Hollywood Hype and TV Housewife Hilarity (Hour 1)

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Well, I feel like you should still have to talk about it.

Are the cubs in?

It's

still a world event.

Oh, the brewers beat the cubs.

Oh,

OK, got it.

No, no, no.

It was the Dodgers and the Toronto Blue Jays.

And it was a tough one.

I mean, I'm kind of a Dodger fan because I lived out there for quite a while.

and my son grew up going to Dodger games, so I really sort of became a Dodger fan, but I was kind of rooting for the Blue Jays because I think Toronto is such a cool city.

So I was very torn, but having said that, it was this amazing World Series.

Two extra ending games.

Game 7.

Any game 7 is great.

I'll even, I'll watch a hockey game 7, and I don't know the first thing about hockey.

So anyway, it was outstanding.

A great World Series on Halloween.

Was it Halloween night or was the night before?

I can't remember.

No, it was Halloween.

You would know better than

me.

It was November 1st, it ended.

So we did have November baseball.

So, and we got a great show for you folks tonight.

We got two great guests and a couple guys that, one guy who's been here before, another guy I've been trying to get on the show for quite a while, Doug Prey is a documentary filmmaker.

and a native Wisconsinite.

He has lived in Los Angeles for decades now, but he comes back here to make movies occasionally.

He is a decorated award-winning director, and we're gonna talk to Doug tonight about some of his projects, and I'm very excited to have him on the show.

He was referred to me by a guest we've had on several times, Mike Mercury, who is sort of, Mike is sort of retired now, even from coming on the radio, apparently, which I think is kind of slacky.

And I'm saying that just in case he's listening.

Because he's a great guy, very funny, great writer.

But anyway, Mike introduced me to Doug.

Doug will be on at 6.35.

We'll talk about Doug's connection.

Doug has been in his bio.

It says he's lived in Los Angeles for decades, but he's been spending more and more time in Wisconsin up north on Lake Superior.

That is not just escaping good weather.

That's escaping good weather for pretty much the worst weather Wisconsin has, or the worst cold, I would say.

because Lake Superior is freezing.

He must kind of like the cold secretly.

But we'll talk to Doug about a number of things in his career and what he's got going on, because he's got a couple movies coming out that look really just dynamite.

And then at 735, my pal Joel Murray will be here.

Joel has just joined the cast of Chicago PD.

It's the 14th season of this Dick Wolf, what do they call it?

One Chicago series.

You got Med, Fire, and PD.

and Joel has just joined the cast.

We'll talk to Joel about his role on the show.

He's also been in Mad Men, and he has a, there's a cool movie coming up called Madden, and he plays Pat Somerall, the football announcer.

So we'll talk to Joel.

He's always a blast.

He's part of the, who's line, whose life is it anyway?

Traveling show, and he's been in Wisconsin many times, a native Chicagoan.

Joel Murray will be here at 735.

Lots of fun, got a great question tonight.

I have to ask you, Amanda.

First of all, how was your son's Halloween?

Was it the child-like wonderer that you got to live vicariously through?

Did he have a good time?

Oh, I always live vicariously, and I always take part of the candy tax.

Oh, of course.

Of course.

You get a taste.

That's your job.

No, my son went... So the Wallers, he went trick-or-treating a handful of times.

His aunt actually kidnapped him on Halloween.

and took him, she's like, I scoped out all the rich neighborhoods, he's gonna have a great time, we're gonna get full size all this, and it was apparently horrible, like no one was passing out candy.

Why?

I don't

know.

It's

horrible.

She's like, yeah, there was like so few houses, it was a real bust.

Oh

man.

Yeah, so they didn't get a lot, and that's okay, cause you know, I don't need my kid sugared up all the time.

I'm sure

he got more than he needs anyway.

Yeah, definitely.

So he's fine.

I mean, someone was passing out full size Toblerones, so that was cool.

Well, those are like two feet long, aren't they?

About a, about a religion length, I think.

About a foot, okay.

And then someone else 3D printed these little ghosts that were whistles the kids could blow into, which is really cool if you're not the parent who has to deal with the aftermath of that.

Right.

So.

Wow.

But yeah, they said there was like not a lot of houses and that's something I noticed when I took them trick-or-treating was there are a lot less houses than normal.

Oh, wow.

That's, well, that's fine.

