Can you believe Telly Savalas, Claudia Cardinale, David Niven, Richard Roundtree, Sonny Bono and Mr Bronson from Grange Hill were in the same movie once? We can’t – and this is before you get to lovely old Roger Moore playing a Wehrmacht captain! It can only be Escape to Athena, one of a series of star-studded flops produced by British TV mogul Lew Grade – and this one has an ace up its sleeve in the form of future Rambo: First Blood Part II director George P Cosmatos.
It’s the kind of film about a Nazi prisoner-of-war camp that always gets shown at Christmas, which is an odd state of affairs when you stop to think about it. On this episode of Pop Screen, Graham is joined once again by We Are Cult’s Mark Cunliffe to discuss the evolution of the World War II movie, as well as Grade’s chequered career. There’s also room to debate the best screen incarnation of Philip Marlowe, reveal how Sonny Bono shaped modern Hollywood and decide which Muppet clearly inspired Elliot Gould’s performance in this film.
If you don’t want us to be reduced to doing striptease shows for German generals, you can donate to our Patreon, where you’ll get more than ever for your money. The next Pop Screen Patreon exclusive, about the 2002 Britney Spears vehicle Crossroads, goes live a day after this show, while Unseen Asia is currently posing the question: why is John Woo’s Hard Boiled not available in the UK? Plus Last Night…, Random Access Who, and more. Follow us on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook for more information.
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Episode 88: Escape to Athena
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