36. Mary Poppins

In this practically perfect episode of Adapt or Perish, we discuss P.L. Travers’ Mary Poppins!

For this episode, we read and watched:

• P.L. Travers’ original novel, published in 1934, the first in the Mary Poppins series which ran until 1988. Read it on iBooks or Amazon.
• Walt Disney’s Mary Poppins, 1964, directed by Robert Stevenson, written by Bill Walsh and Don DaGradi, with music by Richard and Robert Sherman. Starring Julie Andrews, Dick Van Dyke, and David Tomlinson. Watch it on iTunes or Amazon.
• Saving Mr. Banks, 2013, directed by John Lee Hancock, written by Kelly Marcel and Sue Smith, and starring Emma Thompson as P.L. Travers and Tom Hanks as Walt Disney. Watch it on iTunes or Amazon.
• Mary Poppins Returns, 2018, directed by Rob Marshall, written by David Magee, music by Marc Shaiman, and starring Emily Blunt, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Ben Whishaw, and Emily Mortimer. Pre-order it on iTunes and Amazon.

Footnotes:

• Mr. Snuffleupagus and “The Child Psychology of Sesame Street”
• Our own episode on A Wrinkle in Time
• Also, our very own episode on Roald Dahl and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
• Mr. Rogers reads the lyrics to “What Do You Do With The Mad That You Feel?” for the United States Senate Subcommittee on Communications in 1969
• The Pleiades and Neil Gaiman’s Stardust
• Bedknobs and Broomsticks
• “Dick Van Dyke: ‘Someone should have told me to work on my cockney accent’” from The Guardian
• Dick Van Dyke’s 90th Birthday Flash Mob + Sing-A-Long
• Marni Nixon (not to be confused with Marti Noxon)

You can follow Adapt or Perish on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook, and you can find us and all of our show notes online at adaptorperishcast.com.

If you want to send us a question or comment, you can email us at adaptorperishcast@gmail.com or tweet using #adaptcast.

35. Airplane!

In this episode of Adapt or Perish, we discuss Airplane!

You can also hear us on the Sherlock Holmes-themed podcast I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere to discuss our own Sherlock Holmes episodes. We appeared on Episode 160: “Adapting Sherlock Holmes,” and we hope you give their show a listen!

For this episode, we watched and discussed:

• Airplane!, the 1980 spoof, written and directed by Jim Abrahams, David Zucker, and Jerry Zucker, and starring Robert Hays, Julie Hagerty, Leslie Nielsen, Peter Graves, Lloyd Bridges, and Robert Stack. Watch it on iTunes and Amazon.
• Zero Hour!, 1957, directed by Hall Bartlett, written by Arthur Hailey, and starring Dana Andrews, Linda Darnell, and Sterling Hayden. Watch it on iTunes.
• Airport 1975, 1974, directed by Jack Smight, written by Don Ingalls, and starring Karen Black, Charlton Heston, and George Kennedy. Watch it on iTunes and Amazon.

Footnotes:

• AFI’s 100 Years…100 Laughs
• The Airport movie series: Airport, Airport 1975, Airport ’77, and The Concorde…Airport ’79
• Mel Brooks’ The Producers (1967)
• Billy Wilder’s The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes (1970)
• The Kentucky Fried Movie (and Robot Chicken)
• The combined filmography of Zucker, Abrahams, and Zucker
• Leslie Nielsen’s screen test for Ben-Hur
• Side-by-side comparison: Zero Hour! (1957) Vs Airplane! (1980)
• CDC: Say No to Raw Dough!
• The Taking of Pelham One Two Three (1974)
• Helen Reddy, and our episode on Pete’s Dragon

You can follow Adapt or Perish on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook, and you can find us and all of our show notes online at adaptorperishcast.com.

If you want to send us a question or comment, you can email us at adaptorperishcast@gmail.com or tweet using #adaptcast.

So there.

34. Romeo and Juliet

In this episode of Adapt or Perish, we discuss William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet!

For this episode, we watched and discussed:

• Romeo and Juliet (1936), directed by George Cukor, and starring Leslie Howard and Norma Shearer, with John Barrymore and Basil Rathbone. Watch on iTunes.
• Romeo and Juliet (1968), directed by Franco Zeffirelli, and starring Leonard Whiting and Olivia Hussey, with Michael York and Robert Stephens. Watch on iTunes and Amazon.
• BBC Television Shakespeare: Romeo & Juliet (1978), the first episode of BBC Television Shakespeare, which ran from 1978 to 1985, and attempted to film and televise the complete works of Shakespeare. This episode was directed by Alvin Rakoff, and starred Patrick Ryecart and Rebecca Saire, with Alan Rickman and John Gielgud.
• Romeo + Juliet (1996), directed by Baz Luhrmann, and starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes, with John Leguizamo and Pete Postlethwaite. Watch on iTunes and Amazon.
• Romeo & Juliet (2013), directed by Carlo Carlei, adapted by Julian Fellowes, starring Douglas Booth and Hailee Steinfeld, with Stellan Skarsgård and Paul Giamatti. Watch on iTunes and Amazon.

