A weekly exploration of the 24 frame per second illusion of motion we call radio.
This show was produced
by John Schnall, and aired regularly on WFMU for a few years; it continues to air sporadically. Here's a list of all the
episodes produced, along with synopses, etc.
For more info, you can e-mail John Schnall here: 
The Nutty Professor
The very first episode was devoted to Jerry Lewis, setting the tone for what's to come...Sunset Blvd.
The Billy Wilder film, with Gloria Swanson and Bill Holden.Videoboop
This show combined the film Videodrome with Betty Boop cartoon soundtracks.Hercules in Bayonne
An epic adventure right in our own backyard. Features the hit "No Mortal is Superior to Hercules."
JFK 2 - The Sequel
In which Oliver Stone surmises that John F. Kennedy was never shot, but instead went on to have zany adventures...Panic In The Year Zero
Ray Milland and nuclear anniolation.It's A Colorized Life
This one gets to the heart of what the holiday season is all about: endless repetition...
The Lost Weekend
Ray Milland goes on a bender.Indian Movies
A hodgepodge of indian soundtrack material.Eureka!
I tried to make this show as incomprehensible as the Roeg film the dialog's taken from. One confused but happy listener got it, and called. The rest simply changed the station...My Dinner With Henny
This one's a true story, about an aging comic and attempts to animate "doctor" jokes. Take my strife, please.Who's Afraid Of Virginia Woolf?
Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor, at home with friends.The Texas Chainsaw Love Story
Love will keep us together...
Spagettio Westerns
Italian western trailers combined with Ennio Morricone's music.Tex Avery
Cartoon soundtrack stuff.The Greatest Show On Earth
Actually, the most pretentious Cecil B. DeMille epic on earth.Freaks!
Todd Browning, via the RamonesCasablanca
You must remember this...
Mad Love
The Peter Lorre film.Mad Love part 2
This one's based on a true story of obsessive love and Menudo.Interview With A Vampire
What, you think he only gave one interview???Evil Dead Part 2
An epic in modern horror, if you ask me...Frankenthon
Kenneth Branagh turns to desperate measures to get his film off the ground.Fly In The Ointment
I climb onto a soapbox for an hour, leaving few stones unturned.The Day The Clown Cried
Jerry Lewis' never completed political statement painstakingly recreated for radio.
Outtakes
Outtakes from various animated film sound recording sessions, turned into a symphony of annoying noises.The Last 15 Seconds Of King Kong
Oh no. It wasn't the airplanes. It was beauty killed the beast.Whatever Happened To Baby Jane?
"I've written a letter to daddy..."Stuttgart '94
Interviews from a German animation festival.The Hawaiian Man With The X-Ray Eyes
Ray Milland in a hula skirt.I Was A Teenage Frankenstein
Notice how these "teenage" films concentrate on weird hair growth and bad skin? What's that all about?Horror!
Trailers!Lynch 4 Your Ears
Early David Lynch soundtrack material.Nauseau
'Nuf said...The Dark Side Of The Exorcist
1973's two biggest hits in one handy package.
Orlando
Who's afraid of this Virginia Woolfe story? Clearly not filmmaker Sally Potter, Tilda Swinton, Billy Zane, and Quentin Crisp, who plays the Queen of England...
Consenting Adult
An indifferent tv film is given the Midnight Matinee treatment, with delightful results.
Blade Runner: The Director's Other Cut
Alternate editing.Zombies
The Magic Island, The Serpent and the Rainbow, and commuting to New York from New Jersey.Myra Breckenridge
Proving that one of the worst films can make a pretty darned uninteresting episode of Midnight Matinee!Warner Brothers Hodgepodge
A record collection of early Warner Brothers stuff is the impedus here.The Silence Of The Jams
Drawing from John Schnall's previous radio experiment, the Telephone Jam.Brazil
Terry Gilliam's epic. No surprises here, but the music's nice.The Jayne Mansfield Story
Starring Loni Anderson and Arnold Schwartzenegger.
