The Tom Gulley Show

1971 delivered some of the most influential, bold, and unforgettable films ever made. In this episode of The Tom Gulley Show, we dive deep into the legendary year that changed cinema forever.

From Stanley Kubrick’s controversial masterpiece A Clockwork Orange to Clint Eastwood’s iconic Dirty Harry and William Friedkin’s gritty Oscar-winning The French Connection, to Peter Bogdanovich's gripping The Last Picture Show, to Straw Dogs, Two-Lane Blacktop, Harold & Maude, Willie Wonka & The Chocolate Factory, and The Last Movie, 1971 pushed boundaries, redefined genres, and introduced characters that still dominate pop culture today.

Join Tom as he explores why 1971 stands as one of the greatest single years in film history — the raw energy, the cultural impact, the legendary performances, and the lasting legacy of these groundbreaking movies.

Whether you’re a classic film fan, a cinephile, or just love great storytelling, this episode celebrates the year Hollywood got dangerous, stylish, and unforgettable.

Subscribe to The Tom Gulley Show for more deep dives into classic cinema, Hollywood history, and the movies that shaped our culture.

0:00 Cold Open
13:33 The French Connection
18:44 Dirty Harry
29:47 A Clockwork Orange
37:26 The Last Picture Show
47:12 Two-Lane Blacktop
53:15 Harold And Maude
56:07 Straw Dogs
58:56 Willy Wonka And The Chocolate Factory
1:02:49 The Last Movie
1:11:14 The Devils
1:14:33 Summary And Usual End Of Show Rambling

#1971Movies #ClassicFilms #AClockworkOrange #DirtyHarry #TheFrenchConnection #TomGulleyShow #FilmHistory #Cinema #MovieNight #Kubrick #ClintEastwood #GeneHackman #PeterBogdanovich #JeffBridges #TheLastPictureShow #StrawDogs #DustinHoffman #JamesTaylor #HaroldAndMaude #GeneWilder #WillyWonka #DennisHopper

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The Rubik’s Cube is one of the most recognizable puzzles ever created—and one of the most maddening. Invented in 1974 by Hungarian architect and professor Ernő Rubik, the puzzle began life as the “Magic Cube” before becoming a worldwide phenomenon after its international launch as the Rubik’s Cube in 1980.

But how did a deceptively simple six-colored cube become one of the biggest toy crazes of the 1980s? Why was it so difficult to solve? How did a Hungarian professor’s teaching tool become a cultural obsession, inspire millions of solution books, spawn competitions and create an entire world of speedcubing?

On The Tom Gulley Show, Tom takes a look at the fascinating history of the Rubik’s Cube—from Ernő Rubik’s original invention and the puzzle’s unlikely journey out of communist-era Hungary to its explosion into American popular culture. The story includes the original Magic Cube, the 1980 toy phenomenon, the first World Rubik’s Cube Championship in Budapest, and the remarkable evolution of a toy that never really went away.

And there is one particularly astonishing number at the heart of the Rubik’s Cube: more than 43 quintillion possible configurations.

It’s a puzzle nearly everybody recognizes, millions of people have tried to solve, and an awful lot of people have eventually thrown across the room.

#RubiksCube #PuzzleHistory #80sNostalgia #TomGulleyShow #ErnoRubik

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Dolly Parton is one of the most recognizable entertainers in the world—but the story behind that famous voice, larger-than-life personality, and unmistakable image is every bit as fascinating as the music. From a childhood in the Great Smoky Mountains of Tennessee to country music superstardom, Hollywood, business success, philanthropy, and her status as a cultural icon, Dolly Parton has built a career unlike almost anyone else in entertainment history.

On The Tom Gulley Show, Tom takes a look at the extraordinary life and career of Dolly Parton: the songwriter behind some of country music's most enduring songs, the performer who crossed effortlessly into pop music and movies, and the savvy businesswoman who transformed her name and personal story into a remarkable entertainment empire.

Dolly Parton songs, Dolly Parton music, Dolly Parton biography, country music history, 9 to 5, Jolene, I Will Always Love You, Tennessee, Dollywood, country music legends, Hollywood, songwriting, and American pop culture all come together in the remarkable story of one of the most beloved figures in entertainment.

#DollyParton #DollyPartonMusic #DollyPartonSongs #DollyPartonBiography #CountryMusic #CountryMusicHistory #CountryMusicLegend #Jolene #9To5 #IWillAlwaysLoveYou #Dollywood #Nashville #Songwriting #Hollywood #TomGulleyShow

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The Dick Van Dyke Show is one of the greatest sitcoms in television history—and more than 60 years after it premiered, its comedy still works. Starring Dick Van Dyke, Mary Tyler Moore, Morey Amsterdam, Rose Marie and Richard Deacon, the classic CBS sitcom turned a television comedy writer's life, a suburban marriage and the chaos of a writers' room into endlessly inventive television.

