Westworld is a futuristic theme park where paying guests can pretend to be gunslingers in an artificial Wild West populated by androids. After paying a sizable entrance fee, Blane (James Brolin) and Martin (Richard Benjamin) are determined to unwind by hitting the saloons, and brothels, and shooting their guns. But when the system goes haywire and Blane is killed in a duel with a robotic gunslinger (Yul Brynner), Martin’s escapist fantasy suddenly takes on a grim reality.
Westworld (1973) may not be scary by today’s standards, but to a young, impressionable child of 1973–take it from me–Yul Brynner was absolutely terrifying. Join us for some rip-roaring nostalgic fun as we dive into our second Michael Crichton offering of the year, discussing the recurring motif in his work as well as its seminal influence today. Listen, as Johnny Has the Keys travels to yet another amusement park, one where things also run amuck on a smaller but no less dangerous scale.
SHOW NOTES:
- Westworld (1973)
- Original trailer
- Michael Crichton
- Jurassic Park (1993)
- The Six Million Dollar Man (1974)
- The Dark Tower books
- Black Mirror (2011)
- Sam Peckinpah
- Barney Fife
- It Follows (2014)
- Futureworld (1976)
- Beyond Westworld (1980)
- Westworld (2016)
- Star Trek: Where No Man Has Gone Before
- Star Trek: I, Mudd
- Dr. Goldfoot and the Bikini Machine (1965)
- Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery (1997)
- The Magnificent Seven (1960)
- M3GAN (2023)
- Halloween (1978)
- The Terminator (1984)
- The original Pirates of the Caribbean ride
Get Tim’s Book THE DEAD NEXT DOOR
Do you like our show? Want more cool stuff? Help us continue…
Reach out to us…