The Itchy And Scratchy Show
A collection of soundtracks from classic I and S cartoons. For the die-hard fans only, alas.The Sexy Man And The Monkey
The true story of Dean Martin, via Jerry Lewis's autobiography.
The Stand
A Steven King tv miniseries is given the treatment.Plunderphonic Caberet
"Life is disappointing..."
Bigfoot
Until Steven Speilberg ruined the genre with "Harry and the Hendersons", a movie about Bigfoot was guaranteed to be truly mind-bogglingly awful. Here are some of the most annoying.Annecy '95
Another animation festival, this time in France.Inside Job
Readings from a book this time, an expose of the S and L scandal, which just weren't meant to be mixed with music. Neither entertainng nor educational, just like radio should be...Einstein on the Beach-Blanket-Bingo
Philip Glass scores a Frankie and Annette flick.
A Clockwork Orange
Madness, murder and Beethoven.Citizen Chang
Two roving reporters use Martial Arts to hunt down the meaning of Chang's enigmatic last words.
A Face In The Crowd
Andy Griffith in a strong early film appearance.Midnight Matinee Murder Mystery
Who dunnit? Or, more acurately, who didn't have a better idea for a radio show this week?Street Of Crocodiles
Animated film by the Brothers Quay, and the book it's based on.Naked Lunch
William Burroughs via David Cronenberg. Exterminate rational thought, gentlemen.
Escalator Over The Hills Are Alive With The Sound Of Music
Carla Bley and Paul Haynes opus combined with a spoon full of sugar, in the most delightful way.The Christmas That Almost Wasn't
That is, almost wasn't a completely painful experience with the relatives...Barney And Friends
He's cute, he's cuddly, he sings songs, he stomps Tokyo...
White Narcissus
For those whose best friend is a sheet of glass with silver on one side. No pain, no gain...
Lanza-Mania
Rare and non-existant recordings take us back to those turbulent times when
one man's music was taking the country by storm.
It's A Good Life
The Twighlight Zone episode, done Midnight Matinee style.I've Never Been To Me
"I've no doubt you dream about the things you never do..."
The Invisible Man: The Musical
What if Andrew Lloyd Weber took a stab at this story?
War Of The Worlds
Imagine if Orsen Welles tried to pull that one off today...Kafka For Tots
Lotte Lenya reads children's stories, sort of...Hellraiser
Not for the squemish.
Broadway Danny Rose
"Life is bigger than you and, while I don't mean to be didactic or facietous in any manner, you are not me..."Jim Carey In The Mask
Portrait of an egomanic.The Shining
Stanley Kubrick's adaptation of Stephen King's story. A Midnight Matinee favorite...
Gone With The Wind
Frankly, my dear..My Yiddisha Monster
Be afraid. Oy, should you be afraid... Mel Brooks finds his roots.
The Barber of Seville
This show is based on the funniest joke ever. Find out more from my friend DEREK.
Cobra
In which Droopy the Dog replaces Sly Stallone, but noone really seems to notice.Quincy
The famous "punk rock" episode.Eraserhead A Go-Go
Dance, mutant baby, dance!King Of Tragedy
Allen Irwin, the king of the disaster film, has seen better days...Marathon '96
As in WFMU Marathon show. Well, I wanted this list to be complete!Mad Mad Mad Monster Party
The Ranken and Bass animated film made for a nice post-marathon bash.9 1/2 Commandments
Slaves to love, indeed...
The Joy Of Painting
Learn painting from a master. Lesson one: Happy Little Clouds...
I, Claudius
The decline and fall of the Roman Empire, via PBS (tote bags optional)Immortal Beloved Kombat
In this corner, the rulers of the universe. In that corner, a deaf composer...
Terminator Tango
Ahnold learns to dance.
