make sure that I am self-aware mostly on the airlines. And then the flights, I don't beat up the flight attendants like everybody else, these days, not anymore.
Steve:Do you know?
Stephen:Ronnie's always thought of air travel is something that should be celebrated and dressed up. Yes.
Steve:I believe that now, meanwhile, John Hughes was writing literally everything in the eighties and nineties almost. I guess that was figuratively. Not literally, but yes, he was figuratively writing everything back then, including planes, trains, and automobiles, that breakfast club Ferris Bueller's day off weird science and dozens of others that were
Stephen:recognizable. Yeah. John Hughes was responsible for. A lot of people's growing up in the eighties. Yes.
Steve:Certainly. If you have a favorite cheese,
Stephen:I would probably Ferris Bueller's day off, like that gave us the wonderful Matthew Broderick and it's just a really delightful film and it aged pretty well. I'll have to see it. So. Oh, I bet it still hurts my soul that you've seen it.
Steve:Now. The film stars, Macaulay Culkin as Kevin,
Stephen:Joe Peshy as
Steve:Harry Daniel stern as mark John
Stephen:herd as Kevin's dad, Pete
Steve:and Catherine O'Hara as Kevin's mom,
Stephen:Kate, which I actually had to look up because I was like, do they ever actually acknowledge her by name? And I'm sure they do. But I like, I'm always like it's Kevin's mom. Yeah.
Ronnie:She is a glorious actress. I'm so glad that she's been so successful. I mean, I am I Beetlejuice was right around the same time as this one, right. It was around that
Steve:time within a couple
Stephen:years.
Ronnie:And then, you know, that that shit's Creek show is my it's gold, gold, it's gold, which may it's my future. If I run out of money,
Steve:I was going to say, I can easily see fitting into the family.
Stephen:We'll send you to move to Spencer and you'll have to write for the town papers. You know, with headlines like town, cat has kittens.
Ronnie:That's what I always thought about with the term. God had kittens today. Oh God let's leave.
Stephen:So Macaulay Culkin was a child star and he had, you know, his first big thing with my girl. And he's still acting to this day. Yeah, I thought he
Ronnie:died. I, I thought he, I thought God's grace. It called him home to happen. Is he alive?
Steve:It's silly. Yeah. I love he passed away. No, he was on this past season of American horror story as Mickey and he did an amazing job and
Ronnie:he was,
Stephen:and actually he is has a child in, is partnered up with. The girl from the sweet, like life of Zack and Cody, Ashley Tisdale. No. The Asian girl that owned the hotel, she played,
Steve:she was also in Wendy will princess warrior, but I forgot her real life name.
Stephen:Yeah. So that's who he's with these days.
Steve:Awesome. Well, good for them. I loved him in 2004, saved that came out right around the time where I had just grabbed your way to Catholic school and it takes place at a Catholic school and it just hit very,
Stephen:very close to home. Was that
Steve:how'd, you know,
Ronnie:So you, if you ever read the book or saw them, maybe both were excellent, the good son, and he played in that as well. And if it's a dark movie, it's very dark. And I won't give it away in case you haven't seen it, but look up the good son was fantastic and the book was just as good. Usually the books and movies aren't the same. Th they're they're identical. Great, great. Either way.
Stephen:The movie was. Yeah.
Steve:And as we mentioned with Joe Peshy, as Harry, originally Robert de Niro and Jon Lovitz were offered the role before Peshy accepted. He's known for his roles in Goodfellas, my cousin, Vinny raging bull, the Irishman and his counter half here stern is known for his role as the narrator in the original wonder years. As well as being fill in city slickers,
Stephen:Joe Peshy, and my cousin Vinny is just comedic brilliance. I
Steve:know, and I loved him too on screen, but it was interesting that when I read about him behind the scenes in this, he was out outed as a bit of a Divo in this movie with the cinematographer Julia or Julio, MOCAD openly stating that he was more difficult to work with. Then Macaulay Culkin was as a child. He'd constantly complained that the dialogue wasn't up to par with his acting ability, he was convinced that he would be a flop. So he went over an extra and all of the physical things. And he would also complain about his opening calls. Him of 9:00 AM so much. So that they ended up one day when he took the assistant director by the collar complaining about it. It was because it interferes with his morning routine of nine holes of golf before he gets his day started and they actually moved mark and they actually moved it to 9:00 AM. After that physical altercation, that
Stephen:makes me sad.