Total errone.

Isn't that kind of a...

Older persons?

No, I mean, it's like

candy like toffee fe

Maybe I don't know.

It's like chocolate and with little new get pieces.

I think

Interesting

toffee pieces.

I know

they're huge.

I know that's the candy Joey wanted from the airport on friends That's a big thing So anyway, well, I want to ask you about this Amanda because I know you're a stranger things fan

Yes

Are you caught up?

Have you seen all four seasons leading into season five, which

happens this month?

I've watched them all, but it's been so long since season four.

I bet I forgot so much.

I stopped after season one, I have to be honest.

We're good?

Yeah, we're

good.

I kind of stopped, and it's not like I didn't like, I liked season one.

where season two kind of went off the rails for me, I probably should have stuck with it, but sometimes I get impatient with the show and I just stopped.

So my goal is this month is to catch up on two, three and four before five drops

on Thanksgiving.

That's a lot of episodes.

I know,

I can do it though.

I'm like a goonie, I never say die.

So anyway, there's a lot of stuff coming out.

I think David Harbour,

was like sort of by default one of the most likable actors or celebrities in Hollywood doing parts of stranger things and he's in a lot of other films too that where he always plays kind of a smart ass or kind of a dumb ass but likable and He just like there was a lawsuit brought against him by the character that plays 11 million Bobby Brown Who said he was bullying her?

Before they even started shooting season five see that's such a shocker though because when their relation because like their relationship started developing in season one and then in season two, you know, he kind of like adopts her and She's like the replacement daughter for his character and like it was always told like how sweet he was to her how close they were on set they

have a

real father daughter relationship so like you know when I heard you mention it earlier for your beats like

I was shocked.

I mean, I've already heard all about the Lily Allen stuff and how he

was cheating on her

and how apparently brutal her new album is.

Like she read receipts in the songs and texts and all that.

I don't know anything about his personal life.

I don't typically care about people's personal lives.

I never, I try not to anyway, judge people's marriages.

I know whatever, but

This is weird.

And not that him cheating isn't.

That's terrible if that's the deal.

And I don't know about that.

But with this Millie Bobby Brown, I want to go, well, maybe he was using an acting tactic or something.

And he was like him trying to father her in some weird way as a connection through acting, method acting, whatever you want to call it.

But there are pages and pages of accusations, apparently.

And it's such a bummer because I do like the guy.

I love

his

acting

isn't that an issue or method acting often just goes off the rails it can often like I'm not sure if you've dealt with it like personally but I mean I hear so many stories about how it doesn't end well like Jared Leto would be one of the biggest ones when he was playing the Joker and he was sending what dead rats to the cast and stuff

but the guy's got his quirks okay um

Yeah, I don't know and I'm not a schooled enough actor.

I get method and Meisner and all these different techniques, but I think when your co-star is, let's say four years ago, five years ago, what was Millie Bobby Brown, 15?

When the

show came on, maybe even younger, because I don't know, the first season probably was longer than five years.

Oh

my God, the show's taking forever to just film and get through it.

It came out like in

2014 or something like

that, right?

Yeah, something like that.

So the fact that you're doing this to a kid who might not totally get where you're coming from, you bail and you move on and you go, I'm sorry, but this is weird.

There's so many pages, so many accusations, and it's a real drag when you find that one of your, not heroes, but I do like, I've always liked David Harbour.

And every, I don't know, and everything I've seen him in, I'm a fan, so it kind of sucks.

With that in mind, folks, I think it's time we not waste one more second and get to our nightlight question of the night.

Let's talk

about the question.

Okay, question.

Question.

Question.

Pregunta.

Question.

Question.

Okay, I have a question.

Questions.

This question.

Domanda.

Question.

Question.

It's National Housewives Day.

So tonight's question is who is your favorite movie or TV housewife?

Who is the best?

Who is your favorite?

However you want to answer it.

Do they still call women who stay home?

They still call them housewives, right?

Or tradwives.

There's all kinds of different.

It depends who you talk to because it can be a sensitive term to some.

It is.

No, and I want to respect

that.

So I was, I called myself a stay-at-home mom for like, you know, the four years that I was.

So I mean, technically that's considered a housewife.

I'm not married though, but

stay-at-home

mom, housewife, tradwife is new.

Yeah.