A Touch of Mambo
Charlton Heston as a Mexican? An Orsen Welles classic with a mambo beat.
Dead Alive
"Your mother ate my dog!"I Was A Teenage Werewolf
In which Michael Landon has a really bad hair day.
Hair
"Remember, I'm not just some hippie living in Central Park, I'm also a client."
Features Homer Simpson singing the title song.The Making Of Midnight Matinee
What to do when running out of films to rework? Do what the pros do; make a "Making of" documentary.The Last Wave
Drink up, dreamers, you're running dry.Barton Fink
"We want that Barton Fink feeling. A lot of writers have that Barton Fink feeling, but you, being Barton Fink, have it in spades. Want a drink?"ReAnimator Ska
Stuart Gordon's horror classic with a ska beat. Features a song sung entirely in screams. Just right for that frat party at Miskatonic U...
Thelma And Lewis
Two pals go across country fleeing the law. Of course, in this case, one of them is Jerry Lewis...The Last Temptation Of Bryce
In which a WFMU pre-marathon mailer is left in the wrong hands, resulting in the gospel according to dj Bryce.Alien Autopsy: Fact Or Fiction?
You be the judge.
Se7en
"What if the Seven Deadly Sins were stranded on a desert island?" And it was just supposed to be a three hour tour...
To Kill A Mockingbird
It's a sin tequila mockingbird...Vertigo
Hitchcock to make you dizzy, with music by Dizzy.Davey and Goliath
Now in my day, when a kid's dog starts telling him what to do, we have the kid locked up...
Macarena: The Forbidden Dance
The hits just keep on coming, don't they?The Manchurian Candidate
Senators, impeachment, dresses stained (with blood...). At least in this version we get cool brainwashing scenes and Frank Sinatra.
Hamlet
Let's teach you mugs some culture...
Starring Larence Olivier, with Alicia Silverstone as Ophelia.
The Wizard of Oz
A girl from Kansas, a dog named Toto, and an obsessive need to loop every bit of dialog that comes along...
The Abominable Dr. Phibes
The movie who's sequel contained Midnight Matinee's closing theme. Some very catchy tunes emerged here.
The Last Picture Show
And, in fact, it was.
Or was it?
I Fall To Pieces: The Patsy Cline Story
In the summer of 2008 WFMU celebrated their anniversary with a week of special programming featuring Radio Greats from WFMU's history. Obviously mistaking "Radio Greats" with "Grating Radio", they invited me back for another episode of Midnight Matinee. Armed only with Patsy Cline's signature song and a listing of Billboard's top hits (the "I" section), I answered the call.
Caberet
Midnight Matinee gives 'em the old razzle-dazzle.One Flu Shot Over The Cuckoo's Nest
In this episode of Midnight Matinee, Jack Nicholson and company are told to roll up their left sleeves and given a shot of loops and dialog.
Paris, Taxes
Will Harry Dean Stanton and Natasha Kinsky file their taxes jointly, or separately? Tune in to find out.
The Forbidden Zone
Living in the Sixth Dimension just got a tad rougher. An ambitious episode of Midnight Matinee, featuring cover versions of every major song in the movie.
Groundhog Day
The Harold Ramis classic gets the ole Midnight Matinee treatment.
Independence Day
Kicking alien butt, Broadway style.
John and Tony Die At The End
The universe is on the verge of chaos. Aliens live among us, the Jets and the Sharks are fighting, and Beastiology is rampant. Clearly, it's time for: John and Tony Die At The End, the ultimate radio mash-up of the beloved musical West Side Story and the cult classic John Dies At The End. Only on WFMU, at the stroke of midnight on Friday November 13, on Rich Hazelton's Inflatable Squirrel Carcass program. Be there or... well, let's not even consider the alternatives, it's too dreadful to contemplate.
Can't Stop The Jesus
TA genetic fusion of the musical Jesus Christ Superstar and the Village People's 1980s movie Can't Stop The Music. 39 lashes of good clean fun.