Ronnie:Well, it gives the high maintenance, a new definition. Doesn't it.
Steve:I was going to say, do you know anything about nine holes before the morning starts?
Ronnie:did not just sing to you about
Steve:you
Stephen:did. So the movie was released on November 10th, 1990, right before the holidays, it had a budget of 18 million and had a box office of 400. 76 points, 7 million being the number one film at the box office for 12 consecutive weeks.
Steve:Yeah. In addition to that, it was the highest grossing live action comedy ever until it was dethroned by the hangover part two in 2011. So it held onto half for like 21 years. That's
Stephen:craziness. Like I remember going to see this with my group of friends. In fifth grade, like we all were in the third row and there was like 10 of us all lined up that our parents had dropped us off to go see the movie together.
Steve:Yes, yes. And the movie was ahead. As you could tell what the numbers, it was actually nominated for two academy awards and. The movie itself was nominated for best motion, picture and best actor and Macaulay Culkin for the glow golden Globes. And it also won the award that mattered most to me at that time. The favorite movie at the kid's choice awards. Well,
Stephen:I was for some people had higher standards.
Ronnie:Well me. So I thought you said he had the lowest standards
Stephen:who I will reach through the phone all the way to India,
Ronnie:because when you do it, you need to hold it up to that new trailer. That's going to come out on the Gilda dates and copy it downfall.
Stephen:So home alone also started a full-on franchise. It had a direct seat. With all of the returning cast as well as four movies with a new cast. The third one is also the reason why we now have what's her face as the black widow. Okay. Yep. And they were all the same formula. A kid is home alone. For some reason. The third one was actually
Steve:that he had characters, but recast with new actors, you know, the fourth one was then one of them was. It's supposed to be the McAlester family all over again, displayed by different people.
Stephen:The the third one, he had like chickenpox or something and he had to stay home from school and the mom had to go to work and all the thieving was happening during the day.
Steve:Yes. And I know that they most recently even had one come out this year on Disney plus home sweet home. And there were of use for that, where we were glad it was free.
Stephen:And I think home sweet home alone it was about animals like that. They were protecting the house,
Steve:but yeah, I haven't seen it as you can tell.
Ronnie:Oh, sorry. Kind of like a spin-off of animal farm in a way the animals take over, but that's more about communism, but still
Steve:now what's the movie about my love.
Stephen:So it's about the McAllister family and specifically Kevin and Kevin's family is getting ready for a trip to France and. There's all kinds of chaos going on because they're all leaving the next morning. And Kevin's uncle and his family are all there. So there's a lot of people under one roof, all packing and blah, blah, blah. And you've got Joe Peggy's. Harry is scoping out the house pretending to be a cop. And later on, Kevin's fighting with his brother in the kitchen and they spill stuff all over the counter. As they're cleaning stuff away. And this is really subtle. And if you don't, aren't paying attention as they're throwing it. Yeah. Is they're throwing away all the napkins and stuff. Kevin's plane ticket goes into the trash with all of it and it's the briefest little glimpse, but it answers a lot of questions later on. And it, you know, it's small touches like this, that show that they did think about it. And there aren't like plot holes. Like some people would think. Kevin's causing a lot of trouble and he's just, you know, Not great to be around for all of them. Like when he spills the stuff, his uncle's like, look what you did, you little jerk and his sister's like your, with the French call lyrical. But don't,
Ronnie:my siblings always laugh at me every time that comes on, because that's what I used to tell my brother
Stephen:that he was losing home Pinto
Ronnie:you two, or what? The French call lays on computer.
Steve:Yeah. As you mentioned, the entire family turns against him after he has the fight with buzz spilling milk all over the counter. And on the way up to the attic Kate, his mom ends up like kind of grounding him, so to speak up there. And she also tells Harry pretend who's in a cop uniform that they're going to France for Christmas.
Stephen:And Kevin says, you know, he wishes he didn't have a family. And his mom's like, you'd feel pretty sad if you woke up tomorrow and didn't have a family. No, I would've been fine. Say it again. Maybe it'll happen. I
Steve:hope I never see any of you jerks ever again.