Created by Carl Reiner, The Dick Van Dyke Show debuted in 1961 and became a landmark of American television comedy. Dick Van Dyke played Rob Petrie, a writer for the fictional Alan Brady Show, while Mary Tyler Moore played his wife, Laura Petrie. Along with Buddy Sorrell, Sally Rogers and Mel Cooley, they created one of television's most memorable ensembles.

From the legendary living-room trip over the ottoman to the outrageous antics of the Alan Brady writers' room, The Dick Van Dyke Show demonstrated how much comedy could come from great writing, timing, character and physical performance. It also helped establish a model for the sophisticated sitcoms that followed.

Tom Gulley takes a look back at The Dick Van Dyke Show, Dick Van Dyke, Mary Tyler Moore, Carl Reiner and the remarkable cast and writers behind a television classic that remains funny, influential and remarkably modern.

#DickVanDyke #TheDickVanDykeShow #ClassicTV #ClassicTelevision #TVHistory #Sitcom #TelevisionHistory #MaryTylerMoore #CarlReiner #TomGulleyShow

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Before “food storage container” became a generic kitchen category, there was Tupperware. Beginning in 1946, Earl Tupper’s ingenious airtight containers introduced Americans to a completely different way of storing food. But the real story of Tupperware wasn’t just about plastic—or even the famous “burping” seal.

It was about Brownie Wise, Tupperware Parties, suburban America, direct sales, entrepreneurship, and one of the most fascinating marketing phenomena of the 20th century. Tupperware didn’t simply sell containers. It created a social experience that turned living rooms across America into miniature salesrooms and made the Tupperware Party part of American popular culture.

On this episode of The Tom Gulley Show, Tom takes a deep dive into the history of Tupperware, from Earl Tupper’s invention and the unlikely origins of the company to Brownie Wise and the revolutionary sales strategy that transformed the brand into a household name. Along the way, there’s the story of the Tupperware Party, the changing role of women in American business, the explosion of plastic in postwar America, and how something as ordinary as a storage bowl became a cultural icon.

And then there’s the other side of the story: how Tupperware went from one of the most recognizable brands in America to a company struggling to remain relevant in a radically different marketplace.

Tupperware is a story about American ingenuity, advertising, consumer culture, business, women in the workplace, direct selling, plastic, nostalgia, and the strange ways ordinary products can become extraordinary pieces of our cultural history. Tupperware is celebrating 80 years in 2026, making its story an especially interesting look back at how an American household name got its start—and what happened to it afterward.

Lemme Tell Ya ’Bout Tupperware.

#Tupperware #TupperwareParty #AmericanHistory #TomGulleyShow #ConsumerCulture #BrownieWise #EarlTupper #FoodStorage #VintageAmerica #BusinessHistory

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Before dating apps, before The Bachelor, before reality television turned romance into a spectator sport, there was The Dating Game.

Premiering on ABC in 1965, The Dating Game took the simple idea of finding a date and turned it into one of television's most entertaining formulas: one contestant asking questions of three unseen bachelors or bachelorettes, trying to decide which stranger might make the best match. Hosted by the instantly recognizable Jim Lange, the show mixed flirtation, comedy, innuendo and the unmistakable sensibilities of 1960s and '70s television.

But there was much more going on behind those three numbered contestants. The Dating Game reflected changing attitudes about romance, marriage, sex and celebrity—and helped establish a television formula that would eventually lead to generations of dating and relationship shows. It also produced some unforgettable contestants, celebrity appearances and genuinely bizarre moments, including one episode that became infamous for a reason nobody watching at home could have known.

On this episode of The Tom Gulley Show, Tom takes a deep dive into the history of The Dating Game: how the show worked, why audiences loved it, the role of Jim Lange and Chuck Barris, the celebrities who appeared as contestants, the evolution of television romance, and the strange legacy of a show that made choosing a date into prime-time entertainment.

If you remember The Dating Game, this is a trip back to a very different era of television. If you don't, you'll discover where a lot of today's dating-show conventions really began.

#TheDatingGame #DatingGame #JimLange #ChuckBarris #ClassicTV #TVHistory #GameShows #TelevisionHistory #1960sTV #1970sTV #TomGulleyShow

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In August 1835, the New York Sun began publishing one of the most extraordinary stories in the history of American journalism: a supposed discovery of life on the Moon. According to the newspaper, the Moon was populated by bizarre animals, lush forests, oceans—and intelligent, winged humanoids.

It was completely fabricated.

The Great Moon Hoax of 1835 became one of the most famous newspaper hoaxes in American history, captivating readers and turning the New York Sun into a publishing sensation. The story claimed that the discoveries had been made with an extraordinarily powerful telescope and attributed them to the real-life astronomer Sir John Herschel.

But why did so many people believe it? How was the hoax created? Who was behind it? And how did a newspaper manage to convince readers that civilization—and creatures—had been discovered on the Moon?

