Blank Check — Patreon: Dr. Strangelove... with Sean Fennessey (Ad-Free)

Published 2022-10-02; 2:21:40 by the feed.

As extracted (engineer-sonnet-2026-10-13)

The extraction calls the show “Blank Check with Griffin & David (Patreon)” and the episode “Dr. Strangelove... with Sean Fennessey (Ad-Free)”.

Hosts: Griffin Newman, David Sims, Ben Hosley. Guests: Sean Fennessey.

Subject films: Dr. Strangelove (1964).

On the transcript: No speaker labels and heavy ASR errors (names, run-together turns); speaker attributions are guesses with low confidence. Opens with an ad-free cold open of film dialogue.

Films that came up

Claims (30)

unmapped (aspirational template): Dr. Strangelove → Adam McKay. Speaker says Strangelove is probably McKay's north star, the thing he strives toward.
“But I think you're right, though, that McKay is this is probably his north star, right?”
Blank Check — Patreon · Dr. Strangelove... with Sean Fennessey (Ad-Free) · 0:05:00 · unknown (0.30 sure it was them)
theme (underplaying comparison): Peter Sellers → Robert De Niro. Speaker pairs Mandrake with De Niro's underplayed Jackie Brown as deceptively difficult acting.
“to actively play someone who's got so little going on is so deceptively difficult because you watch something like this, like Mandrake”
Blank Check — Patreon · Dr. Strangelove... with Sean Fennessey (Ad-Free) · 0:13:19 · Griffin Newman (0.60 sure it was them)
unmapped (business context): Lolita → Dr. Strangelove. The speaker says the takeaway from Lolita was that Sellers maybe saved it commercially, so the studio wanted more Sellers for a Kubrick film.
“the takeaway from Lolita was like, sellers maybe saved that movie commercially.”
Blank Check — Patreon · Dr. Strangelove... with Sean Fennessey (Ad-Free) · 0:18:08 · Griffin Newman (0.45 sure it was them)
unmapped (precedent for multiple roles): Peter Sellers → The Mouse That Roared. Sellers had already played multiple parts in The Mouse That Roared.
“Okay, yes, sellers had done the mouse that roared, and, um, you know, that's he's playing multiple parts.”
Blank Check — Patreon · Dr. Strangelove... with Sean Fennessey (Ad-Free) · 0:19:14 · David Sims (0.50 sure it was them)
craft (tone comparison): Dr. Strangelove → Don't Look Up. Speakers compare the ending tags and tone of Don't Look Up against Strangelove's balance of satire and sincerity.
“I remembered that don't look up has a tag, right?”
Blank Check — Patreon · Dr. Strangelove... with Sean Fennessey (Ad-Free) · 0:23:50 · Griffin Newman (0.55 sure it was them)
unmapped (joke): Dr. Strangelove → MacGruber. A joke that the abrupt jump-cut ending is a MacGruber edit and that Kubrick was ripping off MacGruber; not a real claim.
“And Kubrick was actually ripping off McGruber”
Blank Check — Patreon · Dr. Strangelove... with Sean Fennessey (Ad-Free) · 0:27:30 · unknown (0.30 sure it was them)
theme (thematic comparison): Dr. Strangelove → Tootsie. Speaker says Strangelove and Tootsie are both extremely funny but feel important to the industry.
“Well, this movie and Totsie have a lot in common, right?”
Blank Check — Patreon · Dr. Strangelove... with Sean Fennessey (Ad-Free) · 0:29:22 · Sean Fennessey (0.55 sure it was them)
theme (tonal comparison): Dr. Strangelove → Network. Network is called another movie that gets an impossible tone right, with dramatic actors rather than comedians.
“But that's another movie that's similarly like this gets sort of an impossible tone right.”
Blank Check — Patreon · Dr. Strangelove... with Sean Fennessey (Ad-Free) · 0:31:14 · unknown (0.30 sure it was them)
people (unrealized collaboration): Paddy Chayefsky → Stanley Kubrick. Kubrick was one of only three people who met to direct Network, but he and Chayefsky never clicked.
“Kubrick was like one of only 3 people who even met to direct that movie.”
Blank Check — Patreon · Dr. Strangelove... with Sean Fennessey (Ad-Free) · 0:31:34 · David Sims (0.45 sure it was them)
people (performance comparison): George C. Scott → Robert Duvall. Scott is likened to Duvall in Network for walking a line of overacting with a foot in reality.
“He's kind of the Deval of this movie where he's like, he's towing a really fine line of like overacting, but with like a foot in reality”