Footnotes:

• The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged), written by Adam Long, Daniel Singer, and Jess Winfield. Watch it on Amazon. Seriously, watch it.
• Reynard the Fox
• Our episodes on The Princess Bride and Sherlock Holmes
• ADR or automated dialogue replacement

You can follow Adapt or Perish on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook, and you can find us online at adaptorperishcast.com.

If you want to send us a question or comment, you can email us at adaptorperishcast@gmail.com or tweet using #adaptcast.

33. The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe

In this episode of Adapt or Perish, we discuss C.S. Lewis’ The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe!

For this episode, we read and watched:

• C.S. Lewis’ original novel, part two of The Chronicles of Narnia. Read on iBooks or Amazon.
• The 1979 animated TV movie, directed by Bill Melendez.
• The 1988 BBC series, produced as part of a larger Chronicles of Narnia series, also including Prince Caspian, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, and The Silver Chair.
• The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, the 2005 feature film, written and directed by Andrew Adamson, and starring William Moseley, Anna Popplewell, Skandar Keynes, Georgie Henley, Tilda Swinton, James McAvoy, Jim Broadbent, and Liam Neeson. Watch on iTunes or Amazon.

Footnotes:

• Here’s a bunch of kids killing it in a performance of “Murder Today” from the musical Narnia.
• Bedknobs and Broomsticks
• Bill Melendez’s television work on Peanuts, including A Charlie Brown Christmas.

You can follow Adapt or Perish on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook, and you can find us online at adaptorperishcast.com.

If you want to send us a question or comment, you can email us at adaptorperishcast@gmail.com or tweet using #adaptcast.

32. The Hunt for Red October

In this episode of Adapt or Perish, we discuss Tom Clancy’s The Hunt for Red October! Merry Christmas, everyone!

For this episode, we read and watched:

• Tom Clancy’s original novel, first published in 1984. Read on iBooks and Amazon.
• The 1990 theatrical adaptation, directed by John McTiernan, written by Larry Ferguson, and starring Sean Connery, Alec Baldwin, James Earl Jones, Scott Glenn, Sam Neill, and Courtney B. Vance. Watch on iTunes and Amazon.

Footnotes:

• The Naval Institute Press
• Judgment at Nuremberg
• The many faces of Jack Ryan
• Senator Fred Dalton Thompson of Tennessee (and Law & Order)
• John McTiernan’s relationship with the law
• Ghost Recon Wildlands: The Red Dot trailer, directed by John McTiernan
• Jeffrey Jones’ legal troubles

You can follow Adapt or Perish on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook, and you can find us online at adaptorperishcast.com.

If you want to send us a question or comment, you can email us at adaptorperishcast@gmail.com or tweet using #adaptcast.

31. Where the Wild Things Are & Fantastic Mr. Fox

In this episode of Adapt or Perish, we discuss Maurice Sendak’s Where the Wild Things Are and Roald Dahl’s Fantastic Mr. Fox!

For this episode, we read and watched:

• Maurice Sendak’s original picture book, first published in 1963. Buy on Amazon.
• Spike Jonze’s 2009 live-action feature adaptation. Written by Jonze and Dave Eggers, and starring Max Records, Catherine Keener, Lauren Ambrose, Chris Cooper, James Gandolfini, Catherine O’Hara, and Forest Whitaker. Watch on iTunes or Amazon.
• Roald Dahl’s original book, first published in 1970. Read on Amazon or iBooks.
• Wes Anderson’s 2009 stop-motion feature adaptation. Written by Anderson and Noah Baumbach, and starring George Clooney, Meryl Streep, Jason Schwartzman, Bill Murray, and Michael Gambon. Watch on iTunes or Amazon.

Footnotes:

• Adapt or Perish Episode 22: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
• The first trailer for Where the Wild Things Are
• Oskar and the Eight Blessings, written by Richard Simon and Tanya Simon, illustrated by Mark Siegel.
• Glen Keane Live Animates The Little Mermaid's Ariel
• Where The Wild Things Are - Early DISNEY CG Animation Test
• “Vern's WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE review 'monsterpiece’!!!!”
• A look at the recording of the dialogue in Where the Wild Things Are and Fantastic Mr. Fox
• Yes, Roald Dahl was a bigot.

