Episode 63: Coming Attractions (featuring Jerry Sroka)

They’re variously known as coming attractions, previews, or trailers (because they originally followed, rather than preceded, feature presentations), and they have (and tell) a story all their own. In some cases, the trailers for Marx Brothers films reveal things not apparent from the films themselves. They include alternate takes, deleted shots, and revelations about how these movies were marketed to their original audiences. Meanwhile, you’ll recall that in Episode 61, we spoke with Don Scardino about numerous Marxian subjects, including his latest film, a romantic comedy riddled with references. Now, in advance of that film’s December 8 release, we’re pleased to interview the cowriter and costar of that film, Jerry Sroka. And at the end of this episode, there’s an especially exciting Patreon update, with information about Postcard #11 and how one lucky subscriber can win a Cocoanuts movie poster signed by Groucho Marx.

Bonus Segment #11 will be available next week on our Patreon page.

Official description: “A busy two-fold episode. First the guys deep dive into the world of Marx Brothers movie trailers, exploring their sometimes puzzling approaches, noting unique footage or dialogue, and lamenting those that are missing...one of which we get big news about in mid-show! To follow along, you can view all the trailers here:

“Then (at 1:07:00), actor/writer Jerry Sroka joins the podcast to discuss his new semi-autobiographical film, Our Almost Completely True Love Story, in which he plays a Marx Brothers fanatic who courts actress Mariette Hartley. Jerry details the genesis of the film, which is laden with Marx references, as well as his real-life marriage to Mariette. He also recalls some hilarious personal and professional encounters with Woody Allen.”

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