Blank Check — Patreon · Dr. Strangelove... with Sean Fennessey (Ad-Free) · 0:33:41 · Griffin Newman (0.40 sure it was them)
unmapped (advocacy): Quentin Tarantino → The Killing. Tarantino championed The Killing in the 90s, drawing more people to it.
“I think Tarantino was like really, really advocating for that movie in the 90s, and so a lot more people got onto it that are more our age.”
Blank Check — Patreon · Dr. Strangelove... with Sean Fennessey (Ad-Free) · 0:45:13 · Sean Fennessey (0.55 sure it was them)
lineage (adaptation): Red Alert (novel) → Dr. Strangelove. The speaker says Dr. Strangelove is based on Peter George's serious nuclear thriller Red Alert.
“so he scoops up this book called Red Alert, which is, of course, what Dr. Strangelove is based on by Peter George that is a serious nuclear thriller.”
Blank Check — Patreon · Dr. Strangelove... with Sean Fennessey (Ad-Free) · 0:48:54 · David Sims (0.55 sure it was them)
industry (rival same-premise film): Dr. Strangelove → Fail-Safe. Kubrick was offered the novel Fail-Safe; a lawsuit during Strangelove's production meant Fail-Safe had to come out after it, though Columbia released both.
“there was some kind of lawsuit filed during the production of Dr. Strangelove, uh, that meant that Failsafe had to come out after Dr. Strangelove.”
Blank Check — Patreon · Dr. Strangelove... with Sean Fennessey (Ad-Free) · 0:50:28 · Sean Fennessey (0.50 sure it was them)
what-if (what-if swap): Sidney Lumet → Stanley Kubrick. Speaker finds it fascinating to imagine Lumet directing Strangelove and Kubrick directing Fail-Safe.
“it's really, really fascinating to imagine a world in which these 2 guys like flipped these movies.”
Blank Check — Patreon · Dr. Strangelove... with Sean Fennessey (Ad-Free) · 0:51:22 · Sean Fennessey (0.60 sure it was them)
unmapped (how Southern was brought in): Terry Southern → Peter Sellers. Sellers had given Kubrick a copy of The Magic Christian, which is how Terry Southern got involved.
“Sellers is the one who gets Southern involved because Sellers had given Kubrick a copy of the Magic Christian, Harry Southern.”
Blank Check — Patreon · Dr. Strangelove... with Sean Fennessey (Ad-Free) · 0:52:59 · David Sims (0.55 sure it was them)
lineage (comedic influence): Dr. Strangelove → Zucker Brothers. Speaker had a breakthrough that Strangelove must have been a big influence on the Zucker brothers and Jim Abrahams.
“I did finally have the breakthrough watching this of how much of an influence this movie must have been on the Zucker Brothers and John Abrahams.”
Blank Check — Patreon · Dr. Strangelove... with Sean Fennessey (Ad-Free) · 0:53:55 · David Sims (0.60 sure it was them)
what-if (what-if casting): Gene Kelly → Sterling Hayden. Kubrick's first choice for Ripper was Gene Kelly; when Kelly was not available he cast Scott, who asked for Turgidson, and then brought in Hayden.
“He wanted Gene Kelly when he doesn't get Gene Kelly. He casts George C. Scott and George C. Scott then was like, I want to play Buck Turgison instead.”
Blank Check — Patreon · Dr. Strangelove... with Sean Fennessey (Ad-Free) · 0:58:41 · David Sims (0.45 sure it was them)
people (shared cast): Dr. Strangelove → The Killing. Kubrick brought in Sterling Hayden from The Killing for Ripper.
“okay, and then he brings in Sterling Hayden from the killing.”
Blank Check — Patreon · Dr. Strangelove... with Sean Fennessey (Ad-Free) · 0:58:51 · David Sims (0.45 sure it was them)
unmapped (real-life model): Curtis LeMay → Dr. Strangelove. Jack D. Ripper is said to be very obviously based on Air Force chief Curtis LeMay.
“Jack D. Ripper also is very obviously based on Curtis LeMay, who, uh, was the head of the Air Force at the time”
Blank Check — Patreon · Dr. Strangelove... with Sean Fennessey (Ad-Free) · 1:00:51 · David Sims (0.45 sure it was them)
people (shared crew / hiring): Ken Adam → Dr. No. Adam had just done Dr. No, which Kubrick loved, before designing Strangelove.
“He had just done Dr. No, and Stanley Kubrick had loved Dr. No.”
Blank Check — Patreon · Dr. Strangelove... with Sean Fennessey (Ad-Free) · 1:04:23 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)