The Zero Mostel Theorem
A genetic fusion of Terry Gilliam's film The Zero Theorem and Fiddler on the Roof, for your listening enjoyment.
Be Boppa Bubba HoTep
Featuring 18 songs Elvis Presley would have recorded had he not switched places with Elvis impersonator Sebastian Haff, ending up in a nursing home with John F Kennedy, an ancient egyptian mummy and a growth on his pecker.
Moe Mento
This show deals with the memory loss that is a direct result of bonks to the noggin, eye gouges, frying pans to the skull and other stooge-related injury.
Less Miserable
In which we take an overblown movie version of an overblown musical and try to make it... less so.
Good Buy, Columbus!
At the stroke of midnight October 6/7, as Friday turns to Saturday, Midnight Matinee presents a special, one-hour only sales event, Good Buy, Columbus! Huge savings on our entire inventory, everything must go. A celebration of Columbus and consumerism for your listening pleasure.
Crazy, Stupid Guv
Midnight Matinee presents a rom-com about everyone's favorite New Jersey Governor Chris Christie - Crazy, Stupid Guv.
He mis-appropriates money, closes a bridge for spite, cancels a popular transit project, and maybe, just maybe, wins your heart.
Daffy Ducko
The story of a sleepwalking duck and his visions of a mysterious, wascally wabbit. Comic mayhem ensues.
Psycho
Post Thanksgiving, as the tryptophan leaves the system, Midnight Matinee presents the Alfred Hitchcock classic Psycho for your listening pleasure. Be warned: the show is rated L for Loopiness and VV for Violent Violins.
Harold and Maude
Hal Ashby's classic cult film gets Midnight Matineed for your... no, I would not say benefit.He is a 19 year old man obsessed with death, who stages suicides as a hobby. She is a 79 year old woman obsessed with life; compromising, enterprising, anything but tranquilizing. They fall in love. And then there's Cat Stevens
2001: An Odd Spacyssey
Stanley Kubrick's most visual and frustrating film becomes an aural and frustrating exploration of man, ape and black slab, for your listening pleasure. One small step for man, one even smaller step for mankind.Jawsy Shore
An eating machine. A Situation. Just when you thought it was safe. Spielberg gets the Midnight Matinee treatment. Chomp.
Hello, Ween!
The Boognish Man is coming! John Carpenter's Halloween meets two guys from New Hope.
Byrne After Reeding
A relatively minor Coen Brothers exploration of espionage, plastic surgery, computer dating and gym denizens is truned into a Midnight Matinee fugal event. Exposition, development and recapitulation wound tightly arond a base of Lou Reed. And after we Reed, we Byrne.
Alexhamill Zanderton
A story that describes description. Follow Founding Flounder Alexhamill from humble beginnings through scandal to finally achieving obscurity. We're not shotting away our throw.
The Velvet Underverse
Vampires, Lycans (what you and I call werewolves), and the unholy combination of the two are set to the tune of the seminal band that brought us Lou Reed, John Cale, Nico and album covers with color-form magic banana peels. Shiny boots of leather, pale blue eyes and various femmes fatales for your dining and dancing pleasure.
The Rocky Horror and Bullwinkle Picture Show
At the stroke of midnight, John Schnall’s Midnight Matinee presents an experiment in interactive radio, The Rocky Horror and Bullwinkle Picture Show. Come dressed up as your favorite character, bring props and shout along with your radio as an adventure loving squirrel and his poetic moose companion sink into depravity to a familiar rock and roll beat.. Post photos of your costumes and videos of interactive fun on your social media with the hashtag #imstillbullwinkle. Midnight–1 am, March 26 on Rich Hazelton’s Inflatable Squirrel Carcass on WFMU. We Are All Still Bullwinkle #imstillbullwinkle
Interactive Guide
Twinkle, Twinkle, "Killer" Cale
Midnight Matinee presents: Twinkle, Twinkle, “Killer” Cale. The music of John Cale merged with Exorcist author William Peter Blatty’s The Ninth Configuration into a meditation on madness, dog Shakespeare, religion, Hell’s Angels of Troy, and selenophobia (go ahead and google it). All for you, dear listener, all for you.