You can follow Adapt or Perish on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook, and you can find us online at adaptorperishcast.com.

If you want to send us a question or comment, you can email us at adaptorperishcast@gmail.com or tweet using #adaptcast.

30. Sherlock Holmes

In this episode of Adapt or Perish, we discuss Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes! This is the second of three episodes that we’re releasing on the character. We covered The Hound of the Baskervilles here.

For this episode, we watched 15 different actors portray the world’s greatest detective. Here they are in chronological order, with the piece or pieces that we watched:

• Arthur Wontner. He played Holmes in five movies between 1931 and 1937. We watched him in The Sleeping Cardinal (or Sherlock Holmes’ Fatal Hour (1931).
• Basil Rathbone. He starred as Holmes in 14 movies between 1939 and 1946. We watched him in The Hound of the Baskervilles (1939) and The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (1939).
• Peter Cushing. He starred in movies and television as Holmes from 1959 to 1984. We watched him in The Hound of the Baskervilles (1959) and multiple episodes of Sherlock Holmes (1968).
• John Neville. He played Holmes once in A Study in Terror (1965), going up against Jack the Ripper.
• Robert Stephens. He starred in Billy Wilder’s The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes (1970).
• Nicol Williamson. He played Holmes in the film adaptation of Nicholas Meyer’s The Seven-Per-Cent Solution (1976), with Robert Duvall as Watson and Alan Arkin as Sigmund Freud.
• Christopher Plummer. He played Holmes in Murder by Decree (1979) alongside James Mason as Watson. This was a Jack the Ripper story, too.
• Tom Baker. He played Holmes in the serialized BBC production of The Hound of the Baskervilles (1982).
• Ian Richardson. He played Holmes in two TV movies, both in 1983: The Sign of Four and The Hound of the Baskervilles.
• Peter O’Toole. He provided the voice for Holmes in three animated movies in 1983. We watched Sherlock Holmes and a Study in Scarlet.
• Jeremy Brett. He played the character in 41 episodes of Sherlock Holmes for Granada Television between 1984 and 1994. This show has been watched multiple times by our hosts.
• Charlton Heston. He played Holmes on stage (1980) and TV (1991) in The Crucifer of Blood.
• James D’Arcy. He played Holmes once in the TV movie Sherlock: Case of Evil in 2002.
• Rupert Everett. He starred as Holmes in the BBC One TV movie Sherlock Holmes and the Case of the Silk Stocking in 2004.
• Robert Downey Jr. He starred with Jude Law as Watson in both Sherlock Holmes (2009) and its sequel, Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows (2011).

You can follow Adapt or Perish on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook, and you can find us online at adaptorperishcast.com.

If you want to send us a question or comment, you can email us at adaptorperishcast@gmail.com or tweet using #adaptcast.

29. Pete's Dragon

In this episode of Adapt or Perish, we discuss Disney’s Pete’s Dragon!

For this episode, we watched and discussed:

• The original 1977 movie musical, directed by Don Chaffey, written by Malcolm Marmorstein, and starring Helen Reddy, Jim Dale, Mickey Rooney, Red Buttons, and Shelley Winters. Watch on iTunes or Amazon.
• The 2016 remake, written and directed by David Lowery, starring Bryce Dallas Howard, Robert Redford, Karl Urban, Wes Bentley, Oona Laurence, and Oakes Fegley. Watch on iTunes or Amazon.

Footnotes:

• The Passamaquoddy
• World record-holder Jim Dale
• “From My Own True Love (Lost At Sea)” by The Decemberists
• The Disney remake craze, including Cinderella, Beauty and the Beast, The Jungle Book, The Lion King, and Aladdin
• The post-Disney career of Don Bluth
• The films of David Lowery: Ain’t Them Bodies Saints, A Ghost Story, and The Old Man & the Gun
• Okkervil River

You can follow Adapt or Perish on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook, and you can find us online at adaptorperishcast.com.

If you want to send us a question or comment, you can email us at adaptorperishcast@gmail.com or tweet using #adaptcast.

One Year Spectacular: Top 10 Adaptations

In our One Year Spectacular, we created four Top 10 lists. Best cast roles, worst choices, best moments, and Top 10 adaptations of the past year of Adapt or Perish. Here’s the last in a series of posts detailing each list.

