How Did This Get Made? – "Last Looks: Jack's Back" w/ Tom Scharpling

Release Date: September 26, 2025
Hosts: Paul Scheer, June Diane Raphael, Jason Mantzoukas
Guest: Tom Scharpling

Episode Overview

This "Last Looks" episode serves as an open forum for HDTGM listeners to chime in with corrections, omissions, and comments regarding the previously reviewed film, Jack’s Back. The episode features listener calls and community observations, plus a special interview with podcast pioneer Tom Scharpling (The Best Show). The hosts riff on everything from questionable 80s abortions in film to the evolution of finding new music, celebrate community member Avril Hallie’s recovery, and tease upcoming projects and tour dates. The vibe remains loose, funny, and joyfully tangential.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Listener Corrections & Omissions: Jack's Back

• Smoking in Public Spaces

  • Several listeners point out the excessive smoking depicted in Jack’s Back, notably in medical offices and stores, reflecting more relaxed cultural norms of the 80s.
  • Quote: “I do remember people smoking in public places, but never inside medical facilities and stores. Weird times.” – Discord user Ghostbag (08:00)

• Real-Life Ohio Shoe Stores

  • Listener Megan confirms that “Second Sole” is an actual specialty running shoe store in Akron, Ohio (unrelated to fictional depictions).
  • Quote: “I just feel like it’s people being really lazy about naming their shoe store...” – Paul Scheer (09:00)

• Title Origins and Rights Issues

  • As discussed by Dove, the film was initially to be titled “Red Rain” (rights issue with Peter Gabriel’s song) and “Red Harvest,” but both were dropped, the latter due to an existing Dashiell Hammett novel of the same name.
  • Quote: “If they’d gone with Red Harvest, they’d have been using the title of a famous Dashiell Hammett novel to make a completely unrelated movie.” – Paul, summarizing Dove (09:50)

• Cubs Reference and LA Connection

  • Caller explains the Chicago Cubs’ spring training history on Catalina Island, linking the Chicago Cubs insignia to LA in the film.
  • Quote: “You seem to wonder why there was a Cubs reference... from 1921 to 1951 the Cubs did their spring training on Catalina Island...” – Anonymous Caller (12:20)

• Abortion Laws in 1980s California

  • Listeners note the implausibility of the “back alley abortion” subplot, as abortions were legal at the time; clarified as a timeline issue—the character was past the legal limit.
  • Quote: “In California, abortion was definitely legal, and the sex worker didn’t need to pay for an abortion hotel.” – Peter from NY (14:20)
  • Quote: “Sydney, aka Dr. Shouty McAsshole, shouted... she was two weeks past the legal limit.” – Paul, reading listener correction (15:00)

• Unresolved Plot Skills

  • “Dark Spader” was an Army medic, but the film barely uses this detail; instead, he uses shoe salesman “skills” to solve the mystery.
  • Quote: “His medical skill was never brought up again... he used past gangster skills and shoe salesman skills to solve the case.” – Rocket Wesker (17:40)

• Childhood Anecdote

  • “My Buddy” doll misinterpreted as a slang for “penis,” providing a classic, awkward family story.
  • Quote: “The toy is named after a penis!” – Dang Tooten (18:40)

Correction & Omission Winner:

Dang Tooten, for sharing the most Paul Scheer-style, awkward personal story (20:00)

2. Community Updates & Housekeeping

• Tour Announcements

  • HDTGM and the troupe’s improv show “Dinosaur” are hitting the road, visiting cities like New York, Philadelphia, Boston, D.C., and L.A.
  • Quote: “Check out hdtgm.com for tour info... Edie Patterson, Danielle Schneider, Mary Holland, Rob Hubel, Rob Riggle... come see Dinosaur.” – Paul (06:30)

• Health Update: Avril Hallie

  • Update on Avril Hallie’s recovery and community support.
  • Quote: “Avril is one of our, you know, support beams of the show... she is on the mend and recovering.” – Paul (07:00)

3. Ask Paul: Personal & Pop Culture Q&A

• June and Paul’s Laughs

  • Listener speculates if Paul and June’s distinct laughs have influenced each other. Paul is endearingly “researching” it.
  • Quote: “I’ve never noticed that. Maybe we do. That’s very cute. I love June’s laugh.” – Paul (16:40)

• TV Viewing Habits

  • Paul and June’s marathon struggle to finish TV episodes together; recurring joke about watching Task multiple times.
  • Quote: “It takes us, I would say, three days to get through a 45-minute... show.” – Paul (17:30)

• Reality TV Trivia

  • Discussion of Marcus Lemonis’ spinoff show The Fixer, with Paul admitting he hasn’t yet checked it out.