That's a whole thing.

I would love to be a house husband.

that didn't have to work.

That's what

Kevin says.

Or have to run

kids around.

That sounds like a bad life to me, but that's our question.

It's National Housewives Day in honor of all the housewives.

Who is the best movie or TV housewife?

You can text us at 855-752-484-2855-75 civic or you can drop us a comment on the app.

If that's where you're listening or drop us a stream comment.

If you're watching the radio on YouTube, Facebook or X.

Great to have you, however you're joining us tonight, folks.

Be part of the show.

It's always more fun when you guys participate.

I'm gonna say, I'm gonna go first, and I'm just, I said Mrs. C on social media, which is Mary and Cunningham.

I'm changing that.

I have a tie between Laura Petrie, who is Mary Tyler Moore on the Dick Van Dyke show, or Gloria from Modern Family.

I love her.

She's so funny.

And I don't know, I think she might be my favorite because she's more current.

What about you?

That's a show that's on my bucket list.

I haven't seen it yet.

Oh my gosh.

It's a great

show.

I will throw in Kitty from that 70s show because she's a special type of housewife.

That's awesome.

All right.

You can elaborate on that.

Let us know, folks.

Shoot us a text.

Be part of the show.

We're coming right back.

And when we do, I'm going to tell you about how our re-release did at the box office this weekend.

It's Peach Wabbit and Nightlight on the Civic Media Radio Network.

You're listening to Civic Media.

Stay up to date on the latest news and information for your local community and Wisconsin by signing up for our free email newsletter.

Visit civicmedia.us slash email to get

started.

Welcome back.

So great to have you with me here tonight, folks on a gorgeous Monday night in the state of Wisconsin.

Hope you're enjoying that extra hour of darkness.

We got it made my drive down a little more harrowing, but What are you gonna do at least it's in the mid 50s Amanda?

Yeah, it's not too bad for November.

You're okay with that, right?

I mean, yeah, I mean that we've had years where what you got snow in October your trick-or-treating with your big snow pants and your big snow suits

Absolutely, it just makes winter that much shorter when we hold off snow and I'm a big fan of that I will say

Halloween was great this year.

I had Well, I did the show from home, which is always not a huge fan of that But I have my prisoner costume my go-to costume which cost me five bucks at the dollar store ten years ago because I go the extra mile and I Had that on and then I went over to a party for about an hour and then went over to my folks house to watch the World Series and they had a big bucket of candy and I'm still dressed like a prisoner and I realized that whatever it is

At my age, I cannot shovel candy in like I did when I was a kid, but my God, I probably ate 20 pieces of candy.

Okay, but which ones?

M&Ms, Twix, and Snickers.

And there were some almond joys in there too.

Oh,

that's not

bad.

And mounds.

Those are better for you because there's coconut.

I don't know.

There's superfoods in there.

A mounds bar is actually dark chocolate and coconut.

Two superfoods.

That's a health food.

I was going through my son's candy for safety, of course, right?

Yeah.

And as I was going through it, I noticed an alarmingly shortage of Butterfingers and Babe Ruth's.

I found one in the whole bunch, and that was both my kid's candy combined.

Just good reason for that.

Don't tell me you hate Butterfingers.

I don't hate any candy, any confection.

I am not a hater, but I, that would be, those two both would be kind of last on my list.

I'm not, they're fine, but you can't compete with the Snickers.

They are banging

on all cylinders.

Nougat?

A Babe Ruth is like right there.

The only thing that's missing is what?

Like?

Does it have Nougat?

I think it has Nougat, doesn't it?

I'm not sure I don't really know what Nougat is.

I just know it tastes amazing.

No, but listen, I would eat those, but honestly, you just sit there and it's like, and then I sleep horribly.

That's more sugar I've had in a month.

Like, it's awful, but it's so amazing.

It's like a sense

memory though.

You just start eating candy because it's in front of you and it's Halloween.

It's not fair.

Our question to the night of the night, folks, is an honor of National Housewife Day.

There is a day for everything, by the way.

I don't know if you knew that actual Feather Your Hair Day.

They got everything.

Is an honor of National Housewives Day.

Who is the best movie or TV housewife?

I say Laura Petrie from the Dick Van Dyke Show.

Or if I go more Contempo, Gloria.

Sofia Vergara from Modern Family.