First, our nominees. Click each to go to that episode!

• Anne with an E
• Jurassic Park
• Pride & Prejudice (1995)
• The Muppet Christmas Carol
• A Christmas Carol (1999)
• Little Women (1994)
• Fun Home
• The Handmaid’s Tale (2017–)
• Children of Men
• The Godfather
• The Godfather: The Game
• The Hound of the Baskervilles (1959)
• The Hound of the Baskervilles (1988)
• The Princess Bride
• Carol
• The Producers (2001)
• Jaws
• The Birdcage
• Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory
• A Perfect Murder
• The Little Prince (2015)
• A Wrinkle in Time (2018)

And here are our Top 10 adaptations from our first year!

1. Pride & Prejudice (1995)
2. The Little Prince (2015)
3. The Princess Bride
4. Little Women (1994)
5. A Wrinkle in Time (2018)
6. Jurassic Park
7. Anne with an E
8. The Birdcage
9. The Godfather: The Game
10. The Muppet Christmas Carol

One Year Spectacular: Top 10 Moments

In our One Year Spectacular, we created four Top 10 lists. Best cast roles, worst choices, best moments, and Top 10 adaptations of the past year of Adapt or Perish. Here’s the third in a series of posts detailing each list.

First, our nominees. Click each to go to that episode! ( As much as possible, I tried to link to a clip of each moment.)

• “She’s my daughter!” Anne with an E
• “You must allow me to tell you how ardently I admire and love you.” Pride & Prejudice (1995)
• “I must stand on my head!” A Christmas Carol (1951)
• “We’re Marley & Marley, our hearts are painted black!” The Muppet Christmas Carol
• “Not empty now.” Little Women (1994)
• Ring of Keys, Fun Home
• “Fuck.” The Handmaid’s Tale (2017–)
• “As you value your life or your reason keep away from the moor.” The Hound of the Baskervilles (1998)
• “I want a word with the maid!” Murder on the Orient Express (1974)
• “I am of an age where I know what I like and what I do not like…” Murder on the Orient Express (2017)
• “Who do you have to fuck to get a break in this town?!” The Producers (2001)
• “OH FUCK, THERE’S A SHARK.” Jaws
• The USS Indianapolis & Show Me The Way To Go Home. Jaws
• “No, no, I won’t hold you responsible.” Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory
• “Downtown?” The Little Prince (2015)
• “‘Tomorrow, there’ll be more of us.’ - Miranda, American.” A Wrinkle in Time (2018)
• Meg starts the tesser. A Wrinkle in Time (2018)
• “This is what she wanted.” “What, to be dead?!” Fried Green Tomatoes

And here’s the final list!

1. “‘Tomorrow, there’ll be more of us.’ - Miranda, American.” A Wrinkle in Time (2018)
2. Ring of Keys, Fun Home
3. “As you value your life or your reason keep away from the moor.” The Hound of the Baskervilles (1998)
4. “I am of an age where I know what I like and what I do not like…” Murder on the Orient Express (2017)
5. “OH FUCK, THERE’S A SHARK.” Jaws
6. “She’s my daughter!” Anne with an E
7. “You must allow me to tell you how ardently I admire and love you.” Pride & Prejudice (1995)
8. “I want a word with the maid!” Murder on the Orient Express (1974)
9. “Fuck.” The Handmaid’s Tale (2017–)
10. “This is what she wanted.” “What, to be dead?!” Fried Green Tomatoes

One Year Spectacular: Bottom 10 Choices

In our One Year Spectacular, we created four Top 10 lists. Best cast roles, worst choices, best moments, and Top 10 adaptations of the past year of Adapt or Perish. Here’s the second in a series of posts detailing each list.

First, our nominees. Click each to go to that episode!

• Anne’s blue dress, Anne of Green Gables (1985)
• Pigs in the house (and the overall ignorance of proper etiquette), Pride & Prejudice (2005)
• Making The Hobbit into three movies, The Hobbit Trilogy (2012–2014)
• Dwarf Boyfriend and Elf Girlfriend, The Hobbit Trilogy (2012–2014)
• Casting primarily American actors in The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (2005)
• The incredible shrinking Scrooge, Disney’s A Christmas Carol
• Casting Jim Carrey as everyone, Disney’s A Christmas Carol
• Casting adults as children in the 1933 and 1949 Little Women
• Removing the narration, The Handmaid’s Tale (1990)
• ”Action June” stabs the commander, The Handmaid’s Tale (1990)
• Making Dr. Watson a buffoon, The Hound of the Baskervilles (1939)
• Updating the story to modern day, Murder on the Orient Express (2001)
• Turning all of the children into teenagers, The Giver
• Failing to turn The Producers BACK into a movie, The Producers (2005)
• Shooting Betrayed poorly, The Producers (2005)
• The lack of dialogue in The Joy Luck Club
• Giving Willy Wonka a backstory (and casting Johnny Depp), Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
• Making the children monsters, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
• Tom and Jerry: Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. The whole thing.
• The subtle pedophilia of The Little Prince (1974)
• Fried Green Tomatoes. Too white/not black enough. Too straight/not gay enough.

