Original Episode: #101 Do the Right Thing (1989) (released February 9, 2022)
New Episode: #223 Do the Right Thing (1989) Revisit ft. Andrew Corns and Sean Phillips (released August 14, 2024)
Guests:
Andrew Corns
Host of the Revisionist Almanac
@revalmanac on IG, X, YouTube, TikTok, and Letterboxd
Previously on Gaslight (ep. 210)
Sean Phillips
Creator of Math Teacher Movies
@mathteachermovies on IG and Letterboxd, @mathteachermov1 on X
Co-Host of The Guy at the Movies podcast with Joe and Sean or @guyatthemovies on YouTube.
Cast:
Spike Lee as Mookie/Writer/Director
Bill Lee, Music
Danny Aiello as Sal
Ossie Davis as Da Mayor
Ruby Dee as Mother Sister
Giancarlo Esposito as Buggin' Out
Bill Nunn as Radio Raheem
John Turturro as Pino
Richard Edson as Vito
Roger Guenveur Smith as Smiley
Rosie Perez as Tina
Joie Lee as Jade
Steve White as Ahmad
Martin Lawrence as Cee
Robin Harris as Sweet Dick Willie
Paul Benjamin as ML
Frankie Faison as Coconut Sid
Samuel L. Jackson as Mister Señor Love Daddy
Recognition:
Do the Right Thing was released on May 19, 1989 at the Cannes Film Festival.
At the time of the film's release, both Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert ranked the film as the best of 1989, and later each ranked it as one of the top 10 films of the decade (No. 6 for Siskel and No. 4 for Ebert).
However, the film did not enjoy widespread critical acclaim as many controversies of the time surrounded the film as well as backlash from white critics and industry people to the racial content depicted in the film.
Nevertheless, Do the Right Thing was a breakthrough for Spike Lee and eventually garnered him a nomination for Best Original Screenplay at the 1990 Academy Awards and for Danny Aiello for Best Supporting Actor.
Moreover, since its original release, Do the Right Thing has become a critical and industry darling as a touchstone of films that should have won Best Picture over the actual winner in a given year.
The AFI also recognized the film in: AFI's 100 Years...100 Songs: "Fight the Power" – No. 40 and AFI's 100 Years...100 Movies (10th Anniversary Edition) – No. 96.
In 2022, the film was included in the Sight and Sound poll of the Greatest Films of All-Time at #24 among critics and #29 among directors.
In 1999, Do the Right Thing was selected for the National Film Registry.
Do the Right Thing currently holds a 92% among critics on RT, a 93 score on Metacritic, and a 4.4/5 on Letterboxd.
Plot Summary: "Do the Right Thing" is a film set in the scorching summer heat of Brooklyn. It's a story that captures a single day in the lives of a neighborhood's residents, showcasing their joys, struggles, and the simmering tensions that come to a head. At the heart of the narrative is Sal's Famous Pizzeria, a local institution run by Sal and his sons, Vito and Pino. As the day unfolds, we witness a mosaic of characters—Mookie, the pizza delivery man; Radio Raheem, whose boombox blasts Public Enemy's "Fight the Power"; Buggin' Out, who demands representation on the pizzeria's Wall of Fame; and Da Mayor, the neighborhood's elder statesman.
Through a series of interactions, misunderstandings, and confrontations, the heat and the bubbling racial tension reach a boiling point, culminating in a tragic act of violence that forces the community to confront the complexities of race, identity, and justice. "Do the Right Thing" is a raw, unflinching look at the choices we make and the consequences that follow, urging viewers to reflect on what it truly means to "do the right thing."
Did You Know?:
Despite Da Mayor (Ossie Davis) and Mother Sister (Ruby Dee) being enemies in the film, the actors were actually husband and wife in real life and frequently performed together until Davis' death in 2005.
Rick Aiello, who played Officer Long in the movie, is the real-life son of Danny Aiello, who played Sal.
The building Sal's Pizzeria was in did not exist before shooting. Rather, it was constructed on an empty lot by the production company, and subsequently torn down after shooting wrapped.
The word "fu-ck" is used approximately two hundred forty times in this film, an average rate of two per minute.
James Earl Jones was originally offered the role of "Da Mayor", but turned it down in order to make Best of the Best (1989).
Ask Dana Anything:
V.P. Morris (previous 3x guest, @teawriterepeat on IG/X)
Does Dana know about the Kendrick Lamar - Drake feud and if so, what side is he on?
Are you having a Brat Summer?
Andrew Corns (previous 1x guest, @revalmanac on IG/X/TikTok/Letterboxd)
How were you at math in school?
How many decimals places of Pi can you name?
Can you elaborate on your Matthew Broderick story?
What two films best exhibit your love of film and why?
The Stanley Rubric:
Original Legacy Score: 8
New Legacy Score: 8.5
Original Impact/Significance Score: 4.5
New Impact/Significance Score: 7
Original Novelty Score: 10
New Novelty Score: 10
Original Classicness Score: 9.25
New Classicness Score: 9.5
Original Rewatchability Score: 7.5
New Rewatchability Score: 7.75
Original Audience Score: 8.75 (86% Google, 89% RT)
New Audience Score: 8.75 (86% Google, 89% RT)
Original Total Score: 48 (was #78 on the master list)
New Total Score: 51.5
In Memorium:
Connie Chiume, 72, South African actress (Black Panther, Black Is King, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever) and filmmaker.
Patti Yasutake, 70, American actress (Star Trek: The Next Generation, Beef, Gung Ho)
Charlie Cyphers, 85, American actor (Halloween, Halloween II, Halloween Kills)
Shaun Martin, 45, American musician (Snarky Puppy) and record producer, seven-time Grammy winner.
George Schenck, 82, American television writer and producer (NCIS).
Leonard Engelman, 83, American makeup artist (Ghostbusters, Batman Forever, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, Rocky IV, Moonstruck).
Daniel Selznick, 88, American film and television producer (Blood Feud, The Making of a Legend: Gone with the Wind, Hoover vs. The Kennedys), younger son of David O. Selznick
Robert Banas, 90, American dancer and actor (West Side Story, Mary Poppins, Bye, Bye, Birdie)
Remaining Questions:
Does Mookie save Sal?
Are we forced to choose only between Love and Hate?
Is this one of the most egregious Oscar omissions ever?
W0uld you have eaten that pizza on set?
Listener Questions:
Peterson W. Hill (@petersonwhill on IG)
Is this the most important American film ever made?
Is it the most relevant American film ever made?
Chauncey Telese (@bigchaunc64 on X)
What would be the ripple effects if Spike had won original screenplay?
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