And I might have a little crush on her, too.

I mean, how could you not?

But I had one of Mary Teller more, too.

So, did you tell me?

Oh, yeah.

So,

elaborate

on the event.

Titty from that 70s show because, you know, while she tries to be the perfect housewife and the perfect mother and peppy and happy all the time, she has the exact same breakdowns all the other housewives desperately have.

All right.

That's a good one.

I mean, it's just great because when it does happen, it's the best.

You feel seen.

The breakdown?

Yeah, the breakdown.

That's fantastic.

We're getting some good text activity here too on the text line.

Anna from the 608 says, hi, Pete and Amanda, my favorite TV housewife is Lucille Ball.

She was always getting into something and she was very funny.

Agreed, Anna, that's a great choice.

Boy, I never thought of her as a TV housewife, but I guess she is.

I just remember the Drake Sather show about how unrealistic that show was, the Drake Sather joke, I should say.

He said, Lucille Ball and her band director husband, Desi Arnez, are best friends with a 70-year-old janitor and his wife.

And you just wouldn't see that.

That's how things have changed.

It's terrible.

It's too bad.

Like, who cares?

But it was a funny joke.

Monica.

From the 608 says Barbara Billingsley and leave it to Beaver, but you're wrong about housewives not having to work.

They work, that's true.

Wow, I fell into the trap.

Of course they do.

And Monica says their work day never ends.

And my wife stayed home for seven years with our kids when we were in LA and I would come home and honest to God, I would be like, thank God I have to go to work.

You're right, that is much harder in a different way for sure, Monica.

No question about that.

Mark from Prairie to Sack in the 608 says Kitty does have a bit of a wild streak though.

I've already forgotten what you're talking about.

What is Kitty?

From that 70s show.

Oh, Kitty.

Yeah, right in Kitty.

She was Rabisi's girlfriend on Friends, right?

The much older teacher.

Is that the same actor I'm thinking about where they used to make out all the time in front of people and make things uncomfortable?

I couldn't tell

you.

Okay.

Who's the actress, you know?

I don't know.

Give me a second.

See if you can

find a picture and we'll post it on the stream and people can comment.

Mark also says, the moon is fantastic tonight.

It absolutely is, Mark.

And that made my drive down a little nicer.

And I guess we're supposed to have a super moon on Wednesday.

So that'll be exciting.

Tyler from Wisconsin Rapids, he's in the 608 says, Chloris Leachman from young Frankenstein, her front door head.

Amanda, what do you make of Tyler's text?

I don't want to read something that Tyler's been commenting on women's bodies a lot lately in his texts.

Tastefully.

Listen.

I can't comment on Tyler personally as I don't know him.

But.

He's

cheeky to say the

least.

I had something.

He's this glorious leechman from young Frankenstein.

Her front door had great knockers, although she was really just the girlfriend.

He just wanted to say great knockers.

Thank you, Tyler.

AJ from Madison in the 608 says, it's too expensive and we're all buying the same thing.

He was referring to the candy.

The

candy, right.

But are baby Ruth's and Butterfingers just as expensive as the Cadillac of candies, the other ones I mentioned?

No, I actually, I think they're in the same price range.

Now, I think what's expensive candy is when you're doing like the Ghirardellis or

what have

you.

Oh yeah, before to

give those out.

That's crazy.

All right, so keep those texts coming, folks, turning to the stream here.

Oh, Katie Siegel, Peg Bundy.

PJ on the stream says, she reminds me of a childhood friend's mom when I would visit his home.

Oh, that's always nice too, and it reminds you of an actual person.

All right, folks, we are gonna do the news, and we are coming back with Mr. Doug Bray, a very decorated and award-winning Wisconsin filmmaker.

That's all coming up after the news.

Great to have you with me.

It's Pete Schwabba and Nightlight on the Civic Media Radio Network.

Welcome

back!

Oh man, it is

great!

to be back on the air after a wonderful holiday weekend.

Hope you guys had a great Halloween wherever you're joining from in our beautiful state or parts beyond.

Welcome to Night Light with Pete Schwabba.

We are going to get to our guest in just a moment.

I understand we have a phone call though,

right?

We do.

We have Allie on the line.

One of

our favorites, it's Allie from the North Woods.

Hello, my dear.

Hi,

yeah.