And here’s how our final list shook out after the draft:

1. The subtle pedophilia of The Little Prince (1974)
2. Making The Hobbit into three movies, The Hobbit Trilogy (2012–2014)
3. Casting adults as children in the 1933 and 1949 Little Women
4. Failing to turn The Producers BACK into a movie, The Producers (2005)
5. The lack of dialogue in The Joy Luck Club
6. Giving Willy Wonka a backstory (and casting Johnny Depp), Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
7. Pigs in the house (and the overall ignorance of proper etiquette), Pride & Prejudice (2005)
8. Dwarf Boyfriend and Elf Girlfriend, The Hobbit Trilogy (2012–2014)
9. Anne’s blue dress, Anne of Green Gables (1985)
10. Making Dr. Watson a buffoon, The Hound of the Baskervilles (1939)

Just…questionable choices, all around.

28. Frankenstein

Happy Halloween! In this very special, spooky episode of Adapt or Perish, we discuss Frankenstein: or, The Modern Prometheus!

For this episode, we read, watched, and discussed:

• Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley’s original 1818 novel, celebrating it’s 200th anniversary this year! Read it on iBooks or Amazon.
• Frankenstein, 1931, directed by James Whale, starring Colin Clive as Henry Frankenstein and Boris Karloff as the monster. Watch it on iTunes or Amazon.
• The Bride of Frankenstein, 1935, directed by Whale, starring Clive and Karloff as Frankenstein and the monster, with Elsa Lanchester as both Mary Shelley and the titular bride. Watch it on iTunes or Amazon.
• The Curse of Frankenstein, 1957, the Hammer Film Production, directed by Terence Fisher, starring Peter Cushing as Victor Frankenstein and Christopher Lee as the monster. Watch it on iTunes or Amazon.
• Frankenstein: The True Story, the 1973 made for television movie, directed by Jack Smight, and written by Christopher Isherwood and Don Bachardy. It starred Leonard Whiting as Frankenstein, Michael Sarrazin as the monster, James Mason as Dr. Polidori, and Jane Seymour as “Prima.” Don’t watch it on Amazon.
• Victor Frankenstein, 2015, directed by Paul McGuigan and written by Max Landis. It stars James McAvoy as Frankenstein and Daniel Radcliffe as Igor. Watch on iTunes or Amazon.
• Young Frankenstein, 1974, directed by Mel Brooks and written by Brooks and Gene Wilder. Starring Gene Wilder as Frederick Frankenstein and Peter Boyle as the monster. Also starring Marty Feldman, Teri Garr, Madeline Kahn, Cloris Leachman, Kenneth Mars, and Gene Hackman. Watch it on Amazon.
• Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, 1994, directed by Kenneth Branagh and written by Steph Lady and Frank Darabont. Starring Branagh as Frankenstein, Robert De Niro as the monster, and also starring John Cleese, Tom Hulce, Ian Holm, and Helena Bonham Carter. Watch on iTunes or Amazon.

Footnotes:

• Illustrator Bernie Wrightson’s Frankenstein, originally published in 1983. Buy it on Amazon.
• An epistolary novel, a novel “written as a series of documents.”
• Gods and Monsters, starring Ian McKellen as James Whale.
• You think I’m an idiot, don’t you?: Frederick Kerr in “Frankenstein”
• Son of Frankenstein, 1939, starring Basil Rathbone as the younger Frankenstein, Karloff as the monster, and Bela Lugosi as “Ygor.”
• The “Universal Classic Monsters,” including Dracula, Frankenstein, The Wolf Man, The Invisible Man, and The Mummy.
• Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein
• Max Landis, of Chronicle, American Ultra, Bright, and Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency.

You can follow Adapt or Perish on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook, and you can find us online at adaptorperishcast.com.

If you want to send us a question or comment, you can email us at adaptorperishcast@gmail.com or tweet using #adaptcast.