people (collaborator warmth): Stanley Kubrick → David Fincher. Speaker says the warmth of Kubrick's collaborators reminds him of Fincher's collaborators.
“And it really does remind me of Fincher.”
Blank Check — Patreon · Dr. Strangelove... with Sean Fennessey (Ad-Free) · 1:07:10 · David Sims (0.70 sure it was them)
people (director comparison): Stanley Kubrick → Alfred Hitchcock. Kubrick is compared to Hitchcock on precision of vision, but Kubrick sought discovery while Hitchcock had the movie in his head.
“he's compared so much to Hitchcock and the precision of the vision and everything like that.”
Blank Check — Patreon · Dr. Strangelove... with Sean Fennessey (Ad-Free) · 1:08:28 · unknown (0.35 sure it was them)
unmapped (similar setup): Dr. Strangelove → The Russians Are Coming, the Russians Are Coming. Speaker, a fan as a kid, notes the Russians Are Coming is similar in setup, also a Cold War comedy.
“The Russians are coming as a kid, which is a movie that is like kind of similar in its setup where, and it is also like a comedy about the Cold War.”
Blank Check — Patreon · Dr. Strangelove... with Sean Fennessey (Ad-Free) · 1:22:52 · Griffin Newman (0.65 sure it was them)
unmapped (real-life model): Adlai Stevenson → Dr. Strangelove. Speaker says Peter Sellers modeled the President (Muffley) on Adlai Stevenson.
“He modeled it on Adlai Stevenson.”
Blank Check — Patreon · Dr. Strangelove... with Sean Fennessey (Ad-Free) · 1:27:02 · unknown (0.30 sure it was them)
lineage (comedic influence): Bob Newhart → Dr. Strangelove. Speaker feels Newhart's one-sided phone-call format and his 1960 albums were a heavy influence on the President's call with the Soviet premier.
“I feel like a heavy influence on the way the president's phone call with Russia play out in this movie.”
Blank Check — Patreon · Dr. Strangelove... with Sean Fennessey (Ad-Free) · 1:28:44 · Griffin Newman (0.40 sure it was them)
lineage (comedic lineage): Shelley Berman → Bob Newhart. Speaker says Berman created the one-sided phone bit before Newhart, who maybe lifted a little and popularized it.
“Shelley Berman kind of created before Newheart, Newheart maybe lifted a little bit, but Newheart at least popularized to a different degree.”
Blank Check — Patreon · Dr. Strangelove... with Sean Fennessey (Ad-Free) · 1:29:29 · Griffin Newman (0.35 sure it was them)
people (casting persona): Dr. Strangelove → The Long Goodbye. Speaker says Strangelove was the first time Hayden's personal struggles were put on screen, and later filmmakers used that persona going forward (Godfather, Long Goodbye).
“This is the 1st time when like his personal struggles, like were actualized in a movie, and then I felt like filmmakers only used this in movies going forward”
Blank Check — Patreon · Dr. Strangelove... with Sean Fennessey (Ad-Free) · 1:55:14 · Sean Fennessey (0.50 sure it was them)
theme (similar premise): Dr. Strangelove → Seven Days in May. Seven Days in May is a serious political thriller with a similar vibe about the military clashing with the president.
“It's another political thriller with kind of a similar vibe, but it's serious,”
Blank Check — Patreon · Dr. Strangelove... with Sean Fennessey (Ad-Free) · 2:01:46 · David Sims (0.75 sure it was them)
career (career parallel): John Frankenheimer → Stanley Kubrick. Frankenheimer's 1962 to 1966 run is compared to Kubrick trying a different genre each time.
“this movie comes in the middle of the most underrated five-year run in any American filmmaker's history, which is John Frankenheimer from 1962 to 1966”
Blank Check — Patreon · Dr. Strangelove... with Sean Fennessey (Ad-Free) · 2:02:41 · Sean Fennessey (0.75 sure it was them)
craft (set design template): Dr. Strangelove → Roger Moore Bond films. Speaker says hiring a Bond designer for the war room changed how such rooms look on screen forever, and the Bond movies being covered have war-room sets.
“It is funny how this movie, this hiring a James Bond guy to design the war room, uh, changes the way you're allowed to put these things on screen forever.”
Blank Check — Patreon · Dr. Strangelove... with Sean Fennessey (Ad-Free) · 2:14:11 · Griffin Newman (0.55 sure it was them)