You almost took my favorite person, Marion Cunningham.

of

happy days with a little bit of Edith's bunker thrown in.

Because sometimes when you're a mother, it's better to be a little clueless about what's going on.

That's a great answer.

I agree.

Well done, Ollie.

You and I think alike, I had Mrs. C on there too, but Edith is another great one.

So thank you very much for the call.

Have a great night.

You guys too.

All

right, that's Ali from the North Woods.

Ali is like always in she's always on board when we have a food question So I was glad that she reached out for for this one That's our question of the night.

It's national housewives day Who is your favorite TV or movie housewife?

Let us know at 855-752-4842 855-75 civic text us on the app or the stream just text us and be part of the show

Right now, folks, I'm very excited to welcome my next guest.

He is an award-winning filmmaker in native Wisconsinite, and I've been trying to get him on the show for the longest time.

We finally made it work.

Mr. Doug Prey.

Doug, welcome.

Hey, thank you very much.

How are you?

Doing very well.

Thank you.

I should have mentioned you were from Madison, but I think Wisconsin is good enough, right?

Yeah, I am from Madison, Middleton, West Middleton, to be exact.

That's right.

Okay.

Well, it's great to have you here.

And I'm looking at all your stuff today.

I'm very excited to jump in and start talking about some of the things you've done.

But I have to ask you first, Doug, do you have a favorite TV housewife?

Do I have a favorite house?

You weren't expecting these hard-hitting questions, were you?

I know.

Didn't I tell you that I really don't watch a lot of TV?

You did.

I mean, God, the favorite TV housewife.

I really don't.

I'm a freak of nature.

I really don't watch television.

I did when I was little.

So the question is, can I remember the names of those housewives?

You got Mary in

Cunningham.

Mississippi or

Mississippi would do.

I mean, there you go.

There's one right there, but I don't have a favorite because yeah, I don't know.

I think my mom just took over and dominated.

Well, that's a great answer, especially if she happens to be listening.

That's outstanding.

She's not.

Unfortunately, rest in peace,

mom.

Well, that's a great answer.

And it's great to have you here, Doug.

So before we get into some of the cool things you've done, and I just am so excited to talk to you about some of your films.

But tell us a little bit about you.

Give us some background, if you would, for the listeners.

Well, I was actually born in Denver, but I was raised in Madison.

My dad was a professor of geology for like 35 years at the

UW.

So if

anybody's listening,

And this was many years ago, but if they went to the UW and they took Geology 101, they probably had Professor Prey.

Wow,

nice.

Along with a few others.

But yeah, and so I grew up in Madison.

My mom founded the Madison Boy Choir.

She was heavily involved in all sorts of music stuff in that community.

So I grew up with a scientist.

and a musician and um yeah it kind of made me get into film for some reason after all these years i just i i ended up going to college and saying god i think i want to be a filmmaker because i couldn't figure out what to do and film combined everything i was into i wanted to be in a band but i wasn't good enough i wanted to be an artist but i wasn't good enough i went all these different things and film just combined everything and then then i got into documentary filmmaking because i just liked that form of storytelling i just really

I've made documentaries now for almost, I guess, Jesus, I hate to say it, 30 years.

Wow.

Which would take you back to my three son's days in terms of like housewives.

well done anyway but you know I mean I so yeah so I've been making films for a number of years I have lived in LA which of course is where the film biz is but but there's a secret that not a lot of people know about Los Angeles is they always think like I was Californians all those LA people you do realize that most people in LA are from Wisconsin

There's a hell of a lot of Packers fans who live out here.

There's a lot of Midwesterners.

I mean, you have different bars around the city where you can go to a full-on Vikings bar.

You can go to a full-on Packers bar.

You can

go to

any bar for any team.

I just wanted to say that because I know a lot of people from Wisconsin.

Well, it's interesting you say that because I loved, like, when we found those bars, I just felt more at home.

Like, it's easy to connect with other Midwesterners.

And I'm kind of a half Chicago, half Wisconsin guy.

So I found both types of bars.

But also, I found that the people I met out there that grew up out there.

were pretty normal.

And if they grew up in the valley, not right in Studio City or North Hollywood, they would act like, oh, those Hollywood types.

I'm

like, wait, didn't you grow up out here?

