Our own Frank Dietz recently flew the Damn Dirty Geekjet to Colorado to visit with members of The Revival League Podcast -- Greg Tally, Robb Maynard, Ron McAdams and Jackey Neyman Jones, the actress who survived playing young Debbie in the notorious MST'ed film target MANOS: THE HANDS OF FATE.

The gang starts off disussing the recent Revival League radio play "What About Blob?", a parody of the classic 1950s teen horror film starring our honorary Damn Dirty Geek, Brian Howe, along with Dietz and MST3K alums Trace Beaulieu and Frank Conniff. The Revival League has produced nine audio plays along these lines, including a Shakespearean parody of PLAN 9 FROM OUTER SPACE and a riff on Orson Welles' War of the Worlds broadcast.

DDG listeners have already sampled The Revival League's comedy stylings in our previous Shorts in a Bunch: Back to School episode, also including Dietz, Beaulieu and Conniff.  The Revivalists give listeners previews of fun new plays and shows in their pipeline.

Greg, Rob, Ron and Jackey also share their own "geek origins" stories about growing up on a wide range of influences including Godzilla and Toho films, Monty Python comedy, A Muppet Christmas Carol, and '90s TV horror shows. Jackey also shares a behind-the-scenes story about the making of and premiere of MANOS when she was a child.

Now it's time to meet the Revival League in our latest podcast episode! Get photos and more info about this episode on the Damn Dirty Geeks website.

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT! There are some exciting changes coming to the Damn Dirty Geeks podcast!

We are pleased to announce that the Damn Dirty Geeks podcast is teaming up with the The Revival Leaguepodcast to bring you something a bit different from our usual programming. This collaboration will present comedy radio plays to entertain you between our continued interview and discussion episodes. In the past, The Revival League has presented very clever radio plays such as “Soylent Scrooge” and “The Tragical Histoire of Plan the 9,” a Shakespearean version of PLAN 9 FROM OUTER SPACE. We have plans for the Damn Dirty Geeks to participate in upcoming and future episodes, as performers and writers of new material.

Our first-ever Revival League/Damn Dirty Geeks Cross-Stream Production: “Shorts in a Bunch: Back to School!”
Starring the Revival League regulars (joined by the lovable albeit annoying Kruzunka Wunkas), as well as special guests Frank Conniffand Trace Beaulieu(MST3K’s The Mads), Frank Dietz(Zombie Nightmare/Damn Dirty Geeks) and Carolina Hidalgo(SiriusXM/The Mads Are Back! Podcast), this brand new radio play passes the test when it comes to putting the “ass” back in “class.”

From an awkward blind date with a singing social outcast, to a gorilla that knows exactly when to lend a hand, to the single most spot-on Donald Trump impersonation of all time, “Shorts in a Bunch: Back to School” features a busload of silly skits written and performed by the Revival League Podcast gang!

***Warning! This radio play is rated NSFW, Not Safe For Work. It contains strong language and adult situations. Listener discretion is seriously advised.***

Hey Damn Dirty Geeks fans, look what’s back! It’s a new episode of “Uncle Ira’s Basement!” Frank Dietz, Scott and Trish take a look at the film from which we coined the name of this series. Uncle Ira, played by actor Tom Fadden, is a character in this classic movie who hides an unusual secret in his basement...something that is just waiting for you to fall asleep. Likewise, the DDG reveal these mini-episodes from our own basement archives to invade your own ears and minds.

Don Siegal’s 1956 masterpiece INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS is one of the best sci-fi thrillers of that decade. Alien seedpods have arrived on Earth and are taking over the minds and bodies of our loved ones while they sleep. Right off the bat, the Geeks discuss how the film has often been cited as a metaphor for the era’s Cold War fears of a communist takeover and its accompanying escalation of paranoia and distrust. We extend this analysis to include other 1950s classics with similar topic including THE BLOB (1958) and INVADERS FROM MARS (1953).

The Geeks then celebrate the multiple elements that keep INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS elevated above the rest, including Daniel Mainwaring's dynamic script, the taut story pacing and the conviction of the actors. It’s no wonder INVASION has been remade multiple times over the years, with varying degrees of success.

Note: as this is one of Damn Dirty Geeks' earliest podcast episodes retreived from our archives, its recording levels are not up to our standards of clarity and mixing. But you'll still enjoy the discussion of this great film as a vintage treat from the DDG.

The Damn Dirty Geeks recently enjoyed a podcasting evening of laughs and great stories with actor and friend of the show, Tom Everett Scott. Tom's stories of his career starring in an impressive range of horror, comedy, drama and musical projects made for one of DDG's favorite shows.

We open with a discussion about Tom's work in THAT THING YOU DO! and how writer/director/co-star Tom Hanks almost didn't cast Scott in the film because he looked too much like Hanks. Tom also details fascinating moments working with Hanks early in his feature directing career and advice he gave for Scott's first starring film role for which he learned to play the drums.

