They All Laughed (1981) w/ Drusilla Adeline
They all laughed… and so did we! We also cried, just a bit. This week, we finally hit a new decade for Bogdanovich as we explore his 1981 misunderstood masterpiece, They All Laughed. And to do this we’re joined by graphic designer, poster artist, and co-host of the arthouse horror podcast Bloodhaus, Drusilla Adeline! The film stars a stacked cast of both Old and New Hollywood: John Ritter, Colleen Camp, Dorothy Stratten, Audrey Hepburn, and the Saint of Singapore himself Ben Gazarra. Affairs, private detectives, roller skating, and even more Peter self-inserts abound. What can we say? We all really adored this movie.
We also discuss Peter playing pinball and eating at the buffet at the Playboy Mansion, Dan Akroyd’s cannibal directorial debut Nothing But Trouble, introducing a loved one to Twin Peaks, how so many people failed Dorothy Stratten, our continued reverence for Robby Müller’s cinematography, and envisioning Peter Bogdanovich discussing ethical non-monogamy.
Further “Reading”
* By Bogdanovich (2011) [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=16cNmd1mAs0]
* One Day Since Yesterday: Peter Bogdanovich & the Lost American Film (2014) [https://tubitv.com/movies/100026930/one-day-since-yesterday?start=true&tracking=google-feed&utm_source=google-feed]
* Picture Shows: The Life and Films of Peter Bogdanovich by Andrew Yule
* Picturing Peter Bogdanovich by Peter Tonguette
* The Killing of the Unicorn by Peter Bogdanovich
* They All Laughed DVD Release [https://www.blu-ray.com/dvd/They-All-Laughed-DVD/11530/]
* If you, for whatever reason, are wondering what Tarantino put on his 2002 Sight and Sound list [https://web.archive.org/web/20020818024131/http://www.bfi.org.uk/sightandsound/topten/poll/voter.php?forename=Quentin&surname=Tarantino]
* Bogdanovich talking about Dorothy Stratten [https://www.youtube.com/shorts/al9w5CU1Ao0]
* Vincent Canby’s review for the NYT; November 20, 1981 [https://www.nytimes.com/1981/11/20/movies/they-all-laughed.html]
* LA Times article about Bogdanovich having to declare bankruptcy due to self-distributing They All Laughed [https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1985-12-19-ca-30586-story.html]
* Dorothy Stratten on Johnny Carson; April 16, 1980 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SahoSvAAbH4]
* WKRP in Cincinnati S04E10 Love, Exciting and New (Colleen Camp promoting They All Laughed appearance) [https://youtu.be/3miaksu7x5Y]
* San Diego news report on the festival premiere of They All Laughed [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jPyp_KAalEY]
* Bobbie Wygant interviews Peter Bogdanovich for They All Laughed [https://youtu.be/o28HJCoizDw]
* Q&A with Peter Bogdanovich & Alex Ross Perry for They All Laughed [http://www.sheilaomalley.com/?p=58449] (September 21, 2012)
* “Slippery as the Dickens: Peter Bogdanovich on “They All Laughed’”by Peter Sobczynski [https://www.rogerebert.com/interviews/slippery-as-the-dickens-peter-bogdanovich-on-they-all-laughed] for RogerEbert.com (October 13, 2016)
* "Peter Bogdanovich’s Dying Wish Was for His Lost Classic ‘They All Laughed’ to Finally Be Seen" by Harrison Richlin [https://www.indiewire.com/features/interviews/peter-bogdanovich-they-all-laughed-streaming-1235049834/] for IndieWire (September 24, 2024)
* You Must Remember This - “Dead Blondes, Episode 13: Dorothy Stratten" [https://www.youmustrememberthispodcast.com/episodes/2017/4/20/dorothy-stratten-dead-blondes-episode-13] (April 25, 2017)
* You Must Remember This - “Polly Platt, The Invisible Woman, Episode 6: Pretty Baby and a Playmate Murder” [https://www.youmustrememberthispodcast.com/episodes/2020/6/23/pretty-baby-and-a-playmate-murder-polly-platt-the-invisible-woman-episode-6] (June 29, 2020)
* The Plot Thickens “I’m Still Peter Bogdanovich - Episode 6: Dorothy” [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qvQ5OcdXJ_Y] (May 26, 2020)
* Wes Anderson interviews Peter Bogdanovich about They All Laughed (Pt. 1 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MQPzzNhqGCo], Pt. 2 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OnPJxu2TgW8], Pt. 3 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a55Tk0Jj6lE&t=7s])
THE BOGDANOVICH ARCHIVE [https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/12bZVUeK3-vyWcgN-_TMag0G5JSWmsBjxim28db0jROM/edit?usp=sharing]
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