Stephen:Oh, family chaos around the holidays. It's
Ronnie:normal. It's like, well, you know what, though? I, you know, this, this kind of made me like cringe a little even back then and still to this day. But although I think it is quite normal this day, unfortunately, when he calls his mom a dummy, that would have never,
Stephen:oh my God. Could you thought would've gotten lit up if you'd called your mother a day?
Ronnie:We would have been killed you and I, and and then also just, but even like the darkness of when she turns around and says, say it again, maybe you don't have, there's just a streak of that. That always made me cringe a little bit too. It's almost like, eh, you're tempting too much, right. And but you know, and, and I often want, well, we can talk about some of the other want too, but I mean, he's, he has some language there. And then, and then, you know, buzz is language here that would have never been tolerated for the eight for our ages, I guess. But now, you know, the children's so absolutely hard, the behavior, not the children, but their behavior, but it's that way all across our country, the adults are the same way. You're seeing the fights in the airplanes. This is how Americans behave today. And I find it.
Steve:So much. So you had to leave the country
Ronnie:right? Twice.
Stephen:I agree. Our country is kind of cringe-worthy
Steve:now I find it interesting as well during this opening scene, how they all just completely ignored the cop at the front door. Like I don't, again, similarly, the matter how chaotic my family holidays would be, if there was a cop at the front door,
Stephen:like, or some stranger standing in your entryway,
Steve:someone would have said something about like taking the fact that like, there was. Police officer there seriously, but they were all just like ready to, just to completely ignore him.
Stephen:And like, are your parents home? Yes. Do they live here? No,
Ronnie:my parents live in France. Yeah.
Stephen:So do you ha do you guys have any stories of maybe not chaos to this level, but like chaos getting ready for Christmas or, you know, like heading either wanting to visit grandparents or family coming into this.
Steve:Ronnie.
Ronnie:Well, I mean, so things are, things are starting to change for my family at this point in short. Yes. But things are starting to change for my family, with the dynamics a little bit more of my, my, my sister wants to be in her house, you know, for Christmas morning. And honor, and you know, the, my, my in-laws, they want to do things with their family, but it's always really centered around my mother and my, and my, my parent's house. So my mother figured out this years ago, and I think it is ma manipulation to the, at the finest level, totally honing in on her craft. And you got to give her some props here, huh? Learned early on that, if she just thought that Christmas would be the 23rd or 24th, she could have everyone there on that day at that time. And then else. And then later on, on the 24th or fifth people could scatter, they could do whatever with the in-laws and she still would have had her cake and eat it too. And that is fantastic. That's what I usually do. She just changed it. She changed it. She, she basically, it was an edict and it works and we're all together and there's no one missing and then they can do whatever their other responsibilities and duties are to other families and voila.
Steve:So problem solved, problem solved.
Stephen:I have. 20 some first cousins. So like Christmas day
Steve:and some of them are siblings. No, just kidding.
Ronnie:Some of them, some of them, some of them are zone children.
Stephen:Uncle daddy says that's not right, but like all of us, like, so grandparents. All the olives, mom and dad, siblings, their spouses, and all the kids all under one roof. And you've got like the big meal with all the food, and then you've got all the presents and all the desserts and it was joyous chaos, but like, I know looking back that the adults had to be completely exhausted by the time Christmas day was over.
Ronnie:Of course. Yeah. And you know, in this, maybe the parents are upstairs on the telephone, so they don't even know that the police officer has arrived. Yeah.
Stephen:They're just all chatting around. One of the things I love is they're looking out the window of Buzz's bedroom and he's telling the story of old man Marley and how that he is the shovel Slayer of south bay. And how he had killed his family with a snow shovel and it keeps the bodies in that trashcan of salt to dehydrate them. And like for a kids movie, I remember that being kind of scary and dark as a 10 year old saying that, and you know, the actor like it in the dark. Look, super creepy. When you seem later in the church, senior, like, oh, he could be pants.
Steve:Yeah.
Ronnie:And it's all about the lighting. You always want to have good lighting
Stephen:don't you know? Yeah. Did you guys have any like urban legends in your hometown?
