SYSK Gets Weird Playlist: What was the Philadelphia Experiment?

Josh Clark (0:03)

Hi there, friends, it's Josh. Finally, I'm here and I'm presenting first our episode on the Philadelphia Experiment. It's a bizarre conspiracy theory that in 1943, the USS Eldridge, which is a real destroyer from the real US Navy, suddenly disappeared from port and instantaneously reappeared miles away.

And that when it did reappear, things weren't quite right with it. I'll leave it to past me and Chuck to give the details in this fascinating episode.

Chuck Bryant (0:40)

Welcome to Stuff You Should Know from howstuffworks.com.

Josh Clark (0:49)

Hey, and welcome to the podcast. I'm Josh Clark, there's Charles W. Chuck Bright, and this is a special edition of Stuff You Should Know because Jerry has transmogrified into guest producer Noel.

Chuck Bryant (1:00)

Yeah, which is, requires quite a bit of alchemy.

Josh Clark (1:03)

It does.

Chuck Bryant (1:04)

You know?

Josh Clark (1:04)

And a little bit of alcohol, yeah.

Chuck Bryant (1:06)

And some, like a magnificent brown bearded chia pet. Nice.

Josh Clark (1:14)

There's a woodchuck waving from there. Looking good, Noel.

Chuck Bryant (1:18)

Yeah, Jerry's gone on a top secret mission. Can't talk about it. That's what makes it top secret.

Josh Clark (1:24)

You're talking about it right now?

Chuck Bryant (1:25)

But she's coming back at some point, don't worry.

Josh Clark (1:27)

Yeah.

Chuck Bryant (1:28)

She's not left us forever.

Josh Clark (1:30)

No, this is a stint by guest producer Noel. We'll have to make a suite out of it.

Chuck Bryant (1:34)

Yeah. Noel produced shows You Should Know?

Josh Clark (1:37)

Summer of Sam, Death Suite, Noel's Stint.

Chuck Bryant (1:41)

Noel's Stint. That sounds gross.

Josh Clark (1:46)

How you doing, man?

Chuck Bryant (1:47)

I'm great.

Josh Clark (1:48)

I'm so used to reading ads these days that I just panic, like I lost my place. And then I was like, oh yeah, it's the actual podcast. I can just ramble and stall as long as I need to.

Chuck Bryant (1:59)

Yeah.

Josh Clark (2:01)

You remember this from being a kid? Was this in your wheelhouse, The Philadelphia Experiment?

Chuck Bryant (2:04)

The movie was.

Josh Clark (2:05)

Watched it last night.

Chuck Bryant (2:07)

Sure. Oh, did you really?

Josh Clark (2:08)

Yes.

Chuck Bryant (2:08)

Wow.

Josh Clark (2:09)

It is basically, I mean, the plot makes sense, but it's like a 15-minute plot.

Yeah. They managed a lot of chasing in. Yeah, they really. To really draw it out.

Chuck Bryant (2:19)

They really gussied, yeah, they drew it out.

Josh Clark (2:21)

But the idea behind it, especially when, let's see, 1984, I was eight. Yeah. And I was, this was about the time where I'm like, I'm going to Duke University to study parapsychology when I get older.

Chuck Bryant (2:33)

When you were eight?

Josh Clark (2:34)

Yeah.

Chuck Bryant (2:34)

I didn't know what college was when I was eight.

Josh Clark (2:36)

Definitely, that was in my wheelhouse. Really? Yeah. Wow.

So this was like right up my alley. Yeah. Now that I watch it as a child, I'm like, man, I was an idiot when I was eight. But it was pretty cool. The special effects are like 80s-rific.

Chuck Bryant (2:50)

Oh, yes. They do not hold up.

Josh Clark (2:52)

No. But I mean, if you're a fan of Tron, you're going to... Or Videodrome.

Yeah. You're going to love this movie.

Chuck Bryant (3:00)

Starring the great Michael Perret.

Josh Clark (3:03)

Yes. And RoboCop's partner.

Chuck Bryant (3:06)

Yeah, Nancy Allen.

Josh Clark (3:07)

Was she... Who... What else was she in famously?

Chuck Bryant (3:11)

She was in a bunch of 80s movies.

Josh Clark (3:12)

She was big back then. What was her big one, though? Or was she always co-starring the female lead?

Chuck Bryant (3:17)

I think, yeah, I don't think she was ever like the lead in a movie. They didn't make movies with female leads in the 80s.

Josh Clark (3:24)

I can't remember. In this context, are we allowed to say female, or should it be the girl lead? It's the female lead, right?

Chuck Bryant (3:30)

They didn't make leads with women as the lead in the 80s. They're all just there to prop up the dudes.

Josh Clark (3:37)

Right.

Chuck Bryant (3:38)

Which is still how it is.

Josh Clark (3:39)

Well, working girl, that was in the 80s.

Chuck Bryant (3:42)

Good point.

Josh Clark (3:43)

Nine to five?

Chuck Bryant (3:44)

Three ladies. All right, I'll take it back.

Josh Clark (3:47)

Okay.

Chuck Bryant (3:48)

Few and far between. What, I'm trying to lobby for gender equality in Hollywood.

Josh Clark (3:52)