Brennan  0:00  

You’re listening to Dodge Movie Podcast. Your hosts are Christi and Mike Dodge the founders of Dodge Media Productions. We produce films and podcasts. So this is a podcast about films. Join them as they share their passion for filmmaking.

Christi Dodge  0:17  

Welcome back, everybody to the Dodge Movie Podcast. This is episode 126. We are in the middle of the month of July. So you have had, this will be your third opportunity to kind of put these glues together. This one is a bit of a gimme, I will say. So I’m going to be very disappointed if our regular guessers don’t at least give me a guess. And I hope to see some new names on the spreadsheet that I have keeping track of the guesses. We are talking today about the 1989 film Steel Magnolias.

It was directed by Herbert Ross, who also did The Turning Point and 77 The Goodbye Girl in that same year, and The Secret of My Success and 87 it starred Shirley MacLaine, Olympia Dukakis Sally Field, Julia Roberts and very young 20 year old Julia Roberts, Dolly Parton, Daryl Hannah, Tom Skerritt, Sam Shepard, Dylan McDermott and Janine Turner are very young. The DP was John Alonzo. And he was known for some big films, The Magnificent Seven in 1960 Chinatown in 74, and Star Trek Generations.

Mike Dodge  1:29  

The first one was generation to 94. Guess later,

Christi Dodge  1:41  

The writer the writer is Robert Harling, who actually this is based on his own family’s experience. Sally Field portrays his mother and Julia Roberts please portrays his sister. And so this is a very personal film for him. He also wrote Soap Dish and 91 The First Wives Club and 96 in The Evening Star also in 96. And he wrote many he were also wrote the play that then became the screenplay.

Mike Dodge  2:07  

So was he one of the two blonde brothers that refused to follow direction and were generally obnoxious.

Christi Dodge  2:15  

He would have been Yes. Very interesting. The synopsis for this film as a young beautician newly arrived in a small Louisiana town finds work at the local salon, where a group of women share a close bond of friendship and welcome her into the fold. The tagline I have to for you that the first one is the funniest movie ever to make you cry.

Mike Dodge  2:39  

Yeah, I would. I wouldn’t pick that one.

Christi Dodge  2:43  

Sometimes laughter is a matter of life and death. Again, no, I think both of those kill it for me.

Mike Dodge  2:51  

There are some clever lines, but I would not say there are any laughs in this film. 

Christi Dodge  2:57  

Oh, my goodness, where were you in the funeral scene? Or the grave side? You know? 

Mike Dodge  3:02  

Oh, yeah. Okay, I think I may be laughed out loud. There’s no spoilers here. I thought the joke was telegraphed. But I did love. I just want to beat someone until they feel this bad. Here’s Weezer. That was great. Yeah. That was good. Okay, I think I did laugh there. Okay.

Christi Dodge  3:19  

This film had a little bit of issues. Herbert Ross, the director had lost his first wife, Nora Kay in 1987, only two years before the film was released, so probably only about a year before filming. And he has been a number of the ladies have been interviewed and said that he was he had a harsh treatment of the actors. And it led surely who probably was a more senior actor at that point and felt like she had the ability to say this. She went up to him and said You’re behaving badly since Nora’s death. And it was just it wasn’t respectful to her or to the rest of the the actors. 

Mike Dodge  3:59  

I kind of feel like Shirley MacLaine is friendly that way when she was 20. She’s a little feisty.

Christi Dodge  4:06  

 In fact, after a poor take he reprimanded Dolly Parton and asked her if she could act and she replied “No, but it’s your job to make me look like I can.”

Mike Dodge  4:16  

That is a fun line but as a director like wait, what?

Christi Dodge  4:22  

So why don’t you kick us off and then we will get into the meat of this film. What is the pickup line of this film?

Mike Dodge  4:27  

Does not support my my theory at all. It’s morning, man. It’s the first time somebody like saying boy says it to Ennel but then she says it back. The first like real clear line though is it wave those flags son from drum eater, eaten 10 which is played by Tom Skerritt. 

Christi Dodge  4:51  

Julie Roberts Father, he is obsessed because they are getting the first scene is kind of fun. The town almost but specifically that neighborhood is getting ready for Shelby’s wedding.