Steve:Well, not so much urban legends, but similarly, like, just like picking on like the little old lady lady in the creepy house on the block that doesn't keep it up as well as everyone else in the neighborhood does. And just the stories of, you know, kids go missing every year on Halloween and they just assume that it's like they trick or treat at her house and they're never seen or heard from again.
Stephen:So we had a house. There was a house in Spencer right across from park avenue. And we had looked at the house when we first were moving to town and Barry will always tell the, you know he, as he was exploring the house, he had seen this window from the outside and he couldn't find a window inside to correspond to it. And For years, no one stayed in that house for more than a year. And like, it had to be like, people were just selling it and no one was staying and then it became a rental property. And and I think somebody's there now, but there were years and everyone, you know, whether it's true or not, it became a thing of, oh no, there were sounds. And there were you know, breezes and. You know, things moving and so the people wouldn't stay there, but there was a track record going back on the market, like every year.
Ronnie:You were probably just sneaking in and I breathe and have a light. Oh, those are those breezes. You were talking about
Stephen:tumbled or
Ronnie:I don't know if this is a story or not at the prime period, but I would have to say. My brother Timothy and I convinced our younger brother, Matthew, that he did not. In fact come from our parents rather. He was born. He was hatched in an egg blowing on her rock from a duck bill Platypus, and he believed it for you.
Stephen:You're beautiful.
Steve:I love
Ronnie:that. I
Steve:know now that night due to a wind storm, a tree limb down the power. So there were alarms didn't go off. And the entire family rushes out the house. When the airport express arrives, accidentally counting the neighbor's kid for Kevin during their headcount, another chance for them to forget him. Yeah. Yup.
Stephen:And then they're running through the airport to run, run Rudolph, which this was the first time I had heard that song growing up. And I immediately, because I loved this movie. I love that scene. I just, I have an affinity for this song even to this day. I love when people do versions of run, run, Rudolph Kelly Clarkson does an amazing one. And you know, they're all running through the airport. They get to the gate and they're like, did we miss the flight? And they were like, no, no, no, you've got time. Take whatever seats are open. And so the parents are in first class, the kids are in coach. And so every, like they're not even checking. Like, okay. Buzz you're in one C and things like that. Like the kids are taking whatever seats are available, the parents are nowhere near them. So again, they're not even noticing that Kevin's not there and because the ticket went in the trash can earlier, there's not an extra ticket that they're handing to the gate worker. So like, all of this has been said, So neatly to make it plausible that they've forgotten him,
Steve:that they did. I mean, Kevin wakes up late and as soon realizes he's alone thinking his wish came true. And of course, realizing that he starts having the time of his life, eating ice cream and watching the movies he normally isn't allowed to. Yeah. And
Stephen:I love that he's watching that model. And the guy takes out the Tommy gun and blows him away. And at the end he goes, keep the change of filthy animal.
Steve:I was convinced watching this movie that it was another movie that, but I didn't realize that they actually made that movie for this movie. It's a movie within a movie
Stephen:and they made it went over so big in the SQL. They made another one. Yes they did. And so I'm sure that we were, there was a time when we were all left home alone, whether it was. Let's say overnight, like what, what did you guys do the first time you were like, I left home alone overnight. I never
Steve:was in my parents' house. Really? I, they they would go out for brief periods of time, or like, not even really much in the evenings, but like during the day for errands, once I got to a certain age, but I never had any sort of at home night trips until I was. In my own place interests.
Ronnie:Oh, wow. Yeah. Well, you know, now it's with the helicopter parents. These children are lucky if their parents don't go with them to their, to their post graduation in. I mean, that's how it is now, you know, w well, I threw a huge dress party. When my parents went out of town for the first time I had, we had Zima, jolly ranchers. We put the jolly ranchers in the Zima. It was fantastic. I paid for it later, but it was fun. And
Stephen:how old were you when. Eighth grade.
Ronnie:Oh, wow. They took the T they took the little ones and they had gone to pigeon forge or something. And so my Dollywood or something like that, if I recall, and I had the weekend and it wasn't like that, my grandmother wasn't that far away at the time as she had, she was up from Florida. And then you know, my mom's best friend, who's basically my godmother, Pam. I mean, she was like 10 minutes away. So there wasn't, it. Wasn't. The neighbors were all they're new. That's probably how I got into trouble later. They all told, but that being your son was having a job Zima, jolly rancher party. Didn't want to talk to him about it. Maybe we shouldn't have thrown all that trash out there.