Fans will also recognize Tom Everett Scott from his lycanthropic turmoil in AN AMERICAN WEREWOLF IN PARIS, the 1997 sequel to John Landis' AN AMERICAN WEREWOLF IN LONDON and co-starring Julie Delpy. This lighter-tone story showed off Tom's comedic skills again, and how he actually spent little time in heavy makeup as most of the werewolf creature effects were achieved by (disappointing) CG. Also, listen to Tom's behind-the-scenes stories of how the connection from AAWIP to AAWIL were intended to tie the films closer together, but were eventually blurred which hindered the film's stand alone value. Accordingly, a brief debate about what makes a werewolf movie ensued.

Tom's acting adventures continue with tales of working with Meryl Streep in ONE TRUE THING, his return to horror in the SYFY series Z NATION (prompting a slow Romero zombie vs. fast zombie debate), another musical venture in LA LA LAND, and a bit of a preview of Tom's role in the upcoming comedy I HATE KIDS, co-written by DDG's own Frank Dietz.

Check out our photo gallery of Tom Everett Scott's work and show notes for this episode at our website DamnDirtyGeeks.com a few days after this release.

Join the Damn Dirty Geeks and our special guest DEBORAH BAKER, JR. as we more fantastic behind the scenes stories of making Dana Gould’s horror comedy series STAN AGAINST EVIL, as she wrapped her second season playing Denise Miller and now about to begin Season 3 of the show.

Deborah continues our winning streak with guests from the STAN AGAINST EVIL cast, including creator Dana Gould and co-star Janet Varney. She immediately got us in the mood with stories of her haunted house tales from location shooting in Georgia, related to her own poltergeist experiences from childhood — a surprise turn in our conversation for sure! Just as scary is the show’s rapid shooting schedule, which demands block shooting of all scenes at one location across multiple episode scripts. We delve into Deborah’s character relationships with Varney, Nate Mooney, John C. McGinley, and how Denise often speaks in Gould’s own comedic voice as a spokes-character.

Much of our discussion centers on comedy, which leads us into a great talk about Deborah’s multiple appearances in Dana Gould’s live stage readings of Ed Wood’s PLAN 9 FROM OUTER SPACE script. A perfect project to suit Deborah’s sketch comedy acting background, PLAN 9 LIVE turns the cult classic film on its ear with a stellar cast including Jonah Ray, Janet Varney, Baker plus many special guest stars depending on the timing and location, including Laraine Newman and Paul F. Tompkins on the most recent performance. The more seriously and literally the cast performs the script, the funnier PLAN 9 gets. Be sure to check out the Largo at the Coronet website for upcoming shows if PLAN 9 LIVE returns.

Check out our photo gallery of Deborah Baker Jr.'s work and show notes for this episode at our website DamnDirtyGeeks.com a few days after this release.

Join the Damn Dirty Geeks at our live podcast recording from the Arena Cinelounge as we celebrated the 50th Anniversary of the original PLANET OF THE APES, with our special guest from the film, LOU WAGNER.

Lou joins our list of APES actors on our podcast including Bobby Porter and H.M Wynant. Though Lou is our first veteran from the original film, having co-starred with Charlton Heston and Roddy McDowall, which was a special treat for the DDG and our live audience in attendance for the screening.

We talk with Lou about his preparation for playing the rebellious teen chimpanzee as the then-modern voice in the 1968 film, and how what might have been a 60s-dated aspect to the story has now come full circle in relevance, mirroring today's headlines of a new youth movement influencing society and politics. Lou shares several little-known stories from filming PLANET OF THE APES, including a great tale about how Heston looked after his ape costars on location.

Also joining the 50th Anniversary celebration was William Conlin, director of the upcoming documentary Making Apes:The Artists Who Changed Film, himself a lifelong fan of the APES films like us. Conlin's film celebrates the brilliant makeup artists and technicians who made the APES films possible and how they changed modern cinema in the 20th century. As part of this documentary, Lou agreed to have makeup artists update Lou's character Lucious as aged 50 years since his original appearance. Jump the link above to learn more about Conlin's film currently in production and seeking support to finish the doc.

Listen to this ape-stravaganza and much more in our live podcast marking 50 years of the APES film franchise and counting!  Be sure to visit our website DamnDirtyGeeks.com in a couple days for our photo gallery and show notes from this special event!

The Damn Dirty Geeks return to the realm of the Living Dead with our latest special guest, Patricia Tallman, known for her acting and stuntwork in KNIGHTRIDERS, NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD (1990), STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION, BABYLON 5 and much more.

Pat's first film was George Romero's KNIGHTRIDERS in 1981, which began a lengthy collaborative relationship with Romero and his fellow filmmakers. She was first directed by Tom Savini in the "Family Reunion" episode of TALES FROM THE DARKSIDE in 1988, then directed by Romero again in MONKEY SHINES the same year.

Then Pat killed it in Savini's 1990 remake of NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD, scripted by Romero, by turning Barbara into an empowered heroine fighting to survive an apocalypse of the undead. Redefining Barbara's character helped the NIGHT remake earn its own place in horror cinema, adapting to its time and keeping this franchise vibrant decades after Romero birthed it. Tallman turning audience expectation on its ear in a remake certainly increased the impact and success of NIGHT, as she joined the ranks of powerful, intelligent heroines that transformed genre filmmaking in the late 1980s and early '90s.

Listen to our great discussion with Pat about her career as actress and stuntwoman, plus her recent projects. Visit our website www.damndirtygeeks.com for full episode notes and photo gallery.