The podcast that asks the question: What keeps you up at night? Hosts Brooke and Olivia discuss a variety of topics from cults to genocides to conspiracies to plagues. Are you interested in learning more about corporate greed, human exploitation, and the many, many things that can kill you? Do you want to leave feeling broken with a complete lack of faith in humanity but, like, in a funny way? Then welcome home, son.
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Naptime Nightmares #065 - Watermelon Man (1970)
Huge thanks to Behind the Slate Podcast for turning us on to this underexposed gem - give 'em a listen and follow them on Tiktok (which is where we saw the video that inspired this episode).
These two white girls from Southern California were woefully unaware of the powerhouse that is Melvin Van Peebles - a man who basically set the standard for what would become known as Blaxploitation film. This episode changed that.
Don't let the movie's premise (a bigoted white man becomes Black) scare you off. Watermelon Man is one of the most direct, honest, and unflinching satires we've ever seen. There are so many moving parts that work seamlessly together to perfectly capture the manufactured nature of whiteness - and Van Peebles did it all in 31 days.
But that's not the best part. The best part is the story behind how it was made in the first place. You've gotta hear it. Pinky promise.
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