Mike Dodge  5:05  

Right? And the opening sequence I put down I’m curious your opinion because to me, they seemed so stereotypical to almost be a cliche of small town in the south. I can in my mind’s eye here, the director saying our harmonica, but you know, like bunting and gazebos, and who knows what was going on there. And so I felt like it was very and having an l walk kind of through the town, right. Yeah. It very much. Like I said, it was very stereotypical and almost to me, I’m curious again, your opinion whether bordered on the cliche or not, because it seemed so very, very, on the nose.

Christi Dodge  5:48  

Well, I almost feel like I have to recuse myself from a lot of I mean, I I can definitely talk about this film, ad nauseam. I love this film. And so I feel like it informs it informs that this entire neighborhood is involved in the wedding. I also feel like it informs us just to what extent like this is a big deal. Like obviously, this is a favored daughter. It’s the only daughter so it makes sense why this couple is going to you know, I mean, we did a kind of like a home version of a hometown wedding. I don’t think we rented glasses. Right? Yeah, there are just certain expenses that the you can see that they’re, they’re making.

Mike Dodge  6:41  

Yeah, I mean, I was trying to think about how those two come together because I felt like this was before we really got to the wedding part because you know, you’re right. Once we get to the Eatonton’s property, it feels like a family that’s doing okay. Yeah, they’re definitely very comfortable. But then we find out that Weezer and then Dukakis this character I forget her name is are both quite a bit more well off, which is interesting that they will be friends with Dolly Parton. 

Christi Dodge  7:14  

How do we know Weezer’s well off? 

Mike Dodge  7:16  

At one point she says something to the effect of like, I’m richer than sin put up with me or something like that. But there’s a line of dialogue and made a note that her dialogue shows us that she is at least in the same shootin match as Olympia Dukakis. This character Okay, who apparently had enough money to buy a radio station, a local radio station.

Christi Dodge  7:38  

I feel like Clerise is very well off. We get that. And I feel like Truvy is doing okay, but, but just on the bubble, maybe?

Mike Dodge  7:51  

Right? At the end of the film, when Spud, which apparently people in the south are incapable of thinking of actual names because you got Drum and it’s Spud, Flap and but um, but like, gets her a new salon in town. That’s, you know, pretty big. So it feels to me like she’s middle class, business woman running her own salon. She obviously is doing well enough to hire Annelle, but she’s definitely not in the class of buying her own radio station.

Christi Dodge  8:20  

No, correct. I would agree with that. And so I think they’re more friends. Because of they all live in that neighborhood if except for maybe Clariee.

Mike Dodge  8:31  

Yeah, she rocked up in her expensive car that we’ll talk about could be their friends, like through the church or just from childhood. And it’s a small town, right? If you grew up all together, and then Clarice and Louise, you’re married rich dudes. Right? Yeah, you would still be friends. Yeah.

Christi Dodge  8:47  

So I think that whole opening scene, I just I love the chaos of it. I love that. M’Lynn, Sally Fields character is trying to set up everything and get everything in. Shelby is oblivious to how hard her mom’s working to pull this wedding off because she comes down complaining about the color of her fingernail polish. It’s kind of like, well, you would have tried that out beforehand. Right now your mom doesn’t care about your fingernail polish. She’s got broken wine glasses, you know. And then her husband is shooting off guns to scare the birds.

Mike Dodge  9:27  

What do we determine when we thought this was said it was like, contemporary when it was filmed? Like 88?

Christi Dodge  9:34  

What did I say? I thought 89 Yeah.

Mike Dodge  9:37  

So I have to say so this is Louisiana in 1989. In Louisiana, you probably still could buy our pistol within city limits and not have five roll up. Yeah, but I think in a lot of places nowadays, but I think our listeners should not use that as a method to get birds out of a tree is what I’m saying.

