Episode 52 - 1941

Was Steven Spielberg's "1941" an elaborate prank to see how far he could go with making movies, or did he really set out to make a genuine comedy? It appears to be the latter, though there are not many laughs to be had in this disjointed film set one week after the Pearl Harbor bombing. Spielberg was not the only culprit for this misaligned film. Host Jeff Commings gives a little history on the collaboration between screenwriters Robert Zemeckis and Bob Gale, and gives a possible reason why Spielberg made this his follow-up to "Close Encounters of the Third Kind." John Williams came along for the ride as well, and came out largely unscathed thanks to a march-style theme for John Belushi's character that has become more popular than the film. But the numerous re-edits meant a major butchering of Williams' score to the point that parts are disjointed.