Everything Everywhere Schnall At Once
Midnight Matinee presents: Everything Everywhere Schnall At Once, a one hour movie de- and re-construction about life in an alternate Schnalliverse. On your radio and internet, and in your head. Or one version of your head. In English, Mandarin and Cantonese.
MASHville
Attention, attention. Midnight Matinee is proud to present MASHville, smashing two Robert Altman hits into one hour-long package. With your host John Schnall and a star-studded list of special guests. Also, your shoelace is untied. That is all.
AI
Welcome to "Midnight Matinee Presents: AI," the innovative radio show that seamlessly blends captivating movie dialogue with cutting-edge AI-generated music. Join your host, John Schnall, as he takes you on a thrilling audio journey through the visionary world of Steven Spielberg's "Artificial Intelligence" combined with the mesmerizing sounds of AI-created compositions. Tune in at the stroke of midnight on September 2nd, just as the Labor Day weekend kicks off, to WFMU, your trusted radio station for unique and boundary-pushing programming. "Midnight Matinee Presents: AI" offers a one-of-a-kind listening experience that will transport you to a realm where human emotions intertwine with technological wonders.Throughout the show, John Schnall will expertly intertwine dialogue snippets from "Artificial Intelligence" with an impressive array of music crafted using online AI tools. Witness the convergence of storytelling and musical innovation as familiar lines from the film blend seamlessly with the melodies, harmonies, and rhythms born from the depths of artificial intelligence.Prepare to be captivated as the haunting, thought-provoking words of the film's characters intertwine with mesmerizing compositions, carefully crafted by algorithms and neural networks. This unique fusion of dialog and AI-generated music creates an otherworldly soundscape that delves into the depths of human emotions, the complexities of technology, and the boundaries of creativity."Midnight Matinee Presents: AI" promises to be an audio experience like no other, pushing the boundaries of what radio can offer. Join John Schnall on WFMU as he guides you through a tapestry of sound, where humanity and artificial intelligence collide in a symphony of thought-provoking brilliance. Be prepared to embark on an unforgettable journey that will challenge your perceptions and leave you pondering the intricate relationship between man and machine. So mark your calendars for September 2nd, when the clock strikes midnight, and tune in to WFMU for "Midnight Matinee Presents: AI." Prepare to have your senses stimulated, your imagination ignited, and your love for film and music forever changed. Don't miss this groundbreaking radio experience that will transport you to a realm where technology and creativity merge, only on "Midnight Matinee Presents: AI."This discription was written by ChatGPT
A Charlie Brown Die Hard
Poor Charlie Brown! He’s at a Christmas party but the only person he knows there is mean old Lucy. The people he meets are awful: snotty Hans Gruber makes fun of him, annoying Ellis won’t leave him alone. And, worst of all, he can’t find his shoes anywhere! Good grief! But things get better, he makes up with Lucy and finds a great new friend, Officer Linus Von Pelt. Plus, he gets to talk through a CB radio! Midnight Matinee presents a heart-warming Christmas story: A Charlie Brown Die Hard. Midnight on Saturday December 23 (9 pm Friday December 22 on the West Coast) during Rich Hazelton’s Inflatable Squirrel Carcass. Hosted by John Schnall.
Cereal Mom
Midnight Matinee presents Cereal Mom, re-inventing the classic John Waters film with added vitamins, minerals, and lots of artificial sweeteners. Why does perfect suburban mom go on a killing spree? Blame it on the added sugar. Midnight to 1 am, August 31, during Rich Hazelton’s Inflatable Squirrel Carcass on WFMU.
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