It Happened One Year

After twenty months, It Happened One Year is finally ringing down the curtain on 1984! Sarah & Joe are revisiting their season one roots by wrapping up the year with a rousing trivia contest, this time backed by the board game of 1984 product - Jeopardy! Listen as the hosts hack their way through decades-old questions and recount memories of this lengthy podcast season.

It's that time again, folks - It Happened One Year has (nearly) reached the end of another season, and so it's time to again honor those lost in the subject year. Listen as Sarah & Joe discuss a wide range of celebrities who said goodbye some forty-one years ago now, including Richard Burton, Peter Lawford, Ethel Merman, Indira Gandhi, Truman Capote, Francois Truffaut, Jackie Wilson, Count Basie, James Mason, and many more!

And now, the conclusion! The police are after the culprits, the press has caught the oddball details, and the conflict is coming to a head! Written & Directed by Joe Cetta Cast Michelle Auffrey/additional - Sarah Rusakiiwicz Freddie Auffrey - Dane Bower Karl Daigle - Brent Hutchins Karen Daigle - Lana Cooper Patrolman Anne Dandy - Kristin Mann Sgt. Furrier - Bear Savo Judge Membrino/additional - Joe Cetta Vito Vitale/Bailiff/Jack/additional - David Munchak Rocky Cannavino - Bill Randall Radio Margaret - Jo-Elle Munchak Officer Rodriguez - Krispy Attorney Henshaw - Matthew Hinton Michelle P. - Jennifer Nack Michelle R./Atomic Scientists/additional - Angie Buonincontro Courtroom Assistant Marsha - Dina Udomsak Stenographer Alice - Shannon Hosey Reporter Hildy - Matt Moran Reporter Gail - Graceann Dorse Reporter Howard/additional - The Batman David Wittman/additional - Adam Carpenter Irving R. Levine/additional - Dave Gardon Additional voices - Danielle Harris, Michael Buonincontro, Jerron Dead Milkmen - Bill Honchell Dead Kennedys - Kate Langan Heaven 17 - Reid Mosley

Should the government allow as Christian a symbol as a nativity on town property? Some crusading figures in Fitchburg, Massachusetts sure didn't think so. And the events that followed grew into a local scandal and international punchline in 1984, with the nativity in Monument Park the new epicenter for this ideological battle! Vandalism, kidnapping, chicken throwing, and social commentary abound, and now, It Happened One Year brings you the whole approximate tale with its sixth fully-scripted production! Written & Directed by Joe Cetta Cast Michelle Auffrey/additional - Sarah Rusakiiwicz Freddie Auffrey - Dane Bower Karl Daigle - Brent Hutchins Karen Daigle - Lana Cooper Patrolman Anne Dandy - Kristin Mann Sgt. Furrier - Bear Savo Judge Membrino/additional - Joe Cetta Vito Vitale/Bailiff/Jack/additional - David Munchak Rocky Cannavino - Bill Randall Radio Margaret - Jo-Elle Munchak Officer Rodriguez - Krispy Attorney Henshaw - Matthew Hinton Michelle P. - Jennifer Nack Michelle R./Atomic Scientists/additional - Angie Buonincontro Courtroom Assistant Marsha - Dina Udomsak Stenographer Alice - Shannon Hosey Reporter Hildy - Matt Moran Reporter Gail - Graceann Dorse Reporter Howard/additional - The Batman David Wittman/additional - Adam Carpenter Irving R. Levine/additional - Dave Gardon Additional voices - Danielle Harris, Michael Buonincontro, Jerron Dead Milkmen - Bill Honchell Dead Kennedys - Kate Langan Heaven 17 - Reid Mosley And tune back in next week for the conclusion!

A relic from the days of yore! It Happened One Year finally rolls out its episode about the New York mafia of the 1980s, recorded so long ago we still thought there was a chance Donald Trump might go to prison! Ah, those innocent days! Sarah & Joe - at the tail end of Memorial Day weekend, 2024 - tackle a variety of mob related antics from 1984 and the surrounding days, including Rudy Giuliani's RICO takedown of organized crime (a story which was very fresh in the news again nine months ago), Big Paul Castellano's murder, the rise of John Gotti, Joe Columbo's Italian American Civil Rights League, Joe Profaci's descendants, the extensive crimes of Roy DeMeo, The Godfather's Albert Ruddy, The Sopranos in pop culture, Russell Bufalino, mob tours in Chicago, and much more!