Stephen:I was so boring when I did it. I got a bunch of junk food, rented a bunch of movies, ordered pizza and just it was in the. And so I would swim during the day sleeping real late eat junk food and then watch movies. I probably shouldn't have been.
Ronnie:How is that any different from your life now? It's
Stephen:not,
Steve:it's not, it's pretty much practice for adults.
Stephen:Yeah. I kind of figured out during those two. What I wanted my life to be. So, you know,
Ronnie:behold it manifested itself and to exist.
Stephen:Hey, it happens. You got to live the dream.
Steve:Now halfway to Paris, Kate does realize that they forgot Kevin, but they can't do anything until they land. When they land, she throws a poor French woman off the phone to call the police. Kate lets the family start their vacation while she waits at the airport for a flight back on standard. And the plan is that they'll catch a flight back two days later on Friday.
Stephen:Oh, I just can't imagine the guilt that she's feeling right there. Like, and because the phone lines are down because of the storm, so they can't even call to the house to verify anything. Most of the people in their neighborhood are also on vacation. And you have an eight year old child who is not the smartest or most responsible child, and she's gotta be thinking he's killed himself by now. He set the house on fire and he's dead. I just, that's what I would have thought,
Ronnie:but you know what, these days, these days she would find herself three weeks later in family court and probably lost the trial. I mean, if you make a mistake like that today, the authorities will be so quick to, and there it's always for the wrong thing. There'll be so quick to, you know, Flying in and take the child from the home, this and that. And then, you know, once again, the pendulum swings, but yeah, I mean things, if you have a large family, it's possible, these things are possible. It does happen. Sometimes older siblings are supposed to be responsible for some younger siblings. So if you have 12 children and there, and everyone's getting ready for a flight and you slept in and you're rushing it, this is entirely. However, I think family court would probably disagree these two.
Stephen:Well, I think also these days you've got nanny cams around the house. The, your eight year old has a cell phone that can text and do the location tracking that the parents put on.
Ronnie:And you ha the child has to have a cell phone, even the younger ones. Now they must be able to text and call their parents during the school shootings. So, you know, that's a uniquely American problem, but still you have to be able to text and call your parents during the school shooting. I mean, I think
Steve:just an American problem that doesn't happen in other countries. They ha they
Ronnie:are, there are occasionally some mass shootings, but as far as the. But we, that that's specific to school shootings and mass and school shootings on mask. Yes. That is a uniquely American problem. And we do nothing, but that's neither here.
Steve:Oh, that is not a lifetime of happiness.
Stephen:Australia wins over 10 years without a mass shooting and Japan doesn't have. Yes.
Steve:Well, meanwhile with all their research and feel the McAlester house is going to be a golden goose of the neighborhood crowbars up. Kevin sees them getting ready to break in and throws on more lights, causing them to back away. Kevin's hiding from them though when the cops arrive. So they report back that the house is empty and secured.
Stephen:And that was the one moment where the movie would have been over inside a 45 minutes. If Kevin had answered the door when the cops
Steve:were there. Yes. Or if he had gotten caught by the cops the next day, when he is accidentally, basically stealing a toothbrush because he gets scared of old man mark. Oh, Marley Marley. Meanwhile, Harry and Marva robbing a neighbor's house and get a message that the McAlister's are in Paris. So they resumed their plans to break in. Kevin sees them on the way home as they're leaving the crime scene and recognizes them. So he stages the house that night to look like it's active with the, and
Stephen:it's all because of Harry's gold tooth that gave it away because Kevin had seen the cop during the intro and smiled and the gold tooth. And then, you know what? You got to watch out where you're going. Yeah. Sanely don't visit kids at the funeral home little bubble. Yeah, I loved the scene. Again, another song that was introduced to me rocking around the Christmas tree. I love the scene. You know, Michael Jordan stand up is going around on the train. They've got mannequins and dress forms hooked up to move via Kevin with ropes and things. We see how smart he is. But I also wonder why do they have those things? I get the Michael Jordan stand up, but why do they have full on mannequins and dress forms?
Steve:You
Ronnie:don't, you have a few mannequins in dress
Stephen:form. Those are actual dead bodies running. Don't make it creepy.
