An Alien in Hollywood - Ronald Shusett
An Alien in Hollywood is the story about the life and times of legendary filmmaker and “Godfather of Hollywood science fiction” Ronald Shusett. Unless you’re a Hollywood behind-the-scenes aficionado you've probably never heard of Ron. He is no less than the man who co-created, wrote, and produced three of the most influential, iconic and mind-blowing science fiction blockbusters in film history – Alien, Total Recall and Minority Report. His movies have grossed over one and a half billion dollars, have launched the careers of Sigourney Weaver and Ridley Scott, and turned Arnold Schwarzenegger into the #1 box office star in the world. Ron has been the inspiration for filmmakers like J.J. Abrams and James Cameron, and he made author Phillip K. Dick a household name. With the release of “Alien” Ron and his partner Dan O’Bannon spawned the “Alien Universe” and the first movie franchise in history. The series is hosted by Harry Duran and Robin Maxwell. Music by Vincent Covello and Vic Migenes Podcast Artwork by Barbara Mastej
Episodes
- 00:15 – Robin recalls the story of how she met Ron Shusett
- 03:57 – Preproduction in Mexico City during the summer of 1989
- 05:15 – Ron recounts a funny exchange with Arnold Schwarzenegger
- 07:27 – Early days of set building
- 09:52 – Special effects in Total Recall
- 14:35 – Ron’s thoughts on the gratuitous violence in Total Recall
- 18:20 – Ron recalls others attempting to throw him off the set
- 26:12 – How Arnold stood up for Ron and prevent...
- 00:14 – Robin and Harry introduce the topic of today’s episode, Rom Shusett’s Total Recall
- 03:28 – The decision to buy the rights to Philip K. Dick’s short story
- 10:00 – First steps to making Total Recall
- 11:34 – Dan O’Bannon’s involvement
- 12:54 – Challenges with Disney
- 17:29 – Meeting with famed producer, Dino De Laurentiis
- 19:47 – The unique deal that Ron made with Dino
- 24:01 – The issue with the credits
- 26:36 – Ron recalls visiting ...
- 00:14 – Robin and Harry share their favorite moments and stories from the season thus far
- 04:06 – Ron explains why he never used other films as inspiration for Alien
- 04:45 – The creation of the adult Alien creature
- 07:18 – How Ron’s editing advice led to one of the biggest scare scenes in Alien
- 11:11 – Ron describes the feeling of seeing his words come to life on the set
- 13:01 – Ron’s vision for the scene where Ripley escapes
- 16:10 –...
Highlights
- 00:16 – Robin tells the story of how she met Ron Shusett
- 02:58 – Introducing today’s episode, Alien: Nostromo
- 03:21 – Pre-production of Alien
- 04:56 – Casting Alien
- 05:46 – The controversy behind Sigourney Weaver landing the lead role of Ellen Ripley
- 09:27 – Figuring out the pacing of Alien
- 14:16 – An incredible crisis that developed among the actors of Alien
- 18:51 – Giving Hollywood executives an ultimatum
- 21:11 – The Chestbu...
00:13 – Harry introduces his new podcast, An Alien in Hollywood
02:11 – Robin describes Ron Shusett
05:04 – How Harry met Robin
07:24 – Robin breaks down the format of the first few episodes of this podcast
09:01 – The genesis of the movie Alien
14:47 – The progress Dan O’Bannon made on the first act of Alien
15:46 – How Ron came up with the solution of how the alien gets on board
17:03 – How Dan met H.R. Giger, the man who eventually wor...
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