"We have Jesus. We will hang him unless the police leave five cases of Budweiser here January 1st." This was the anonymous ransom demand left at the scene of the nativity heist that made international news out of Fitchburg, Massachusetts in December of 1984. But the identity of the culprits and their true motives were a mystery to law enforcement and the rosary-clutching public. Was the objection on religious grounds? Was it someone with a vendetta against the Fitchburg police? Or was it all a light-hearted prank that got out of hand? The fourth and final scripted episode from It Happened One Year for 1984, Three Minutes to Midnight imagines the daring crimes and colorful figures involved in this semi-forgotten incident, brought to life by dozens of members from the Mighty IHOY Players! Tune back in March 14th & 21st for the epic, two-part tale!

For the first and only time this season, It Happened One Year is doing a fabled Road Episode - this time the show's first from outside the country! Recorded Christmastime in the Notting Hill area of London, England, Sarah & Joe tackle the coincidentally Chicago-set Sidney Sheldon thriller 1984 adaptation The Naked Face, starring Roger Moore, Rod Steiger, Elliott Gould, Art Carney, Anne Archer, and Navy Pier, baby! Come for the breakdown of the melodramatics - touching quickly on Roger Moore's career and life, with appearances by Scaramanga himself Christopher Lee, Harry & Sally, the local Tesco - and wrap up with some truly mediocre impressions. Look, it was a recorded on a long vacation at the end of a long day, it was bound to be a little odd, even by IHOY standards.

Having largely dealt with 1984's Christmas season last year, It Happened One Year had to dig deep to unearth the Xmas episode topic this time around, and what better place to turn than to the cabbage patch itself! Sarah & Joe take a look at the big ABC special that aired December 7th, 1984 - The Cabbage Patch Kids' First Christmas, discuss the casting and bizarro plot, and attempt to track backward into Cabbage Patch lore to figure out what the hell is going on here. Along the way, the visit the oddball Cabbage Patch event center Babyland, chat about the connected books and records of the franchise, give some quick love to the Garbage Pail Kids, and quickly shout out last year's epic scripted episode Jingle Hell.

After trudging through many years of popcorn entertainment and bikini skydiving thrillers, It Happened One Year finally tackles highbrow, award-winning cinema in the form of the glorious biopic Amadeus, and you are there! Listen as Sarah & Joe recall hazy memories of watching the film in decades past, debate whether the film justifies its runtime, breakdown the near-casting and complex adaptation from play to opera to play to film, and ultimately discuss whether Mozart's music did indeed have too many notes.

The old standard returns! It Happened One Year is once again looking at what aired on November 3rd in 1984, checking in over a year since exploring ABC's programming! This time, Sarah & Joe delve into the hard-boiled, sexy, action dramas that were Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer, Airwolf, and Cover Up! Along the way, much discussion is made about Stacy Keach's mustache, how Oscar winner Ernest Borgnine found himself flying that helicopter, the tragedies and controversies of Cover Up, the poor adult audience subjected to early '80s television, and of course, the glorious return to It Happened One Year of show favorite, Bubba Smith.

Geraldine Ferraro is dead. So are Eleanor Roosevelt, Jackie Kennedy, Pat Nixon, Lady Bird Johnson, and all the members of the Female United Politicians of America, but that isn't going to stop them from lending their assistance to the 2024 Presidential campaign on Earth, from their gathering place at the Radisson Valhalla Inn & Suites located on the celestial plane. President Biden's alarming debate performance has the group worried about the future of democracy, and so they take a trip through history to the 1984 Election, to see what can be learned from the first time a woman featured on a major party ticket. It Happened One Year presents its fifth fully scripted, full cast episode, featuring this supernatural take on the election year frenzy. Be sure to vote next Tuesday, but first come along for this wonky look at the great beyond! Story by Sarah Rusakiiwicz Written by Sarah and Joe Directed by Joe Cetta Cast Geraldine Ferraro - Lana Cooper Eleanor Roosevelt - David Munchak 1984 Geraldine Ferraro - Sarah Rusakiiwicz Walter Mondale - Matt Moran Jackie Kennedy - Kristin Mann Pat Nixon - Angie Buonincontro Lady Bird Johnson - Alex Ferrer Bella Abzug - Jo-Elle Munchak Betty Freidan - Shannon Hosey Joan - Jennifer Nack Martha Mitchell - Monica Mauricio Edith Wilson - Danielle Harris Elizabeth Cady Stanton - Sam McChuri William Henry Harrison - The Batman Charles Manatt/Mario Cuomo - Nick Perfetto John Zaccaro - Joe Cetta Mark the Announcer - Jon Deiner Cathy the Announcer - Kristen Gaydos Gloria Coppernotch - Nancy Cohen Redbook Interviewer - Becky Schmidt Dave Wizardsleeve - Duke Tumbleweed Irving R. Levine - Dave Gardon Katie Porter - Abigail Perfetto

With Election Day right around the corner, It Happened One Year finally gets around this season to discussing the biggest news story of 1984 - the Presidential election between Ronald Reagan and Walter Mondale! Sarah & Joe being the political nerds they are go deep into the Democratic primaries, discussing Ted Kennedy's reluctance, Gary Hart's late surge, Jesse Jackson's implosion, and Mondale's emergence, which leads directly into his desperation choice of a running mate - the first woman to feature on a major party ticket, Geraldine Ferraro! Campaign ads, other potential veeps, the debates, and the stunning outcome all factor in, as the hosts desperately try to avoid talking about the onrushing 2024 election.

