Episode Details

A family decides to make a comedy with more than 100 untamed lions and tigers, and somehow the result is less film production than survival exercise. Roar tells the chaotic true story of the 1981 movie often called the most dangerous film ever made, starring Tippi Hedren, Noel Marshall, and a young Melanie Griffith.

Roar follows the 11-year production, the real animal attacks, the injuries, the flooded sets, the financial chaos, and the unbelievable decision to keep filming with big cats that were not behaving like trained movie animals. We explore how idealism, ego, animal conservation, and Hollywood ambition collided in one of cinema’s strangest disasters.

This documentary podcast episode uses true story behind movies, disaster stories, media scandals, pop culture scandals, strange true stories, and what really happened to unpack a cult classic built out of bad decisions and genuine danger. Roar is a behind-the-scenes story where the making-of may be more shocking than the movie itself.

Resources and Further Reading 

1. Shambala Preserve - Tippi Hedren’s Big Cat Sanctuary
2. Interview with John Marshall on the making of Roar - Grantland
3. Roar: The most Dangerous Movie Ever Made - YouTube
4. Roar Production details - IMDB

Host & Show Info

• Hosts: Kyle Risi & Adam Cox
• Intro Music: Alice in dark Wonderland

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