Fun items (23)

fun, about Dr. Strangelove: Mandrake's story about being captured by the Japanese is called the funniest part of the movie.
“Mandrake talking about being captured by the Japanese is the funniest part of this whole movie.”
Blank Check — Patreon · Dr. Strangelove... with Sean Fennessey (Ad-Free) · 0:11:32 · Griffin Newman (0.55 sure it was them)
fun, about Dr. Strangelove: The release was delayed by the Kennedy assassination; a speaker also notes the President is the last reasonable president in an American satire, because Kennedy was in office.
“this movie was delayed because of the assassination of Kennedy.”
Blank Check — Patreon · Dr. Strangelove... with Sean Fennessey (Ad-Free) · 0:23:11 · David Sims (0.45 sure it was them)
fun, about Dr. Strangelove: The ending was supposed to be an extended pie fight. Kubrick watched it, found it too silly, and cut it, so the film ends abruptly on a jump cut to an explosion.
“this movie was supposed to end with this extended pie fight, which would have been like the broadest sequence in the movie.”
Blank Check — Patreon · Dr. Strangelove... with Sean Fennessey (Ad-Free) · 0:26:51 · unknown (0.30 sure it was them)
fun, about Dr. Strangelove: AFI's 100 Years 100 Laughs ranked Strangelove third, behind Tootsie and Some Like It Hot, and Blockbuster displayed the tapes together.
“I watched this because AFI in the year 2000 did their 100 years, 100 laughs”
Blank Check — Patreon · Dr. Strangelove... with Sean Fennessey (Ad-Free) · 0:28:13 · Griffin Newman (0.65 sure it was them)
fun, about George C. Scott: Scott did over-the-top warm-up takes Kubrick had assured him he would not use, then Kubrick used them. Scott did not like that.
“Kubrick was supposedly assuring him, like, we won't use these.”
Blank Check — Patreon · Dr. Strangelove... with Sean Fennessey (Ad-Free) · 0:35:48 · unknown (0.35 sure it was them)
fun, about George C. Scott: Scott and Kubrick played chess constantly; Scott respected that Kubrick annihilated him.
“they would play chess all the time because I guess George C. Scott fancying himself a chess man and he respected that Stanley Kubrick like annihilated him at chess.”
Blank Check — Patreon · Dr. Strangelove... with Sean Fennessey (Ad-Free) · 0:36:11 · unknown (0.35 sure it was them)
fun, about George C. Scott: Kubrick reversed his 100-takes system for Scott: he told him a take was only a rehearsal, then used it.
“Kubrick actually reverses his own system on this movie and is like, to get one good take out of a notoriously self-serious actor. I need to tell him it's a rehearsal and it doesn't count.”
Blank Check — Patreon · Dr. Strangelove... with Sean Fennessey (Ad-Free) · 0:37:40 · unknown (0.35 sure it was them)
fun, about George C. Scott: Scott refused his Patton nomination; the producer accepted the Oscar and returned it the next day. The next year Scott was nominated again.
“the following year after refusing the Academy Award, he was nominated again.”
Blank Check — Patreon · Dr. Strangelove... with Sean Fennessey (Ad-Free) · 0:39:39 · unknown (0.35 sure it was them)
fun, about George C. Scott: Scott voiced Smoke, a sentient cloud of drugs, in Cartoon All-Stars to the Rescue, at full intensity.
“he also voiced smoke and cartoon all-stars to the rescue.”
Blank Check — Patreon · Dr. Strangelove... with Sean Fennessey (Ad-Free) · 0:41:36 · unknown (0.35 sure it was them)
fun, about Dr. Strangelove: Failsafe was released later because of a lawsuit, though Columbia put out both films.
“And Columbia put out both movies so they didn't care.”
Blank Check — Patreon · Dr. Strangelove... with Sean Fennessey (Ad-Free) · 0:50:42 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)
fun, about Terry Southern: Sellers gave Kubrick The Magic Christian, which brought Southern in; the dossier read is that Kubrick wrote it, George inspired it, and Southern made it funny.
“JJ's read on the screenplay, though, is that it's Dubrick wrote it.”
Blank Check — Patreon · Dr. Strangelove... with Sean Fennessey (Ad-Free) · 0:53:10 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)
fun, about Dr. Strangelove: The first page of the screenplay says the story will be played for realistic comedy and the acting will never be so-called comedy acting.
“The 1st page of the screenplay says, the story will be played for realistic comedy”
Blank Check — Patreon · Dr. Strangelove... with Sean Fennessey (Ad-Free) · 0:53:20 · David Sims (0.50 sure it was them)
