Welcome to the newest episode of the Retroist Podcast. In today's episode, I talk all about the 1985 martial arts comedy, The Last Dragon. This movie is a fun mid-80s romp that performed well in theaters and became a staple of cable television for years afterward. I hope I can encourage you to re-watch it or check it out for the first time.
I start off the show by discussing my limited time studying martial arts. In 'The Last Dragon,' if you're a real martial arts master, you get 'The Glow.' I had a glow of sorts one day in school, but sadly, it didn't impress anyone.
Then, I delve into the film itself, exploring Motown, Berry Gordy, the individuals in front of and behind the camera, and much more.
Covering this was a fun topic, one that I, like many, have wanted to tackle for a while. It's great to finally get it out the door.
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Production Notes
This is the 309th episode of the Retroist Podcast and episode 11 of this season.
I was obsessed with this move when it came out on HBO. The combination of music, comedy, and martial arts was extremely compelling, especially for me in 1985.
The soundtrack is worth owning. I had a cassette of it that I wore out. It didn’t make it to the 90s.
I cut out a bunch of stuff about the cast and the music artists. It was dragging stuff out. I also reduced my newspapers browsing. I was enjoying myself a little too much and it went long. I will share some of what I found soon in the Bonus Clippings on Patreon.
My edits included 3 minutes of me discussing DeBarge. This included my talking about El DeBarge’s appearance on The Facts of Life.
I had one more piece of retro audio. It was a local martial arts school commercial that I enjoyed. After listening to it, I didn’t want people thinking this was the martial arts school I went to. So I decided to take it out.
I will do some Bonus Clippings for this episode. If you have a local market you would like me to look up at the time or a specific movie theater ad for the film you would like to see, let me know.
I am obsessed with the beef place I mention in the episode. Not that I haven’t heard of stores likes this, it just seemed surprising in suburban NJ. That is a lot of meat.
I need to cover The Adventures of Brisco County Jr. soon.
I have been having issues with YouTube lately. Until that had been worked out, I will not be posting episodes of the show there. I apologize for the inconvenience.
See what is happening at The Thunderverse. It all sounds very ambitious. I wish them the best of luck and will support their efforts where possible.
Follow Lou Lumenick on Twitter. He was my favorite childhood move reviewer.
Music on the show is, as always, by Peachy.
Thanks for listening to the show and I hope you have a great weekend.
Thanks for listening to the show and I hope you have a great weekend.
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