But it's as foreign to them as it is to someone from Wisconsin almost sometimes.

It's so true.

I mean, when I travel and people are you from LA, they just get this instant like it's just glitz and glamour or like these total freaks.

You guys have no idea how Midwestern LA really is underneath it all.

I mean, yes, it's California and whatever.

But anyway, so I've lived

out here for

a while and then spending a lot of time up north on Lake Superior where my dad is from Ashland actually.

And so.

been, um, my wife and I have been spending time up there and may, may actually move back there sometime soon.

I saw that you said that was in your, uh, email to me earlier.

And I was like, wow, that's so interesting that you go from LA where they have great weather year round to the coldest part of Wisconsin.

Because Pete, I actually missed snow.

I literally, I always loved.

winter when it came.

I just, I really did.

And so I still to this day, I really, yeah, I guess we're kind of like opposite of snowbirds.

We're, yeah.

Anyway,

that's

great.

All right.

So, you know, and before we, I want to, I don't want to forget to say this to you because you said you wanted to be in a band and you wanted to be an artist.

Well, you are an artist with the films you make, and you may not be in a band dug, but you want to Grammy.

So that's kind of cool.

Like,

I saw on your IMDB page.

I'm like, so you are an artist and you won a Grammy, even though you might not be in a band.

That's pretty cool.

I won a Grammy for a series that I executive produced and edited and was a writer on called The Devia Ones.

It was on HBO.

It was a four-part series about Jimmy Iovine and Dr. Dre.

And the craziest thing is, of course, I was super psyched that we got a Grammy for that.

It was like best music film that year.

it was unbelievable but I know so many people who are in bands who are just amazing and it was just so kind of weird and backwards it was like what what the hell like you got a Grammy and I've been making music for like 30 years it was it was actually awkward because I felt like yeah I I made it for making a film it'd be like somebody get winning an Oscar for writing a song which of course is also happens yeah sure right it's not I'm not bemoaning it and my friends were very

noble about it, but it was it was sort of like, why do I have the Grammy amongst me?

Because I know a lot of people in bands.

That's great.

Let's talk about

I don't even know where to start.

Like I've got so many questions here for you and a limited amount of time.

But how did you become a director, Doug?

Like you said you wanted to make films, but most people like when they get into the business, it's not like, well, I'm a director.

You work your way up, you know, you start as either a PA, maybe an assistant editor or whatever it is.

How did you find your way into the position of directing some really cool films with some pretty big names?

Basically, I was lucky enough to get into UCLA film school, and I was rejected.

So the moral to the story, I tell this to anybody who gets rejected to anything.

Ask again, keep trying, because I got rejected, and I wrote him a letter and say, you guys blew it, basically.

And it's a long story, and there's a few details that might help.

people understand it but I got in and this guy called me way before cell phones and he said like are you Doug pray I liked your letter that's what we want in a producer yeah kind of the the spirit of like you know like wait a minute you guys blew it I should be there so he let me in and I got in and I went there and at UCLA you're kind of taught to be a director you're like an all-around filmmaker like you do sound you know you work with actors you do documentaries you kind of do everything but you come out of there feeling like you can make a movie

Instead of wanting to work up to the ranks like i didn't want to do the whole like okay i'm an a c and then i'm a second a c actually that would have been how it went

first i

see down a second but like i am.

Yeah i mean long story short i just can't i graduated from there i just was like i gotta make a film and it has to be good and i spent three or four years making my first movie which was called hype.

And it was about the Seattle music scene, which is it's a music film about the birth and the explosion and the kind of the ridiculous, I'd say exploitation is not a political film, but kind of the way that that scene just got blown out of proportion throughout the world was so amazingly weird to the people who lived there.

And my film was called Hype because it was about what happens when you come into this little community and just hype the hell out of it.

around the whole world and money comes in and millions of bands move there because they want to get signed and the whole city changed from the sleepy cool little underground little seminal you know be drinking beer and having fun and making music into like the biggest scene on the planet like Liverpool you know

yeah

and so the film was about that and it kind of kicked off my career I was you know it took forever it was total paying my dues

You know, made no money.

The whole thing was misery, but it worked.

It actually went to Sundance and it kind of kicked off my career.

And then I just kept doing music docs.

And then I started branching off into other subculture docs.

Like I made a film about truck drivers called big raid where we drove all around the country and like all literally all 48 states.