On The Tom Gulley Show, Tom looks back at the Great Moon Hoax, the strange world it created in print, the newspaper business of 1830s New York, the public's fascination with astronomy, and the remarkable story of how one of the greatest fake news stories ever published became a genuine newspaper phenomenon.

Long before social media, viral posts, clickbait and the internet, there was the Great Moon Hoax.

#GreatMoonHoax #MoonHoax #History #AmericanHistory #Journalism #NewYorkSun #TomGulleyShow #Hoaxes #FakeNews #19thCentury

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Hayden Panettiere was already working in show business before she was old enough to remember it. A commercial at 11 months old launched a career that would take her from daytime television and A Bug’s Life to Remember the Titans, Heroes, Scream 4, and Nashville—and make her one of the most recognizable young stars of her generation.

But Hayden Panettiere’s story is much bigger than Claire Bennet, the indestructible cheerleader from Heroes, or Juliette Barnes, the ambitious country singer she played on Nashville. She grew up in front of millions of people, moved from child star to leading actress, recorded music, became a fixture of the Scream franchise, and spent much of her adult life trying to navigate the extraordinary pressures that came with becoming famous so young.

On August 16, 2026, Hayden Panettiere died at the age of 36. Her death brings a remarkable—and painfully short—career back into focus.

On this edition of The Tom Gulley Show, Tom looks back at Hayden Panettiere’s life and career, from her earliest television roles and childhood movies to Heroes, Scream, Nashville, her music, and the very public struggles that shaped the later chapters of her life. It’s the story of a performer who spent virtually her entire life in the spotlight—and whose career was far more complicated than her most famous roles might suggest.

Watch episodes of HEROES on Tubi for FREE: https://tubitv.com/series/300020687/heroes

Watch episodes of NASHVILLE on Pluto for FREE:
https://pluto.tv/us/on-demand/series/69e27f773f22a165b07a5582

#HaydenPanettiere #Heroes #Nashville #Scream #Scream4 #ScreamVI #Actress #ChildStar #TelevisionHistory #HollywoodHistory #TomGulleyShow

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The Gong Show was unlike anything else on American television. Part game show, part comedy spectacle, and part gloriously unpredictable talent competition, Chuck Barris’s bizarre 1970s TV phenomenon turned ordinary people, outrageous performers, celebrity judges, and the unmistakable sound of a gong into one of the most memorable shows in television history.

On this episode of The Tom Gulley Show, Tom takes a deep dive into The Gong Show—from its 1976 debut and Chuck Barris’s unconventional approach to television to the strange performers, celebrity appearances, recurring characters, outrageous acts, and the famous gong that could end a performance at any moment. The show became a cultural phenomenon precisely because it seemed willing to put almost anything on television.

But The Gong Show was more than a collection of weird acts. It reflected the anything-goes spirit of 1970s television, when network programming could be experimental, irreverent, and genuinely unpredictable. Its influence can still be seen in modern talent competitions, comedy programs, reality television, and the endless appetite for spectacularly bad—and occasionally spectacularly good—performances.

Chuck Barris, Gene Gene the Dancing Machine, the Gong Show Orchestra, celebrity judges, bizarre contestants, and some of the strangest moments ever broadcast on network television all come together in a look back at one of TV's most wonderfully odd creations.

If you remember The Gong Show, this is a trip back to an era when television had very few rules. If you don't, you're about to find out just how strange network television could get.

The Tom Gulley Show explores the people, places, events, entertainment, inventions, cultural phenomena, and curious pieces of history that made the world we live in.

#TheGongShow #ChuckBarris #1970sTV #ClassicTV #TelevisionHistory #TomGulleyShow #GameShows #TVHistory

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Roadside attractions are as American as the open road: giant fiberglass animals, mysterious monuments, bizarre museums, oddball tourist traps, dinosaur parks, miniature towns, gravity-defying buildings, and spectacularly strange places that exist for one reason — to make you stop the car.

Before interstate highways turned long-distance travel into a race from one destination to another, America's highways were lined with places designed to grab a driver's attention. Roadside attractions became part of the great American road trip, competing for motorists with enormous signs, outrageous claims, colorful characters, souvenirs, and attractions you simply couldn't see anywhere else.

From the early tourist traps and roadside curiosities of the 1920s and 1930s to the giant statues, novelty architecture, drive-through attractions, and unforgettable destinations that followed, roadside attractions tell a fascinating story about American travel, tourism, advertising, automobiles, and popular culture.

Tom takes a long drive through the history of America's roadside attractions — the weird, wonderful, ambitious, sometimes ridiculous places that turned a trip across the country into an adventure of its own.

If you've ever pulled off the highway because something looked too strange to ignore, this one's for you.

#RoadsideAttractions #AmericanRoadTrip #RoadTrip #RoadsideAmerica #AmericanHistory #TouristTraps #TomGulleyShow

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