4. Special Guest: Tom Scharpling Interview (25:45–50:39)

a. The Best Show: Origins & Influence

• Radio Roots

  • Tom recounts discovering Phil Hendrie and Joe Frank, their influence, and the creative freedom of radio.
  • Quote: “Joe Frank was about what you could do with audio... taking full advantage of the medium.” – Tom (27:50)

• Show Structure & Longevity

  • Signature “character calls” with John Wurster, creating a duo dynamic unlike typical comedy radio or podcast programming.
  • Quote: “The thing that me and John are doing is the thing. And doing that was just kind of validated the thing that me and John have.” – Tom (29:34)

• Live Tour

  • The Best Show is doing live shows with both Tom and John onstage – a rare treat.

b. Grown Ups 3 Spec Script Saga

• The Bit That Became a Thing

  • Tom wrote a script for “Grown Ups 3” as a joke; it went viral and reached key cast members, provoking both love and hate depending on one’s relationship to Sandler movies.
  • Quote: “Some people were just like, ‘Oh my god, I hate Adam Sandler so much, and I can tell how much you hate him because of this script.’ And other people were like, ‘I love those movies, and I can see there’s so much love for what he does in here.’” – Tom (32:39)

• Sandler Camp Reaction

  • Confirmation that Nick Swardson and David Spade read the script, and that Adam Sandler became aware of it through back channels.
  • Quote: “I know Nick Swartz didn’t read it... David Spade, I heard, read it and thought it was funny.” – Tom (34:08)

• Union & Strike Picketing

  • Shared war stories from recent WGA strikes, with Tom recalling near-misses with traffic and “star” sightings.
  • Quote: “The only star power I ever saw at it was one Sklar brother.” – Tom (36:25)

c. Forthcoming Show: Natasha Lyonne & Matt Berry

• ‘Heart to Heart’–style Comedy
  • Tom teases a new series in a retro-comedy/crime adventure vein, starring Natasha Lyonne and Matt Berry—“funny and stupid,” in the classic sense.
  • Quote: “It’s going to be really funny and kind of like if you put a Roger Moore era James Bond with... another person who’s a lot tougher and stronger.” – Tom (39:44)

d. Music Discovery as You Age

• Staying Curious

  • Paul, Jason, and Tom lament the disappearance of old-school record stores but share tips for finding new music (use algorithms, follow opening acts, Bandcamp user purchase histories, or venues like Gimme Gimme or Pasadena’s Healing Force of the Universe).
  • Quote: “Just look for the thing they recommend that you never have heard of and just... go down that road.” – Tom (44:25)
  • Quote: “I feel myself like flailing in this world because I just... never... gotta do some more exploration.” – Jason (46:03)

• Recent Album Recommendations

  • Destroyer, Wednesday, Sharp Pins, Steve Gunn’s Music for Writers
  • Quote: “If Bob Dylan made a record with Frog Eyes, I would be thrilled.” – Paul (43:36)

5. Upcoming & Closing Announcements

• Next Movie:

  • Grizzly 2: The Revenge (1983/2020) – a notoriously delayed B-movie with a wild cast and premise kicks off a month of “spooky” films.
  • Quote: “All hell breaks loose when a giant grizzly... attacks a massive big band rock concert in the national park. Holy shit. I am excited.” – Paul (52:33)

• How to Participate

  • Listeners can leave voicemails at 619 PAUL ASK or contribute via the Discord for future Last Looks episodes.

• Show and Tour Plugs

  • Details on HDTGM’s and “Dinosaur” show dates and locations; Tom Scharpling’s Best Show live dates at thebestshow.net.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “Wouldn’t it be great if they just started calling movies by the actors in them? Like, you know, Denzel Train Movie.” – Paul Scheer (02:25)
• “You can imagine my 8-year-old shock when I saw the commercial for My Buddy... The toy is named after a penis!” – Dang Tooten (18:40)
• “Hubie Halloween... I will not stand here and let you guys promote Hubie Halloween one more second.” – Jason Mantzoukas (33:31)
• “Look who bands you like pick as openers—if they respect somebody, there’s something there.” – Tom Scharpling (46:19)
• “Just look for the thing they recommend that you never have heard of and just go down that road.” – Tom Sharpling (45:02)
• “The only star power I ever saw [on the picket line] was one Sklar brother. And you couldn’t tell which one it was. Jason? I could tell. He was wearing glasses.” – Tom Sharpling & Paul (36:25–36:45)
• “Listen for the moment when the crowd realizes I was the surprise guest and you hear the room just deflate.” – Tom Scharpling, on appearing live with HDTGM (49:08)

Timestamps for Key Segments

| Time | Segment | |-------------|--------------------------------------------------------| | 02:16 | Paul greets audience, introduces "Last Looks" format | | 06:30 | Tour announcements and Avril Hallie update | | 08:00 | Listener Corrections: Smoking and shoe store details | | 12:20 | Deep dive: Chicago Cubs’ connection to LA | | 14:20 | Discuss abortion subplot plausibility in Jack’s Back | | 16:40 | Ask Paul: Laughs, reality TV, and TV-watching habits | | 18:40 | “My Buddy” anecdote and Correction Winner | | 25:45–50:39 | Tom Scharpling interview (history, Grown Ups 3, music) | | 39:44 | Preview: New show with Natasha Lyonne & Matt Berry | | 43:02–48:39 | Music recommendations & discovery tips | | 52:33 | Next Movie: Grizzly 2 trailer and excitement |

Tone & Takeaways

"How Did This Get Made?" remains the gold standard for raucous, imaginative deep dives into bad movies, buoyed by loving listener participation and sharp, digressive comedy. This episode is especially recommended for fans of podcast history, alternative comedy, and anyone seeking permission to keep “getting lost” (happily) in music or movies.