Christi Dodge  9:57  

Now, if we had a warning section that will definitely be in it. I love the line from the wedding. So Jackson comes in to tell Shelby like please, please marry me because she told them the night before. We don’t know why. But he she told him the night before, that she doesn’t think they should get married. So he comes to make sure that that she still wants to marry him. And I love the line that VCR is reason enough to get married. So that puts us clearly oh, we’re the late 80s. Because a VCR is a great gift to get

Mike Dodge  10:29  

At the time. And I’m just curious if our what percentage I should say if our listening audience are not familiar with what a VCR was. Yeah, it was, I think it was supposed to be sweet that he came to talk to her to convince her. But not knowing anything about this film. Just seeing this guy climbing through her window as a Yeah, like, Drum should use that pistol on here. 

Christi Dodge  10:58  

Yeah. And she says that’s my if my daddy catches you in here with me? Yeah, yeah. I’ve seen this. I want to hear what you think of the writing. How about that? We’ll start there.

Mike Dodge  11:10  

Right. So I have to say, to the listening audience at several points throughout our watching and discussing movies this month, I got Terms of Endearment and stealing millions mixed up in my mind. They’re the same film. So if I say something dumb, that maybe is what’s going on. I found it was not obvious to me, what was going on for a while. And I have to admit, I leaned on the crutch of asking you several times what the hell’s going on here. So I generally like a progressive disclosure, I felt like if you hadn’t told me, I wouldn’t have drawn the diabetes connection. And so that was kind of interesting. Having a friend who has type one. I know it’s a serious ailment. But it didn’t. She appears to really suffer quite a bit from it. 

And spoiler alert, and it eventually takes her out. So that to me was I didn’t I didn’t kind of understand that so much. But it really wasn’t about that I was more just kind of the the thing. They showed her and her mother really not having what I would consider a good relationship. But maybe that in some mother daughter pairings, that’s normal. Right? But her mom played by Sally Field was really not very compassionate or understanding.

I felt like, you know, like her daughter wanted to have a child and she was just all angry and bitter. At one point, Shelby says, we tried to buy a child by which they think they mean adoption, isn’t it? Yeah. Didn’t know if they meant like going to China and purchasing a child. And she says, we couldn’t. I thought that seems really unrealistic. To me. That was about I understand it was kind of for the plot device to set up that she had to get pregnant.

Christi Dodge  12:58  

She even says, and I don’t know if this was true, but she said nobody will give a child to somebody with my health condition. 

Mike Dodge  13:09  

Yeah, that was it was a stretch for me. I didn’t think they would say Oh, well, this kid, he either stays in his orphanage or he could go home with person who has diabetes type one and shall live for decades. And anyway, so that was a little bit from a writing perspective. Maybe that actually like happened, right? Did author pulled that out of the experience, so I can’t see it couldn’t happen. But to me, that was surprising. Right? It reminded me a little bit in structure of your Christmas movie with Craig T Nelson and family. 

Christi Dodge  13:43  

Oh, Family Stone 

Mike Dodge  13:44  

Right? In kind of this family comes together and stuff happens and then somebody doesn’t make it. So there’s kind of that whole, that whole thing. I really did enjoy the Statler and Waldorf of Clarice and Weezer. Right. And they were kind of fun and feisty. I was curious, I think Darryl Hannah’s character and now really, I’m not sure what purpose she served narratively. In, in the film,

Christi Dodge  14:12  

Well see was maybe the outsider. So kind of served as the audience, but possibly to explain that this group was so insular that they wouldn’t bring in a new woman to support and take care of because they all kind of had a hand in her progress throughout the movie.

Mike Dodge  14:37  

That’s interesting perspective. I have to get a little thought I did like it was pretty pro firearm, you generally don’t see that very often in there’s a line where Shelby says “Jackson’s found a firearm. We may never see him again.”

So you’re kind of you’re speeding through a lot of this. 

Oh, sorry. I will slow it down.

Christi Dodge  14:59  

I just want to say that I think that it was based on a true story. So the writer Robert Harling had a sister, and his and I think I saw an interview with Sally. And she said, I think when you have a child, his sister was diagnosed with type one, I think when she was eight years old, and so for at least 10 years to let’s say, 12, or 14, you know, getting a child to college once they’ve been diagnosed with an illness, and your constant concern is, what is their blood sugar? What are they eating? When’s the last time they ate? What did they eat? Are they you know, like, are they eating stuff? They shouldn’t.