One Year Spectacular: Top 10 Cast

In our One Year Spectacular, we created four Top 10 lists. Best cast roles, worst choices, best moments, and Top 10 adaptations of the past year of Adapt or Perish. Here’s the first in a series of posts detailing each list.

We mentioned that we came up with a list of nominees that we both chose from for our draft. Some were individual actors, some were pairings, and some were groups. Here’s that complete list. Each will bring you to that episode!

• Amybeth McNulty as Anne Shirley, Anne with an E
• Geraldine James and R.H. Thompson as Marilla and Matthew Cuthbert, Anne with an E
• Jeff Goldblum as Ian Malcolm, Jurassic Park
• Wayne Knight as Dennis Nedry, Jurassic Park
• Jennifer Ehle as Elizabeth Bennet, Pride & Prejudice (1995)
• Colin Firth as Mr. Darcy, Pride & Prejudice (1995)
• Stephen Fry as The Book, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (2005)
• Alistair Sim as Ebenezer Scrooge, A Christmas Carol (1951)
• Michael Caine as Ebenezer Scrooge, The Muppet Christmas Carol
• Patrick Stewart as Ebenezer Scrooge, A Christmas Carol (1999)
• Trini Alvarado, Winona Ryder, Claire Danes, Kirsten Dunst, and Samantha Mathis as the little women in Little Women (1994)
• Susan Sarandon as Marmee, Little Women (1994)
• Elizabeth Moss as June, The Handmaid’s Tale (2017–)
• Samira Wiley as Moira, The Handmaid’s Tale (2017–)
• Marlon Brando as Vito Corleone, The Godfather
• Peter Cushing as Sherlock Holmes, The Hound of the Baskervilles (1959)
• Jeremy Brett as Sherlock Holmes, The Hound of the Baskervilles (1988)
• The entire cast of The Princess Bride
• Ingrid Bergman as Greta, Murder on the Orient Express (1974)
• David Suchet as Hercule Poirot, Murder on the Orient Express (2010)
• Kenneth Branagh as Hercule Poirot, Murder on the Orient Express (2017)
• Cate Blanchett as Carol, Carol
• Nathan Lane as Max Bialystock, The Producers (2001 & 2005)
• Will Ferrell as Franz Liebkind, The Producers (2005)
• All the baby actors in The Joy Luck Club
• Roy Schneider as Brody, Jaws
• Richard Dreyfuss as Hooper, Jaws
• Robert Shaw as Quint, Jaws
• Bruce the Shark, Jaws
• Robin Williams and Nathan Lane as Armand and Albert, The Birdcage
• Gene Wilder as Willy Wonka, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory
• Jeff Bridges as the aviator, The Little Prince (2015)
• Mindy Kaling as Mrs. Who, A Wrinkle in Time (2018)

Here’s how our Top 10 Cast came together:

1. Jeremy Brett as Sherlock Holmes in The Hound of the Baskervilles (1988)
2. Robin Williams and Nathan Lane as Armand and Albert in The Birdcage
3. Colin Firth as Mr. Darcy in Pride & Prejudice (1995)
4. Trini Alvarado, Winona Ryder, Claire Danes, Kirsten Dunst, and Samantha Mathis as the little women in Little Women (1994)
5. The cast of The Princess Bride
6. Amybeth McNulty as Anne Shirley in Anne with an E
7. Stephen Fry as The Book in The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (2005)
8. Ingrid Bergman as Greta in Murder on the Orient Express (1974)
9. Elisabeth Moss as June in The Handmaid’s Tale (2017)
10. Bruce the Shark in Jaws

I still can’t believe that Bruce the Shark made his way onto the list. Michael Caine and Patrick Stewart didn’t make it to the list.

27. One Year Spectacular!

In this episode, we look back on one year of Adapt or Perish in our One Year Spectacular!!!

For this episode, we read, watched, and discussed:

• Everything ever.

Footnotes:

• The McElroy brothers, and their menagerie of podcasts, including: Sawbones, The Adventure Zone, and My Brother, My Brother, and Me.
• Buffering the Vampire Slayer, a bi-weekly podcast discussing every episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer in order.
• How Did This Get Made?, one of the original bad movie podcasts.
• I’m Horrified. “Enter an abyss of lighthearted panic and heartfelt hysteria with a podcast that explores the ups and downs of being alive in 2018 (all through the lense of two unconscionably anxious women). The world is chaos: be horrified with us.”
• Serial and 99% Invisible, two of the best produced podcasts we’ve ever heard.
• Smodcast, Kevin Smith and Scott Mosier’s podcast.
• Doug Loves Movies, Doug Benson’s movie podcast.