Steve:As you say, we don't know what Mr. And Mrs. Smith Mickey Alistair got up to in the bedroom. That's
Stephen:true. No kink shaming on our podcast. Now
Steve:that's good. The next day the burglars are monitoring the house and they realized that it is just Kevin. Kevin overhears, their plans to come back that night. Meanwhile, Kate is selling off her jewelry and paying cash to hop flights back in the general direction of home before getting stuck in Scranton Ohio, where she's able to get a ride from a poco group that will drop her off at her home. I
Stephen:love whenever she's talking to the ticketing agent in school. And she goes, I'll do whatever I have to do. Even if I have to sell my soul to the devil himself. And that seems like a precursor to line delivery that she would have in beetle juice. Yeah. Whenever if you don't let me have my art, I will go crazy. And I will take you with me. And John candy has John candy has a wonderfully understated performance in this as the polka king of the Midwest. And he's the only person truly attempting to help Kate get back to her. And it's interesting too, because he's someone that she never ever would have associated with outside of this situation. And it's never, and it's another good example of the movie teaching you not to judge a book by its cover. Similar to this next scene at the church.
Steve:Yes. Cause that night after Kevin asks fake Santa for his family back, he goes to church and has a heart to heart with old man Marley, who talks about his estrangement to his son and the family issues that he's having. And
Stephen:I love when old man Marley comes up and he goes, you know, I know what they say about me, but. You don't need to be scared. And he talks about why he's there to see his granddaughter and that he had a falling out with a son and Kevin convinces him that he needs to reach out to a son. And this is another unlikely friendship that totally works on screen in this movie. And I really enjoy.
Steve:Yes. And this kind of leads right up into the, the standoff between Kevin versus Harry and mark. And I found it funny that in an hour and a half, basically long movie, this is an hour and 15 minutes into it. And like going into, like, when I think back to home alone, like, I, I feel like it's just all about the hi-jinks in the house and the traps. That's just the last time. And I'm like, that is just not even half an hour of it. It just. Fleeting compared to the buildup
Stephen:for it, but we do have the face off. So Kevin goes home and knows that they're going to be there at nine o'clock. So he's got time to set things up and you see him setting it up and then they show up and they decided to come around to the back of the house and he has Buzz's pellet gun. And so he sticks the pellet gun through the dog door. And where's the dog.
Ronnie:Dad, the dog passed away along with Macaulay Culkin. God's grace called them both. My dear,
Stephen:luckily Koch and is not dead, but they have a dog door and no dog. I just want to point that out. Yes.
Steve:I passed
Stephen:away as well. So Macaulay or Kevin shoots hair. Harry and the crotch and then Marv bends over sticks his head through the dog door and Kevin pretty much point blank shoots him right in the head with the pellet gun.
Steve:Yes. Intelligent or not. Those would be serious, serious endure injuries in real life, but they quickly bounce back up. Harry falls on ice out front, meanwhile, Mar falls down the icy basement steps because he made them like slick with ice. Yeah.
Stephen:And, and because it's Chicago and it's super, super cold. And Mar finally gets into the basement. Any thinks he's pulling on the light, but he's actually pulling on the cord of the iron down the clothes shoot. And so the iron drops like 35 feet straight onto his face, which has killing his
Steve:skull and killing him. No,
Stephen:no, that's a different. And and that's your home
Ronnie:video from last night?
Stephen:Hey, we only kill person once a year and it is not yet that time. That's a Christmas Eve activity and you know, it Harry goes right to the front of his house and Kevin puts something on the door. And from the inside and it, he had heated up the doorknobs so that when Harry grabs it, it burns an IM into his hand. Yes.
Steve:Like, and then he goes into toxic shock from the third degree burns and is scarred forever. Nope. That's awesome. Not this movie.
Stephen:I mean, you're right. That these guys should have died for multiple of these things. Mark should, should've probably broken his neck, falling down the IC basement stairs. Yeah, Harry.
Steve:Oh, I'm kind of continuing on with this bit as we go through.
Stephen:So marvs walking up the basement stairs. Kevin had painted with tar and he loses a shoe and a shoe and a sock and a sock. And then he puts a nail through his foot. Yes.
Steve:Very I'm the quiet place. Yes.
