Ep. 06-20: Slaughterhouse Five (1972)

From his home in Ilium, N.Y., optometrist Billy Pilgrim (Michael Sacks) narrates how he came to be “unstuck in time.” Kidnapped by aliens and living in comfort with his assigned mate, B-movie starlet Montana Wildhack (Valerie Perrine), Billy experiences the events of his life in random order, flitting between his past as an American prisoner of war in World War II, to his humdrum middle-class life in the present-day, to his future as a zoo curiosity on the planet Tralfamadore.

Welcome to our first visit to the weird, wacky, and wonderful world of beloved humanist author Kurt Vonnegut. Although Slaughterhouse-Five (1972) is not a perfect movie, it still manages to capture the novel’s essence, which is a challenging task considering the difficulty of successfully adapting Vonnegut novels. Join us as we discuss the strengths and weaknesses, including its screenplay, cast, and the marvelous direction of George Roy Hill. Listen as Johnny Has the Keys becomes unstuck in time, traveling through the eyes of Billy Pilgrim and a lifetime of lunacy and love.

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Ep. 06-07: The Time Machine (1960) & Mysterious Island (1961)

From the book by H.G. Wells, a scientist and builds a time machine and uses it to explore the distant future where there are two races, a mild gentle race, and a cannibalistic one living underground. His machine is stolen by the underground race and he must risk being captured (and eaten) to return to his own time.

In this sequel to Jules Verne’s 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, Union POWs escape a Confederate camp via a hot-air balloon and end up stranded on a South Pacific island, inhabited by giant plants and animals. They must use their ingenuity to survive the dangers and devise a way to return home. agues Under the Sea’.

DOUBLE FEATURE! And who better than to pair together than classic sci-fi writers H. G. Wells and Jules Verne? Though The Time Machine (1960) may fare better to the test of time than Mysterious Island (1961), both films are super fun dives into some classic nostalgic fare. Join us as we discuss what made these films endearing to us now and then, including directors, screenplays, casts, and special effects. Listen, as Johnny Has the Keys cracks open classic tomes of literature, to see what marvelous adventures await.

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Ep. 06-05: Somewhere in Time

In 1972, playwright Richard Collier (Christopher Reeve) is fascinated with a photo of Elise McKenna (Jane Seymour), a turn-of-the-century stage actress. As his obsession grows, Richard learns from a friend that time travel may actually be possible through hypnosis. Richard travels in time to meet Elise, and the two appear destined to be together. However, Elise’s jealous manager (Christopher Plummer) sees their courtship much differently.

Welcome to the third of our four visits to the worlds of Richard Matheson (we’re saving the last for April). Somewhere in Time (1980) is a bit of a departure for us because it is a genuine romance movie (Tim would argue that 1986’s The Fly was a romance, too, but that is another story!). Join us as we discuss why this time-traveling romance (a personal favorite of David’s) remains a classic, including its fabulous cast, screenplay, and setting. Listen, as Johnny Has the Keys journeys back to the early 20th century, where obsession turns to love, and jealousy is alive and well, and ready to thwart destiny.

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Ep. 04-21: 12 Monkeys (1995)

An unknown virus has wiped out five billion people in 1996. Forced to live underground, only 1% of the population has survived by the year 2035. A convict, James Cole (Bruce Willis), volunteers to be sent back in time to 1996 to gather information about the origin of the epidemic (supposedly spread by a mysterious “Army of the Twelve Monkeys”) and locate the virus before it mutates so that scientists can study it. Unfortunately, Cole is mistakenly sent to 1990, six years prior, and is arrested and locked up in a mental institution, where he meets Dr. Kathryn Railly (Madeleine Stowe), a psychiatrist, and Jeffrey Goines (Brad Pitt), the insane son of a famous scientist and virus expert.

Episode 4-21

We return to the world of time travel, a concept Bruce Willis should be well-acquainted with, considering he’s starred in multiple time travel movies—The Kid (2000); Looper (2012). This time, he jaunts the years via the brilliant insanity of director, and former Monty Python member Terry Gilliam. Join us as we discuss this often overlooked gem that spawned a successful television series… two decades later. Listen, as Johnny has the Keys time-travels somewhat recklessly to save the world, searching for the origins of man’s folly amongst fools.