She mentioned that. Sally said she could imagine if you had a child and you’re obsessed with their care, and, you know, did she take her medicine and all of this stuff that then once you get them to like 18, 20, 24, you’re still kind of in that mode, but you have to slowly back off or back off, because now they’re an adult, and they’re responsible for those things.

But now, when they make decisions, when a doctor says you probably shouldn’t have kids, because the pregnancy is going to tax your body so much that you’re already weak kidneys, have to support now two lives, and your child doesn’t adhere to medical advice. You would be cranky, you would be a little, I think upset, because you will want your child to live. Now. I understand as someone who did want to be a mother, I understand why Shelby wants to have a baby.

Mike Dodge  16:41  

Okay, so a couple of things there. You know, not saying it didn’t happen. It says this. I’m sure it did, because that’s what he said. But what I’m saying is, did it happen in 1989? To a sister? I don’t think so. I think it happened earlier. And he took that to write about it. And and so that having a doctor tell you, you can’t have a baby, because you have diabetes? seems not.

Like common are less believable for 99 and 1959. I totally believe that. So that’s one thing. So to me, again, not invalidating image experience. I’m just saying for me, it wasn’t believable. Like, that bumped me completely, I think I would have bought the film better if they’d come up with some, like Lorenzo’s Oil kind of thing I’d never heard of, I’d be like, okay, you know, she’s she’s got bringing to this disease. Okay. So that was I just mentioned, because that’s like a key kind of, I wouldn’t even say plot point condition that informs the rest of the film, while the whole film kind of orbits around her medical condition. So there’s that they established that Jackson is doing very well financially, because he’s an attorney. 

I would have, like, well, then they would have certainly had help of some sort, whether it be someone in the home to help with all them, household chores, the best doctors, presumably that money could buy and that kind of thing. So that I’m just you asked me my thought of it coming into this kind of cold. Is that about me? I can live with the relationship between the mother and Shelby, because I’ve seen it a lot, I guess in film, so I feel like okay, that is a believable relationship between the two of them. But I have to say, like, I can also believe it if Shelby when her mom was not supportive of the grandchild was just like, okay, you know, screw you, like, guess who’s not seeing Jackson Jr.

I mean, that was like to be that unsupportive. That’s pretty intense, right? For someone, I think, to go after their kid that hard. And I hear you what you saying that Sally Fields motivation, thinking that, you know, there’s this mother that is obsessed about a child and now the child is doing some things that that you think would endanger them and you would be upset.

Okay, right. I mean, I can kind of believe it. But like I said, there are costs, there are consequences to that choice of treating your child like that. So that doesn’t resonate with me. I think if someone was that negative about me having a child, I don’t know that I would get over that. But I guess she’ll be dead and maybe some families do. Right, not mine. So some of the other things I sped by that you wanted it.

Christi Dodge  19:37  

What did you think about the relationship between the women like did you buy that? You know, intergenerationally and, you know, as you stated, and now is that a different socio economic class then carries and, you know, what did you think of, I guess the way they came together for one another?

Mike Dodge  19:56  

I think that it seemed believable All I as I mentioned before, I really liked the sparring between Clarice and Weezer. And then, you know, the having truly became the the center of the Information Network and the town through the salon made sense to me. Right. And even though maybe the director didn’t think Dolly acted, well, I enjoyed dolly in this film.

So maybe she’s just being Dolly and Dolly is a hoot. But I think that worked out well. For me, I thought Tom Skerrit’s character was a little bit of a character, he seemed not quite right in the head. But it’s possible that he was given direction to kind of amp that up a bit. And so at the end of the film, something happens. And he, he kind of gives Weezer like a little fake salute. So I think that was to tell the viewer that some of his behavior was purposeful, just to yank her chain. Exactly. Yeah.

Christi Dodge  20:57  

For cinematography, there’s a shot in the, in the salon. Julia is in the foreground, and Sally and Dolly are in the mirror in the background. The audio is coming from M’Lynn and Truvy in the background. And it’s so good because you hear what they’re talking about. You see how it’s affecting Shelby’s character in the foreground.

Mike Dodge  21:26  

Yeah, that was really super well done. 

Christi Dodge  21:28  

Very cool scene.