Stephen:And then he fall and then Mar falls back down those. And in the same thing Harry just burst through the back door this time, which causes a blow torch to burn off the top of his head
Steve:causing permanent brain damage and are killing him. There's two.
Stephen:And then he burst through, into the dining room where he has saran wrap with a special glue. And then the fan goes off and feathers from a pillow, go all over. So that he looks like a
Steve:chicken. Yes. That one didn't actually hurt him. It was just humiliating. Yes. Marvin cuts his feet on glass ornaments coming through the window, ensuring that he'll never be able to walk again.
Stephen:Yep. And most likely we'll need a technician because those looked like older ornaments and probably had yes.
Steve:Then they both fall on micro machines in the hall.
Stephen:Yep. Which means that they probably have thrown out their back and, or broken or. Yes. And
Steve:then one that we see recreated later in another fat, famous horror movie, a better watch out, they home alone it, which is when Kevin taunts them to come upstairs and then throws two paint cans down at them, which again, would impale their skull and kill
Stephen:them. Or did you, have you ever seen better watch out Ronnie?
Ronnie:No, but I used to like to lick led paint. And I also, and I asked her like that Christmas, maybe Krampus,
Steve:and this is a very good movie. Yes. We should check out our episode. We did last year for a lifetime of Christmas where we went over some of our think we did Krampus. We did better watch out. And we did, I think Charlie brown.
Stephen:Yeah. And, but so in better watch out. They like spoiler alert for anybody that hasn't seen it. I'm not gonna tell you exactly what happens, but it's not a fun, little headache that the characters in better watch out get when a paint can hit
Steve:what happened in real life. And it's awesome.
Stephen:So after all this, the guys almost catch him. But Kevin gets up into the attic because he tosses the tarantula. On them and they both afraid of it. And Kevin uses a homemade zip line, which I'm sure that was sturdy and safe to get out to the tree house.
Steve:Yes. They try and follow him by shaming across and Kevin cuts the line midway through swinging them down. Two stories into a brick wall, instantly killing them. No,
Stephen:but as I was watching it, I was like, if they had just let go, it would have been like a 10 foot fall instead of slamming into a brick wall. Yes. It would have been less painful for them to hit the smell. So Kevin runs off and he's like, you better hurry. I'm going to call the cops. And finally. They actually act like adults. And now think the child, while he's running through a flooded basement, they're like, let's just go through the main house. He comes up the stairs, they catch him in the breakfast nook and they kill.
Steve:No, he saved by Marley and a snow shovel who brings him home just in time for nine 11 to arrive in a rest of the wet bandits that cops know all the houses they had because they leave the water on is their calling card.
Stephen:Whereas remember, we're the wet bandits w.
Steve:E T shut up, mark. And again, I had you pause it to notice that this ends at one hour and 31 minutes. So it was just 17 minutes of the movie. It was all of those trips and boobies
Stephen:traps. Crazy that that's what everyone remembers. And it was 17 minutes of the film. And even though Kevin was involved in there, capture old man Marley gets him home, so that his part and all of it is a secret. So the cops don't even know he was involved. And, but that does mean that he's left home alone again for the remainder of the
Steve:night. Yes. And this works out better than when that happened in chess in last week's black Christmas episode, because he does survive the night after being left alone after his trauma.
Stephen:Well, and after his trauma, he still cleans up the house. All of his traps? Yes. Good on him,
Ronnie:correct? Yeah, except for, except for Buzz's bedroom, but I love it in the beginning. It was like buzz. I'm going through all your things. You better come home. He didn't say it like that.
Steve:You better come out and Pam. Got it. He doesn't
Stephen:say it like that. Kate is beating herself up on the ride home about being a terrible mom. And I give her a credit. Yeah. She forgot her kid, but she has moved heaven and earth to do what she could to get back as fast as possible. She refused to it because in her mind sitting still. Even for a delayed flight or a layover wasn't worth it because that was time. She wasn't actively trying to get home to her child. So I give her credit of working really, really hard to get home. And they do have a heartfelt reunion where he's very quick to forgive. And then lo and behold, 30 seconds after their hug, it shows up
Steve:the rest of the family who was thought smarter, not harder.
Stephen:And we're able to get a direct flight back to Chicago from Paris. Yes.
