80s action movie icon Arnold Schwarzenegger had already faced off against deadly alien hunters in "Predator", but that same year, he took on another action-packed sci-fi film, trading aliens for a dystopian future and a deadly reality TV show. This 80s flick was a wild departure from the original short story it was based on, but it delivered plenty of action and comedic moments. In this adaptation, convicted criminals known as "runners" must survive against professional killers in a twisted televised reality show with a charismatic host who has sinister secrets. So don your favorite golden jumpsuit, brush up on your one-liners, and don’t touch that dial as Tim Williams and guest co-hosts Nicholas Pepin from "Pop Culture Roulette" Podcast and Laramy Wells from "Moving Panels" Podcast discuss “The Running Man” from 1987 on this episode of the 80s Flick Flashback Podcast.
Here are some additional behind-the-scenes trivia we were unable to cover in this episode:
• The character of Mrs. McArdle, who host Damon Killian states is the show's number one fan, is an homage to Mrs. Miller, a long-time fixture of many series, including The Merv Griffin Show. Her claim to fame was that she showed up to the tapings almost daily.
• Mic Fleetwood came up with the "Star Trek" reference in the movie because he was a big fan of the original 1960s series. Two years after the movie was released, Fleetwood achieved a lifelong ambition by making a cameo in an episode of "Star Trek: The Next Generation".
Sources:
Wikipedia, IMDB, Rotten Tomatoes, BoxOfficeMojo
https://www.joblo.com/tango-and-cash-1989-sylvester-stallone-revisited/
https://www.eightieskids.com/20-surprising-facts-you-probably-didnt-know-about-tango-and-cash/
https://weminoredinfilm.com/2017/11/13/the-story-behind-the-making-of-the-running-man/
https://www.joblo.com/the-running-man-arnold-schwarzenegger/#google_vignette
Some sections were composed by ChatGPT
We'd love to hear your thoughts on our podcast! You can share your feedback with us via email or social media. Your opinions are incredibly valuable to us, and we'd be so grateful to know what you enjoyed about our show. If we missed anything or if you have any suggestions for 80s movies, we'd love to hear them too! If you're feeling extra supportive, you can even become a subscription member through "Buy Me A Coffee". For more details and other fun extensions of our podcast, check out this link. Thank you for your support!