You can follow Adapt or Perish on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook, and you can find us online at adaptorperishcast.com.

If you want to send us a question or comment, you can email us at adaptorperishcast@gmail.com or tweet using #adaptcast.

26. Fried Green Tomatoes

In this episode of Adapt or Perish, we discuss Fannie Flagg’s Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe!

For this episode, we read and watched:

• Fannie Flagg’s original 1987 novel. Read it on Amazon or iBooks.
• Fried Green Tomatoes, the Academy Award-nominated, 1991 movie adaptation, directed by Jon Avnet, and starring Kathy Bates, Jessica Tandy, Mary Stuart Masterson, and Mary-Louise Parker. Watch it on iTunes or Amazon.

Footnotes:

• Famous recluse, Harper Lee
• The Blues Brothers, and Jake’s religious experience
• Intersectionality
• The career of Jon Avnet, according to the Justified Wiki. Also, Jeremy thinks Justified is a great show.

You can follow Adapt or Perish on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook, and you can find us online at adaptorperishcast.com.

If you want to send us a question or comment, you can email us at adaptorperishcast@gmail.com or tweet using #adaptcast.

25. A Wrinkle in Time

In this episode of Adapt or Perish, we discuss Madeleine L’Engle’s A Wrinkle in Time!

For this episode, we read and watched:

• Madeleine L’Engle’s original novel, published in 1962. Read it on iBooks or Amazon.
• The 2003 TV movie, directed by John Kent Harrison, and starring Katie Stuart, Kate Nelligan, and Alfre Woodard. Watch on Amazon or iTunes.
• The 2018 theatrical movie, directed by Ava DuVernay, written by Jennifer Lee and Jeff Stockwell, and starring Storm Reid, Chris Pine, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Reese Witherspoon, Mindy Kaling, and Oprah Winfrey. Watch on Amazon or iTunes.

Footnotes:

• “The New Wave of Nicecore” by David Ehrlich for IndieWire
• Bobby Hill from King of the Hill
• The career of Chris Potter, including Kung Fu: The Legend Continues and Queer as Folk
• Krang from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
• The cover of the DVD for the 2003 Wrinkle in Time, Pegasus and all
• The creepy, CGI Fabio-Pegasus from the same movie
• “Tomorrow there’ll be more of us” - Miranda, American

You can follow Adapt or Perish on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook, and you can find us online at adaptorperishcast.com.

If you want to send us a question or comment, you can email us at adaptorperishcast@gmail.com or tweet using #adaptcast.

24. The Little Prince

In this episode of Adapt or Perish, we discuss Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s The Little Prince!

For this episode, we read and watched:

• The Little Prince, Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s 1943 novella. Read on iBooks or Amazon.
• Will Vinton’s 1979 claymation short film of The Little Prince. Watch on YouTube.
• The 1974 movie musical, directed by Stanley Donen, written by Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe, and starring Richard Kiley, Bob Fosse, and Gene Wilder. Watch on iTunes or Amazon. Soundtrack available on iTunes or Amazon.
• The 2015 animated movie adaptation, directed by Mark Osborne, and starring Jeff Bridges, Rachel McAdams, Paul Rudd, and Mackenzie Foy. Watch on Netflix.

Footnotes:

• Voltaire’s Candide
• Wind, Sand and Stars and Night Flight, also written by de Saint-Exupéry
• The works of Will Vinton, including The California Raisins, The Adventures of Mark Twain, Moonwalker, and Rip Van Winkle
• Lerner and Loewe, writers of Brigadoon, Paint Your Wagon, Camelot, Gigi, and My Fair Lady
• Stanley Donen, director of Singin’ in the Rain, On the Town, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, Funny Face, and Damn Yankees
• Richard Kiley, expensive star of Man of La Mancha
• The rose, a woody perennial flowering plant of the genus Rosa
• The Star Wars Holiday Special
• BOB FOSSE
• The theatrical trailer for the 1974 musical
• “Weird Al” Yankovic’s Jurassic Park music video, directed by Mark Osborne
• Bone, the comics series by Jeff Smith
• Gillian Armstrong and Robin Swicord’s Little Women (discussed in episode 7 of this podcast!)

You can follow Adapt or Perish on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook, and you can find us online at adaptorperishcast.com.

If you want to send us a question or comment, you can email us at adaptorperishcast@gmail.com or tweet using #adaptcast.

23. Dial M for (A Perfect) Murder

In this episode of Adapt or Perish, we discuss Dial M for Murder and A Perfect Murder!