Steve:And that would have
Ronnie:been better.
Steve:True. Now out the window. Kevin sees Marley reuniting with his estranged son and his granddaughter. And it's and buys goes upstairs to see his room and yells. What did you do to my room? And that's the
Stephen:end? So like we all saw this growing up. What do you guys think? Seeing it as.
Steve:I mean, I just, the one thing that I got as, as you could probably tell with my dark humor about like, I was surprised at, like, I remember them being just like innocent little pranks, that would be like funny T he like, no, not straight up fucking murdering these guys. If they were real, like Kevin would have been going to jail. Well, depending on if he was in to stand his ground state or not, but like he was psychopathic and some of these tortures
Stephen:well, and that's one of my favorite. Internet theories is that Kevin McAllister grew up to be jigsaw saw from the saw
Steve:movies, which pretty much goes on brand with where he was going from here. Yeah.
Stephen:I you're right. About all that, I still love the movie. The movie hinges on whether we're going to like Macaulay Culkin, and I think for. A child of his age, he carries the movie extraordinarily.
Steve:Well, I mean, not only in some of the cute, like not only in some of the bigger action scenes of even like when he would be getting ready in the shower, like in the mirror and he was singing and talking to himself, I mean, he
Stephen:was when he did that.
Steve:Yeah. I mean, he was just like a really cute.
Ronnie:Yeah. He was a very talented kid. The two things that stuck out the most to me were air travel before security and before nine 11, they would have never been able to make that flight. There would never have just gotten onto a plane. Someone looking at the passport without having a Labatt. I mean, every 10 minutes with that damn PCR tests or without, you know, endless security, endless security all the time. No end in sight. And I remember those days and it was so much more pleasant today. You almost dread it. You almost have to dread it and you have to have a stack of paper and you have to have for every country, every stop, every little thing. And the other thing I noticed, you know, that really stuck out to me as well. You know, this is what life was like without cell phones in our hands. People, if they tried to make that maybe today, the kids wouldn't have been running around. They'd all been standing there with poor posture, hunched over with an old dowager hump and staying at their telephones. That's the difference for me? Those are the two big.
Stephen:All right. I can definitely see that. Do you guys have a favorite? We'll call it a trap. Do you have a favorite trap for the
Steve:burglars? I mean, I just, the, the pain can, because we see what, and it's because of better watch out that I would say that's my favorite one. What about you?
Ronnie:I love the, I love the pain can too, but I haven't seen better watch out, but I love just because of his face. When it's coming down through the air. I, my dad loves the watch, slept through. I mean, I think this is, you know, this movie, you can come into a room, it could already be on at any part in the movie and people will sit down and they know it and they're comfortable and that's probably why it's still a success. They can play it over and over again on different networks and people are happy to have a playing all through the holidays.
Stephen:I, I that's my favorite too. But to mention another one, whenever Marv is walking up the basement steps and the nail goes through his foot, you can feel it every time. Yeah. Yeah. Okay. But outside of the trap things, do you guys have a favorite scene in the movie? That's just, it always makes you smile. Like mine would be whenever I love whenever he has the house set up for the fake party and the rocking around the Christmas tree and the stuff like that just makes me smile that he had and all that stuff.
Ronnie:Yes. That's mine as well. That's mine as well. It's fun. He's having fun. He's laughing. It's the party, a fake party, but it's a party. It's fun.
Steve:Any holes.
Ronnie:Hey, if you can't find a hole, find a fold
Stephen:and that our goal for Christmas forever,
Steve:Merry Christmas, everyone.
Stephen:But. We will call it a night, but if we're a morning for morning, depending on where you are in the world. But I would like to say, we'd love to hear what you think of this movie. What your favorite traps are your favorites? Were, and how can they get in touch with
Steve:us, emailing us@happylifepodatgmail.com. But if they also prefer, where are we
Stephen:at? We're on all the socials, whether it is Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or Tik TOK at happy life pod.
Steve:Thank you whores for joining us again. It's always a pleasure. Yeah. Thank you.
Ronnie:I'm happy to be here. Thank you for having me. It's always a treat and
Stephen:we will be having Ronnie. In two weeks time for a princess switch.
Steve:Yes, Ronnie, our little princess and royalty expert. And until next time listeners stay
Stephen:happy.