Mike Dodge  21:29  

He had a couple of times where he had shots where Annelle was framed with stuff. So there was like, a walkway where the trees arched over her that very had the same shape that you would associate like with, with arches and churches, and framing her or some other foliage, I thought, but another thing that that was kind of fun was when they’re carrying the wedding cake in, they dolly that shot so that you see the cake. And the two guys moving through everything. And I think that’s playing off of how often in movies if a wedding cake is being moved to gets tipped or smashed, or somebody falls into it, or and so it’s kind of that that tension like oh, no, they’re showing us the cake.

Christi Dodge  22:16  

Yeah, is that what’s gonna happen here? Yeah, this cemetery scene was done in one take.

Mike Dodge  22:23  

Well, you know, and this is interesting. At the time we watched it this last time you had commented on Sally Field acting and not to be critical. I don’t really consider that to be her best acting work to me. That was over the top scene where scenery chewing you know, it was just kind of like have a big moment not great acting to me. But if nothing else that serve just set up that awesome line of here’s Weezer. Yeah, her that I thought was great. I think the whole film was setting up pushing her in the way and say punch her. I thought that that that part was funny.

Christi Dodge  23:03  

I think the reason I love Sally in that scene, and I did acknowledge, I mean, that’s a Sally that we saw in I’m Smokey and the Bandit. It’s probably a little bit that we saw in Soap Dish, I think I’m trying to think of another scene.

Mike Dodge  23:21  

Oh, Sally in Norma Rae. She’s standing on the table. 

Christi Dodge  23:25  

But what I love about this one is because there’s a movie that’s totally leaving in my mind, but I saw it there too. She goes from she’s looking at herself. That what kicks it off is she asked for a mirror. And she kind of chuckled to herself because she’s like, Oh, Shelby was right, my hair looks like a brown helmet. So she’s harkening back, she’s missing her daughter, but she’s still hearing her daughter’s voice in her head. When she looks at her hair. That’s her first thought, which I think is a real thing that would happen. Rhen you start chuckling because you’re like, Oh, she was right. And she’s chuckling.

Then she goes, I just miss her and I just miss her so much. Then she goes through this like, roller coaster. She is almost like goes through all the emotions that one goes through when you’re grieving, anger, frustration, you know, I just want to hit something like it it just like you said, it perfectly sets up then this the break and the tension. It’s just to me the scene is so well written that, you know, Clarice grabs, we just says here hit her. I mean, I just think it’s one of the best. So especially I’m gonna put it in the show notes. Because everybody if you have not seen this scene, you have to watch it. It’s just classic.

Mike Dodge  24:47  

I guess maybe I identify more with Clarice. What can you say to break the awkward tension? Exactly. Then with M’Lynn, who and maybe again, this is kind of my own. We watched another film I’m just yesterday where someone has a breakdown in the hotel hallway. And part of it is I’m just kind of embarrassed for him like, dude, maintain, like, get yourself under control.

Christi Dodge  25:11  

I think that says a lot because I think, too, for people to have those outbreaks, I think that’s when you like, work through stuff you like, you process it in that way.

Mike Dodge  25:26  

I also process my dinner, but I don’t want other people to watch that. So there’s like, Yeah, I mean, I kinda agree. There’s a certain like, there, but yeah, yeah, it’s absolutely definitely me. That that’s not my kind of my comfort level. My sensibility is those those giant, you know, do you need to go into the woods for a bit? Right? Yeah, you go off where other people don’t see you.

Christi Dodge  25:53  

You mentioned I believe, when we were watching this that Daryl Hannah was is almost too attractive to be Annelle and the director thought so too. So she asked if she could come in and read for the part anyway. And the next day she arrived to the studio dressed as an owl. And she was so unrecognizable that security when let her in.

Mike Dodge  26:15  

So did she pick out those cats iframe?

Christi Dodge  26:18  

I wonder because they’re old.

Mike Dodge  26:20  

I mean, they’re 30 years old when the film is set, and they’re not that attractive.

