This week's guest:

James Curtis, author of "Comedy is a Grim Business: The Making of 'It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World'"

Topic: How the film got started; Stanley Kramer and "The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T"; The reception of "It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World" on the heels of the John F. Kennedy assassination; Casting the Fire Chief; The origins of the Big W

This week's guest:
James Curtis, author of "Comedy is a Grim Business: The Making of 'It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World'"
Topic: How the film got started; Stanley Kramer and "The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T"; The reception of "It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World" on the heels of the John F. Kennedy assassination; Casting the Fire Chief; The origins of the Big W

"Nostalgia Tonight" is a love letter to show business and Americana. Join your host, Joe Sibilia, as he takes you on a journey through time to examine the people, places, and phenomena that have shaped popular culture.

"Nostalgia Tonight" is a love letter to show business and Americana. Join your host, Joe Sibilia, as he takes you on a journey through time to examine the people, places, and phenomena that have shaped popular culture.

Nostalgia Tonight with Joe Sibilia

The Making of "It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World"

Nostalgia Tonight with Joe Sibilia | 9-13-2026

On this episode of "Nostalgia Tonight," Joe takes a somber turn as he reflects on 25 years since 9/11. Joe talks with Bill Cadmus, a 9/11 survivor who escaped the 83rd floor of the World Trade Center; Tiffany Pryce, Joe's neighbor in Bloomfield, NJ whose father, Audley Pryce, escaped the 69th floor of the World Trade Center on 9/11; And Jenna Cianci, Joe's Kindergarten teacher at St. Thomas the Apostle school on 9/11.

Nostalgia Tonight with Joe Sibilia | 9-13-2026
On this episode of "Nostalgia Tonight," Joe takes a somber turn as he reflects on 25 years since 9/11. Joe talks with Bill Cadmus, a 9/11 survivor who escaped the 83rd floor of the World Trade Center; Tiffany Pryce, Joe's neighbor in Bloomfield, NJ whose father, Audley Pryce, escaped the 69th floor of the World Trade Center on 9/11; And Jenna Cianci, Joe's Kindergarten teacher at St. Thomas the Apostle school on 9/11.

Reflecting on 9/11, 25 Years Later

Nostalgai Tonight with Joe Sibilia | 9-6-2026

Joe Sibilia is joined by Rick Saphire, Jerry Lewis' former manager and the author of "The Real Jerry Lewis Story," to discuss the 60th anniversary of the MDA Labor Day Telethon, participating in the earliest telethons hosted by Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis in the 1950s, and much more. Later, Joe is joined by Steve Guttenberg to discuss his new movie "American Summer," working with the likes of Don Ameche and Col. Harland Sanders, and passing on the lead role in "Sharknado."

Nostalgai Tonight with Joe Sibilia | 9-6-2026
Joe Sibilia is joined by Rick Saphire, Jerry Lewis' former manager and the author of "The Real Jerry Lewis Story," to discuss the 60th anniversary of the MDA Labor Day Telethon, participating in the earliest telethons hosted by Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis in the 1950s, and much more. Later, Joe is joined by Steve Guttenberg to discuss his new movie "American Summer," working with the likes of Don Ameche and Col. Harland Sanders, and passing on the lead role in "Sharknado."

60 Years of  the Jerry Lewis MDA Labor Day Telethon Remembered with Rick Saphire, Jerry Lewis' Former Manager; Steve Guttenberg, actor best remembered for his roles in "Police Academy," "Cocoon," and "Three Men and a Baby" 

Nostalgia Tonight with Joe Sibilia | 8-31-2026

Joe Sibilia opens the show remembering Dolly Parton and Tim Curry, who passed away this week. Later, Joe is joined by Linda Kaplan Thaler, Advertising Hall of Fame inductee, founder of the Kaplan Thaler Group, and the author of "My Life in 30 Seconds." Joe and Linda discuss the creation o fthe Aflac Duck, the casting (and later re-casting) of Gilbert Gottfried as the voice of the duck, the nationwide search for a new voice, Gilbert Gottfried performing at her kid's 6th grade graduation, writing the Toys "R" Us jingle, working under James Patterson before his celebrity as an author, and much more.

Nostalgia Tonight with Joe Sibilia | 8-31-2026
Joe Sibilia opens the show remembering Dolly Parton and Tim Curry, who passed away this week. Later, Joe is joined by Linda Kaplan Thaler, Advertising Hall of Fame inductee, founder of the Kaplan Thaler Group, and the author of "My Life in 30 Seconds." Joe and Linda discuss the creation o fthe Aflac Duck, the casting (and later re-casting) of Gilbert Gottfried as the voice of the duck, the nationwide search for a new voice, Gilbert Gottfried performing at her kid's 6th grade graduation, writing the Toys "R" Us jingle, working under James Patterson before his celebrity as an author, and much more.

The Making of "It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World"

Nostalgia Tonight with Joe Sibilia

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Nostalgia Tonight with Joe Sibilia

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