For this episode, we watched and discussed:

• Dial M for Murder, 1954, directed by Alfred Hitchcock, and starring Grace Kelly, Ray Milland, and Robert Cummings. Watch on iTunes or Amazon.
• A Perfect Murder, 1998, directed by Andrew Davis, and starring Michael Douglas, Gwyneth Paltrow, Viggo Mortensen, and David Suchet. Watch on iTunes or Amazon.

Footnotes:

• Alfred Hitchcock Presents
• A Rube Goldberg machine
• Noises Off
• Wall Street vs. The American President
• Prenuptial Agreements and Death of a Spouse
• Andrew Davis, The Fugitive, and Under Siege

You can follow Adapt or Perish on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook, and you can find us online at adaptorperishcast.com.

If you want to send us a question or comment, you can email us at adaptorperishcast@gmail.com or tweet using #adaptcast.

22. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

In this episode of Adapt or Perish, we discuss Roald Dahl’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory!

For this episode, we read and watched:

• Roald Dahl’s original novel, published in 1964. Read on Amazon or iBooks.
• Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, the 1971 movie directed by Mel Stuart, adapted by Dahl and David Seltzer, and starring Gene Wilder and Peter Ostrum. Watch on iTunes or Amazon.
• Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, the 2005 movie directed by Tim Burton, adapted by John August, and starring Freddie Highmore and Johnny Depp. Watch on iTunes or Amazon.
• Tom and Jerry: Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, the 2017 direct-to-DVD animated musical comedy adaptation of the Gene Wilder movie. Not the book. It’s weird. Watch (or don’t) on iTunes or Amazon.

Footnotes:

• Mr. Bucket, buckets of fun!
• Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator, written by Dahl and published in 1972.
• Quentin Blake’s Willy Wonka vs. Joseph Schindelman’s Willy Wonka
• A comparison of the old, racist Oompa Loompas, and the revised Oompa Loompas
• Cracked.com’s The 6 Most Secretly Racist Children’s Books
• Was beloved children’s book author Roald Dahl a raging bigot?
• The Dead Authors Podcast Chapter 34: “Roald Dahl featuring Ben Schwartz”
• Scriptnotes, a podcast hosted by John August and Craig Mazin
• “Cheer Up, Charlie”
• The scene where the little girl almost gets hit in the face during the filming of Willy Wonka
• Matt Gourley’s I Was There Too: “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Big Fish with John August”
• The trailer for Tom and Jerry: Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (and Arielle’s reaction to watching it for the first time)

You can follow Adapt or Perish on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook, and you can find us online at adaptorperishcast.com.

If you want to send us a question or comment, you can email us at adaptorperishcast@gmail.com or tweet using #adaptcast.

21. La Cage aux Folles & The Birdcage

In this episode of Adapt or Perish, we discuss the films La Cage aux Folles and The Birdcage!

For this episode, we watched and discussed:

• La Cage aux Folles, the original 1973 play, written by Jean Poiret.
• The 1978 French/Italian movie La Cage aux Folles, directed by Édouard Molinaro, and starring Ugo Tognazzi and Michel Serrault. Watch on Amazon or iTunes.
• The 1983 Broadway musical, written by Harvey Fierstein and Jerry Herman.
• The Birdcage, the 1996 American remake, directed by Mike Nichols, written by Elaine May, and starring Robin Williams, Nathan Lane, Gene Hackman, Dianne Weist, and Hank Azaria. Watch on Amazon or iTunes.

Footnotes:

• Kowtow, verb: act in an excessively subservient manner; kneel and touch the ground with the forehead in worship or submission as part of Chinese custom. Yep, not cool.
• We discuss different special features (e.g. footage of the original play) available on the fantastic Criterion Collection edition of La Cage aux Folles.
• Harvey Fierstein and his distinctive voice.
• Kevin Smith telling the story of working with Jon Peters on Superman Lives (watch the entire clip, it’s worth it).
• George Hearn performs “Epiphany” from Sweeney Tood. Judge for yourself.
• “I Am What I Am,” from La Cage aux Folles, performed by George Hearn, Harvey Fierstein, and John Barrowman. (Bonus version performed by Dame Shirley Bassey.)
• Frank Rich’s original review of La Cage aux Folles on Broadway, published in the New York Times in 1983.
• Nichols and May perform “Mother and Son.” A photo of the duo.
• Elaine May salutes Mike Nichols at the AFI Lifetime Achievement Award

You can follow Adapt or Perish on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook, and you can find us online at adaptorperishcast.com.

If you want to send us a question or comment, you can email us at adaptorperishcast@gmail.com or tweet using #adaptcast.