Christi Dodge  26:25  

No, they’re not. And she she kind of goes through a metamorphosis throughout the movie and I think that rings true also because I think true view would be like, well, sweetie, have you tried this? And well Sweetie, what if you got some contacts

Mike Dodge  26:38  

And in dialogue she says he took her money and most of her clothes. they were in the trunk. When he R-U-N O-F-T. So that yeah, that definitely tracks and but speaking though, of costume theory. Yes, I did. I did notice that at one point Shelby is wearing these pastel plaid Bermuda shorts. And I think I had that same pair of shorts in that era. So way to go. pastels are being an 80s pastel plaid short Bermuda shorts, man. Yeah, I had a couple of

Christi Dodge  27:07  

What did you think of those Pepto Bismol? Pink bridesmaids dresses with hats?

Mike Dodge  27:13  

I don’t know. Were they blush or bashful? They were actually they were incredibly period accurate. 

Christi Dodge  27:21  

Yeah, yes. The hair with all the layers had teased out.

Mike Dodge  27:27  

Poofy shoulder Yeah, that was just because back Wayback Machine.

Christi Dodge  27:34  

I loved we talked about the opening scene I loved like iconic, the boy riding through the neighborhood, you know, throwing the paper onto the porches and the front porches with the swings and the white literal white picket fence and you know the local Little League baseball team running through the neighborhood it just to me it just set that scene up. And so it was shot in this small town of Nachidocious, even though it was supposed to be Chikapin. And reportedly filmmakers made so many demands on the locals that so many that volunteered when three years later or two years later, when The Man in the Moon came to the same town to shoot extras were very hard to find.

Mike Dodge  28:23  

I think it was probably period accurate for Louisiana, and 89. But one of the things that we mentioned and I think even paused to go back is at the wedding reception some of Jackson’s groomsmen one of them had on a Confederate hat and the other had a saber. Then he pulled out of the scabbard and was drunkenly waving around. Yeah, more than one not safe. Yeah, so again, maybe that’s accurate.

Christi Dodge  28:53  

But for the South in 1989, it very well could have been I have no idea. I have no way of knowing is

Mike Dodge  28:59  

that a case where, you know, the extra showed up with the saber? I brought my own saber. Just like Okay, be careful with it.

Christi Dodge  29:05  

So under sound I’m just going to say that in the township, Nacatocious was known for these noisily squawking birds that disturb the peace and so they kind of, you know, embraced it. In order to film two months prior to filming. The production company hired a Los Angeles studio bird and animal wrangler, and he, they transported their showbiz wire cage blackbird circus, to Louisiana, where they settled in at the local Holiday Inn and for six weeks, including Saturdays and Sundays, the wranglers trained the flock of blackbirds with a loaded with blank loaded gun shots as signals to fly from one location of trees to another. So that They could film the scene with the birds,

Again, seems so much harder than using visual effects.

I know but they didn’t have that then. And at night Yeah, well, or maybe it was prohibitively expensive if they did, I guess. 

Mike Dodge  30:15  

Like I don’t even know how you train black birds to do something, let alone fly from one tree to the next.

Christi Dodge  30:21  

I know a guy you can call

Mike Dodge  30:23  

If I ever need that to film and I pray that I never do.

Christi Dodge  30:28  

Was there any head trauma in addition to with all these firearms abound?

Mike Dodge  30:33  

Well, we have we have two implied Well, I guess maybe even three. And then one real so clearly tells a story about a woman getting hit in the head with a baseball I think that counts, but it’s just a retelling. A woman at the reception has a giant bandage on her forehead, explained unexplained. But we presume something happened. Something traumatic happened to her head to get that bad. 

Christi Dodge  30:57  

Yes, it’s a good two by three inch bandage on their forehead to begin.

Mike Dodge  31:02  

So much so that you would actually comment on it in real life. If you saw that. Oh my gosh, what happened? Shelby collapses at her house off screen, but we do see your collapse by the stairs. That was not good. They never went into the specifics of of how that injury took her out. But it could have been that she hit her head when she fell. Right? Yep. And then we did see according to my notes, Jack slaps Weezer.

Christi Dodge  31:29  

Oh, that’s right. I forgot about that. Yeah. How about a smooch?

Mike Dodge  31:34  

Smoochy smoochy smoochy. I had no recorded smooches I don’t think we see the You may now kiss the bride. I think we do we see him coming out of the house in like in their garb for they’ve changed clothes and now they’re gonna get in the car and go off on their honeymoon. But we don’t see the ceremony. 