The first presidential ticket to feature a woman was formed in 1984, when Walter Mondale selected Geraldine Ferraro as his running mate, and history was made! In 2024, with another historic Election Day bearing down, It Happened One Year transports you to the great beyond, as a coalition of female political figures gathers in hopes of aiding a current candidate to gain the title of Commander in Chief! Written by Sarah & Joe, Ferraro! is the fifth scripted episode in the show's history, and features dozens of performers from that illustrious group - the Mighty IHOY Players! Listen to the trailer now, and tune back in on November 1st for full epic tale!

Despite being a classic of the American theater and winning a rare Pulitzer along the way, Sarah & Joe were largely unfamiliar with Sondheim's Sunday in the Park with George, but that has all changed! It Happened One Year once again wanders into the rare live theater corner and kicks around the musical painting biopic for good and all. Along the way there's some discussion of what makes a good musical, what are particularly bad musical-to-movie adaptation, and not nearly as much singing as you'd expect!

101 episodes and nearly three years later, It Happened One Year is finally talking Muppets again! Given the rousing success of Season One's breakdown of 1994's felt properties, it was only natural that Sarah & Joe would tackle that beloved classic from '84 - The Muppets Take Manhattan! From its sorrowful place as the final, big screen Jim Henson Muppet outing to the singularity of its setting and vibe in the franchise canon, from the outstanding bunch of cameos to the solid batch of songs, all corners of Manhattan Melodies and the gang's tribulations in dragging their college show to Broadway are discussed!

Despite the Paris games wrapping up, Olympic fever still grips It Happened One Year, as it's time to cover the glittering Los Angeles Summer Games of 1984! Sarah & Joe tackle some of the biggest stories and stars of those contests, including the rise of women's American gymnastics, fronted by Mary Lou Retton, the record-setting run (and jumps) of Carl Lewis, the controversial collision of Mary Decker and Zola Budd, the amazing streak of Edwin Moses, and much more! Then, as season three of the show has now stretched across multiple sports' years, the hosts again tackle predictions for the onrushing NFL season - with particular emphasis on the hometown Bears burgeoning chances!

Recorded on the day Joe Biden decided to drop out of the presidential race, Sarah & Joe take a pretty unhinged tact in attempting to discuss the cult classic film pitting Buckaroo Banzai and the Hong Kong Cavaliers against Dr. Emilio Lizardo aka John Whorfin and his gang of aliens! Kamala Harris's chances as the potential first female president, the greatness of Ellen Barkin, Donald Bigbooté, rankings of all significant northeast Pennsylvania figures, the future Joe Biden Presidential Library, lamenting the Buckaroo Banzai sequel that never was, Perfect Tommy, Liz Cheney, the Syracuse University history department, and much more fills this wild evening's show. Listen as a pizza is made live on tape!

Originally intended as the wrap-up to Episode 27's discussion of 1984 and Joe Biden's floundering campaign, this follow-up recording went completely off the rails with the hours-old assassination attempt on candidate Donald Trump, and so - in order to not overwhelm the creaky narrative of that show - here is the rest of Sarah & Joe's conversation from that day. Enjoy?

It's true, the classic novel was published in 1949, but it's quite obviously relevant to this season, and to the modern day, and thus - It Happened One Year is going all-in on George Orwell's 1984! Sarah & Joe discuss the history of the novel and their reactions from recent reads. Then, the greatest marketing tie-in of all time - Michael Radford's 1984 starring John Hurt and Richard Burton, filmed during the timeframe of the novel's setting, and released in that title year! Suck it, 2012 (2009) and Blues Brothers 2000 (1998)! Finally, some little discussion of our current verging-of-dystopia here in America - the impending (possible) Biden v. Trump rematch. (This all leads directly into the bonus episode, also available right now!)

Just in time for the All-Star Game, baseball is back on the show! Prior to 2016, the one Chicago Cubs team that lived in local memory as the best chance to break the World Series drought was the squad from 1984, and It Happened One Year is there! Sarah & Joe recount the basics of the '84 team's run to the NLCS, how No Lights at Wrigley played a part in the overall discourse, the progression of the franchise from that point until the eventual first championship in 108 years, and their personal connections with the team. Along the way, much discussion is had about the current ownership group, and why that has so negatively affected their interactions with the north side team.