fun, about Dr. Strangelove: The opening title sequence of planes refueling in midair is a sex joke, and Kubrick reportedly said the whole film is built on sex jokes ending in an orgasmic finish.
“I mean, the whole opening title sequence is just one big dick joke, you know, it's just about how like bombs fuck the world and like the idea of refueling a plane in midair.”
Blank Check — Patreon · Dr. Strangelove... with Sean Fennessey (Ad-Free) · 0:55:00 · unknown (0.35 sure it was them)
fun, about Peter Sellers: Sellers was meant to play a fourth part, Major Kong. A sprained ankle is the official story, but speakers say he just did not want to do the Texan voice, so Slim Pickens took it.
“And the thing where he sprains his ankle and he can't do Kong, everyone seems to think that that's basically, that's kind of just an excuse.”
Blank Check — Patreon · Dr. Strangelove... with Sean Fennessey (Ad-Free) · 0:56:56 · unknown (0.35 sure it was them)
fun, about Gene Kelly: The original plan for Jack D. Ripper was Gene Kelly. Kubrick then cast George C. Scott, who asked to play Turgidson instead, and brought in Sterling Hayden.
“You know who the original plan was to cast for Jack D. Ripper, the Sterling Hayden Row?”
Blank Check — Patreon · Dr. Strangelove... with Sean Fennessey (Ad-Free) · 0:58:19 · David Sims (0.45 sure it was them)
fun, about James Earl Jones: Jones had a big role questioning the mission; Kubrick decided he did not want the protesting crew member to be a Black actor and cut it. Jones told him he took the part for the cut material.
“eventually Kubrick decided he didn't want the guy protesting to be a black guy and cuts everything out.”
Blank Check — Patreon · Dr. Strangelove... with Sean Fennessey (Ad-Free) · 1:02:27 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)
fun, about Ken Adam: Adam justified the triangular war room to a skeptical Kubrick, and he and Kubrick devised the lighting scheme so the cinematographer could not design it.
“Ian Kubrick together designed the whole lighting scheme so they could stop the cinematographer from designing any of the lighting”
Blank Check — Patreon · Dr. Strangelove... with Sean Fennessey (Ad-Free) · 1:04:45 · unknown (0.30 sure it was them)
fun, about James Earl Jones: Jones said Kubrick constantly wanted the actors eating, handing them Twinkies, because he liked the mundane aspect of horrific events.
“I think he liked the mundane aspect of horrific events.”
Blank Check — Patreon · Dr. Strangelove... with Sean Fennessey (Ad-Free) · 1:30:20 · unknown (0.35 sure it was them)
fun, about Dr. Strangelove: Strangelove plays mostly in close-up while the rest of the film is wide shots and long masters, and the character waits about 55 minutes to appear.
“I mean, you have to wait almost 55 minutes just to get to sellers as strange.”
Blank Check — Patreon · Dr. Strangelove... with Sean Fennessey (Ad-Free) · 1:34:20 · unknown (0.30 sure it was them)
fun, about Dr. Strangelove: Kubrick wrote down about thirty alternate titles, including Wonderful Bomb, Dr. Doomsday, and Dr. Strangelove's Secret Uses of Uranus.
“The weird one is Dr. Strangelove's secret uses of Uranus.”
Blank Check — Patreon · Dr. Strangelove... with Sean Fennessey (Ad-Free) · 1:35:46 · David Sims (0.40 sure it was them)
fun, about Tracy Reed: Kubrick cast Carol Reed's daughter and put her in a bikini; speaker calls it perverse.
“My favorite tidbit is that Stanley Kubrick cast one of his hero's daughters in this movie and put her in a bikini in a scene.”
Blank Check — Patreon · Dr. Strangelove... with Sean Fennessey (Ad-Free) · 1:48:24 · Sean Fennessey (0.50 sure it was them)
fun, about Peter Sellers: Sellers received a best actor nomination for what are effectively three supporting roles; the speakers think it may be the only such nomination.
“It is such a unique nomination to be like, this guy is the lead of the film because he plays 3 supporting characters in an ensemble.”
Blank Check — Patreon · Dr. Strangelove... with Sean Fennessey (Ad-Free) · 1:53:07 · Sean Fennessey (0.45 sure it was them)
fun, about The Cardinal: The future Pope Benedict XVI was the Vatican liaison on The Cardinal, and it was the first 35mm blow-up projected in 70mm.
“Pope Benedict, the later to be Pope Benedict the 16th, was the liaison officer from the Vatican for this movie.”
Blank Check — Patreon · Dr. Strangelove... with Sean Fennessey (Ad-Free) · 2:05:07 · David Sims (0.60 sure it was them)