I wouldn't go to Alaska or Hawaii, but like, you know, and just interviewed truckers in their, in their rigs and.

is that's called big rig and i've made a movie about graffiti writers i've made a movie about artists i kind of like i've sort of stayed in this realm of like subcultures you know just making docs about either artists or or misunderstood

personalities, I guess you could say, like people who are just like, you think they're this and you're like, wait a minute, I don't understand that person.

Why are they doing this art or whatever they do?

I haven't done sports movies, but mostly art, you know, art and music, you know, a lot of stuff like that.

My guest is Doug Prey.

He is a native Wisconsinite and an award-winning filmmaker.

That's pretty cool that you got your first film you did, got into Sundance.

Not a lot of people can say that.

Is it more about the idea, Doug?

As to the execution or is it a combination of both like when you when you found hype like For a documentary filmmaker to want to throw themselves into something that could take years.

You've really got to love the idea.

How do you know when you have a great idea?

You know, what's funny is I don't like almost any idea I first hear I'm not an inventor.

I don't come up with my own ideas.

I really mean that like I've never I've made like 13

feature docs now, and I don't think I've come up with one.

I don't sit there and go, I know it would be a great idea.

I'm going to go.

It's usually somebody else has an idea.

I usually think it's terrible at first.

I really

mean that.

I'll be

like, that's

just bad.

That's like you're too late.

Like it's been done five other times.

You know, like whatever.

But then something will catch me and it's usually in the realm of like, oh, nobody understands this.

Like, I never understood this.

I had been stereotyping the hell out of this thing.

Or these people, like, you know, like truck drivers, as an example, like people have stereotypes of what a truck driver was or is, right?

Yeah.

And then you get to kind of, you get into the, you get into it and you start going, oh, wait a minute, this is a whole nother world.

Like that happened to me with hip hop.

I didn't listen to hip hop when I grew up at all.

Yeah.

I'm not like a hip hop head.

I never was.

But like with my second movie, Scratch.

It was about the birth of hip-hop and about hip-hop DJs.

And once I met these guys and really got into their, I was kind of like, oh my God, there's so many people who don't see this.

And then my job becomes sort of translating like what they do for like a larger audience.

Not like they need it always, but like it's, I always just wanted people to watch my movies and go, I had that totally wrong.

Doug, let's

pick up, sorry to interrupt, let's pick up

right

there.

We gotta do a very short break.

We're coming right

back with

director Doug Prey.

You're listening to Civic Media.

Find the latest news, information, and archives of all your favorite shows on the Civic Media website,

civicmedia.us.

That's fantastic.

Welcome back.

This is Pete Schwab at Night.

Great to have you with me.

I'm talking with Howard, I'm sorry, Howard Doug Prey.

I was about to ask you a question about Howard Doug.

Doug is a native Wisconsinite and very accomplished filmmaker, award-winning.

He's won a Grammy, folks.

I've never even been nominated for a Grammy, Doug.

I think that's like the coolest thing ever.

I've never produced any music either.

I will nominate you.

I appreciate that.

One of your films is the power of film.

And we talk about movies pretty much on a nightly basis here.

So I would love to dive into this a little more.

It was an idea you stumbled across, I guess, because Howard Subur was one of your professors at UCLA.

What made you think this would be a great documentary?

And tell us a little bit about the documentary.

Well, it's a it's a six part series is running on max right now.

And actually, it's going to start running again on Turner classic movies, TCM channel, starting on November 8th again.

I say that because they've done several rounds of it.

Yeah, it's a six part series.

It's called The Power of Film.

And it's basically if you lifted the hood on any of the greatest American movies of all time, there's this professor I had

at UCLA film school named Professor Howard Subur and remember my dad was a professor so we you know I had there was a chemistry I was his TA and he was I was really close to him and he was just a real he was brilliant ever he was legendary people go like dude you gotta take his class you cannot graduate without taking his class and he would like break open kind of the the inner workings of

Big movies only American movies and only the most his whole criteria was they have to be the most popular and Memorable they can't just be memorable like a little movie that's memorable and it can't be just popular because there's a lot of

Huge, crappy movies that are really popular that you do not remember the next year.

So his criteria was it has to be memorable for maybe even generations like The Wizard of Oz or Shawshank Redemption or, you know, like, of course, The Godfather.