Christi Dodge  31:53  

I don’t think he kisses her when he comes into her bathroom right before the wedding.

Mike Dodge  31:58  

No, and in fact, this is more cinematography, but I was really impressed at how they blocked that shot. So that Julia Roberts could get out of the tub but she could be wearing a swimsuit for all that we saw. It was really cleverly done. Yes. Yeah, I noticed that too. But they were not that close in that in that same. There’s always couple feet between them.

Christi Dodge  32:19  

Yeah, I think you’re right. Let’s see a driving review please.

Mike Dodge  32:23  

Okay, so. So spud who is played by I believe, Sam Shepard, he drives a brown 73 Ford F 250. I think that’s an accurate one. Truvy’s son, I think Louis he rides a motorcycle but it’s a relatively new is 86 Honda. I don’t know if in the shelf they would write a Honda. I think there’s some other options but I’m not a motorcycle guy.

Christi Dodge  32:50  

Could that have been a cost like his he that’s all he could afford?

Mike Dodge  32:54  

Very well could be I think that they may have still been in a lower cost motorcycle at the time. I can’t I’m not a motorcycle guy. So somebody who is you can let us know when Clary rolls up in that 88 Lincoln Continental that is a brand new Lincoln Continental top of the line. So that tells me that she has a fair amount of cash. That’s a nice ride. And then Truvy has a 73 Buick Apollo I didn’t recognize I had to look that up. I didn’t recognize the Apollo it was only sold for a few years and it was kind of a budget car. So that makes sense that again, that fits with her.

The car they drive away in was an 88 Mercury Grand Marquis. And so that’s a pretty nice car. It’s basically a brand new car. So that’s showing us that Jackson has a fair amount of money. Then later in the film Spud drives this 1970 International Harvester Scout, which the only reason I can think production did that was they wanted him to drive up on the lawn because they had to get Annelle to the hospital because she’s given birth. Yep. And my last note of an automotive standpoint is an LS named their kid Shelby after the Julia Roberts character. I think her husband Sammy wants to name Shelby after the Cobra. That’s my opinion, but probably.

Christi Dodge  34:13  

Probably So shall we go to the numbers?

Mike Dodge  34:15  

Let’s go to the numbers.

Christi Dodge  34:16  

One quick thing before I start into the numbers is Herbert Ross directed soap dish. And Sally Field was in it and she almost didn’t take the picture because of how nasty he was this time and he he actually came to her and apologized and said, I would really like you to take it so I can kind of right some wrongs that I did. So he I think surely was right. He was grieving his wife. And so as we know, Sally took the job. This film though Steel Magnolias had a budget of 15 million, and it made 83 million adjusted for today that would be like 188 million and worldwide that brought in 95 million so I wouldn’t say that would be considered a success.

It got a 7.3 out of 10 on IMDb. And critics though didn’t really care for it, they were maybe more in line with you, they gave it a 66 or it has 66%. Fresh and then audiences though loved it much, much more at 89%. And I would agree with those audience members. It was, like I said, filmed in Louisiana. It’s just under two hours at an hour and 57 minutes. It’s rated PG and it is listed as a Comedy Drama Romance. And it came to us from TriStar Pictures. Julia won the Golden Globe for best performing actress and the film itself won the People’s Choice Awards as a tie for the favorite drama with Batman that year.

Mike Dodge  35:51  

Okay, drama I would buy definitely a drama. Yeah.

Christi Dodge  35:55  

That will do it for Steel Magnolias. This is like I said your third option that we have five movies this month in July. So here is your third film. And please text us at 971-245-4148 with your guess of what our theme is our film so far have been Terms of Endearment, mermaids, and now Steel Magnolias join us next week. Well as we’ll be talking about Mrs. Doubtfire, but never forget

Mike Dodge  36:23  

Dodges never stop and neither to the movies.

Brennan  36:26  

Thanks for listening to dodge movie podcast with Christi and Mike Dodge of Dodge Media Productions. To find out more about this podcast and what we do, go to dodgemediaproductions.com. Subscribe, share, leave a comment and tell us what we should watch next. dodges never stop and neither do the movies.