Who's talking

Griffin Newman (host): Loves Strangelove's dry delivery and Peter Sellers' underplayed Mandrake, and watched it as a comedy-obsessed kid through the AFI 100 Laughs list. Skeptical of Adam McKay's recent satire and of Don't Look Up's tag. A sucker for movie lists, titles and bits like podcast series names.
David Sims (host): Reads the dossier and brings box-office lists, Oscar-year trivia and a spreadsheet of retroactive winners. Draws links to comedy lineage (the Zuckers) and to Fincher's collaborators.
Sean Fennessey (guest): Reveres Strangelove as the most singular Kubrick and a document that still applies. Loves Frankenheimer, Malick, and deep trivia of movie years. Dislikes recent McKay satire but is gentle about it.
Ben Hosley (host): The producer, in the room but mostly silent; saw Strangelove as a kid via an uncle and was underwhelmed.

The show's recurring bits

Names the transcriber got wrong

'Sean Fantasy' / 'Fennasy' / 'John Fennis' = Sean Fennessey
'Strange Love' / 'Doctor Strange Love' = Dr. Strangelove
'Muffly' = President Merkin Muffley
'Mantric' / 'Mandrick' = Lionel Mandrake
'Enan Wynn' = Keenan Wynn
'Buck Turgison' = Buck Turgidson
'Cubric'/'Dubrick'/'Hubrick'/'Cuba' = Kubrick
'Harry Southern' = Terry Southern
'Deval' = Duvall
'Ianucci' = Iannucci
'John Abrahams' = Jim Abrahams
'McGruber' = MacGruber
'Tough Cappy' = Topkapi
'Peter Usinoff' = Peter Ustinov
'Craig McCarthy' = Frank McCarthy (Patton's producer)
'Paul Apprentice' = Paula Prentiss
'all bass poster' = Saul Bass poster
'Pods wide cast' = Podswide Cast (miniseries title)
'Ben Alfing' = Ben Hosley
'Shalamet' = Chalamet
'Fastbender' = Fassbender
'Women in the Dunes' = Woman in the Dunes; 'Sherberg' = Cherbourg
'Yorma Tacomb' = Jorma Taccone
'Mamma Clump' = Mama Klump
'who Iac' = HUAC

Blank Check — Patreon: Dr. Strangelove... with Sean Fennessey (Ad-Free)

As extracted (engineer-sonnet-2026-10-13)

Films that came up

subject (1)

passing (78)

anecdote (10)

compared (18)

Claims (30)

Fun items (23)

Who's talking

The show's recurring bits

Names the transcriber got wrong