I mean, I could name 50, but big, big, big movies.

And to answer your questions.

this other fellow student of mine, Laura Gabbard, who's actually from Minneapolis.

I told everybody he's from the Midwest

in

LA.

He's a documentarian, but she and I were students of Howard's and he was frustrated.

He was like, I want to do something like Bill Moyers.

I want to do like a series or something.

We're just like, well, let's just do it.

And so it's a totally independent project.

We had no funding, no company, no nothing.

We just kind of strung together.

We did a series of interviews with Howard and he's brilliant.

I got to tell you, he's

brilliant literally and I don't mean like in an academic way you don't have to be an academic to appreciate the series it's just flat out fascinating the way he unpacks movies and what we do is we combine all the scenes from these movies with him narrating so you you'll see like you know

you'll see like a scene from the godfather and like he'll say now here's like check out what the what the youngest brother's doing well this is classic this goes back like 2500 years this was this is from the greek story you know he breaks it down in a way that's brilliant but not it's not an academic series this is not like a master class either it's just

I would just urge anybody who's a movie fan to check out the power of film, not to be just self-promoting.

But I'm really proud of it.

It took us eight years to complete.

I edited it in the very room that I'm sitting in right now.

And Laura was the director, and I co-directed it.

And we just put it together, both of us.

And we were just so happy that TCM took it, because they were like, this is exactly what we're all about.

And then Max because they're related to Max like Max has it streaming so we're thrilled about that But the bottom line is it's like if it just goes through like the last hundred years of movies It has not even chronological on different themes like he breaks down like heroes and villains

Yeah,

like why why are heroes so boring and villains so amazingly interesting?

Yeah, you know and he kind of like flips stuff on its head and he's just go kind of that's right I never thought about that.

That's why I like that movie and it's just kind of

Yeah, I guess I've said what I could know it's short strokes, but you know it's Yeah, it's called the power of film and it's on TCM and it's running again

next weekend.

And if you want to check out Howard Suber's list, folks, go to IMDB because it is up.

He's got 60 movies that he ranks, and he obviously is not listening to the conventional wisdom.

He's got, like, Godfather is 23.

And, like, he's got a great list, though.

These are all great movies.

And I love that he has a couple of comedies in his top 10.

But my guest is Doug Prey, folks.

He's a native Wisconsinite and an award-winning filmmaker.

Doug, I noticed you received a special thanks for a movie called I am a Sex Attic.

What exactly were they thanking you for?

I

gotta really think about that one.

You know what's funny about special thanks is man, they run deep.

It's a pretty big category, right?

It's a really big category.

I think that was Kave Zahidi.

He's a filmmaker in New York.

amazing, crazy, incredible, brilliant filmmaker.

And I think I must have been on his crew about 25 years ago.

Oh, that's

great.

Hey, we have about

a minute before we have to break for the news.

Can I keep you through the news for a few more minutes?

Of course.

All

right.

Fantastic.

So with about a minute left, why do you think films stay popular based on the fact that you spent so much time with your professor who is a film guru?

It really does go back to just

good storytelling principles and things that have been around literally for thousands of years.

And it doesn't matter the format.

It doesn't matter if it's TikTok or a 90 minute film or a 12 part series.

The same exact very human principles that we had when we're sitting around this, you know, the campfire when we were at Neanderthals and maybe we still are, are just in effect.

There's really good stories that are gripping and exciting and have a

cadence and a structure, and there's really bad storytelling all the time.

That is a great answer.

Honestly, that's a very brutally honest answer.

Doug Prey is here.

He's going to stick with us through the news, folks.

AJ from Madison in the 608 says, modern family would crack me up every time, and I love her.

Forget the name.

Gloria is her name.

She's married to the Ed O'Neill character, and she is hilarious.

Pamela from Wisconsin Rapids, she's in the 715 says Samantha Stevens on Bewitched.

Love Ed, that show as a youngster from Pamela, and thank you Pamela very much.

Lori in the 715 says, good evening Pete for my favorite mom, I would pick Barbara Sandwich off of

I got to decipher this text.

Alright, we're coming back after the news folks with Doug Prey.

Actor Joel Murray is here at 735 from Chicago PD.

Thanks for being with me.

It's Nightlight on a Monday.

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