Stan Lee - Thicke of the Night - 1984

Stan Lee discusses Marvel Comics and Spider-Man with Alan Thicke on American talk show, Thicke of the Night. January 17, 1984. Additional guests include Steve Allen.

[@AlT-yk1sv]

Rest In Peace Stan Lee. You will be remembered forever throughout your true believers and Marvel Community. (1922 - 2018)

[@jackgrattan1447]

Thicke's patronizing contempt for comic books seems straight out of the '50's, much less 1984. I guess that I've forgotten how nerd culture didn't really start becoming a mainstream construct until the '90's/'00's. Nice to see Gilbert Gottfried lurking about.

[@marcoman64]

Yup, Thicke rhymes with "prick" too, lol!

[@ernafito]

Yeah poor Stan....having to go through public humiliations like this interview in order to make it bigger in Hollywood. You could cut the condescension in that studio with a knife but Stan stays above it....

[@paulpolpiboon9535]

Jack Grattan : Lord of the rings trilogy after the Matrix brought it all on, mainstream wise. Altho decades before even then Bruce Lee established super human reality as a legit thing in 73. I don't see Thicke having any contempt here, he thought the spidey cover was a bit shocking tho, so he's on behalf of sensitive viewers maybe

[@Reborn8303]

It was a thing in the 80s. But sadly a lot of people view comic books as kid fodder. No matter what decade it is even with big budget films being based off of them.

[@chestercastaneda4920]

Out of the 1950s? Ha. Wait till you hear what Martin Scorsese has to say about them!

[@assignmentearth2899]

they're talking about the educational value of comics.....I agree. As a 3rd or 4th grader I remember learning the words "pyrotechnics" and "idealistic" from Gerry Conway in Spider-Man 134 and 135. Idealism is a heady concept for a 4th grader. I credit Gerry and Marvel for that.

[@DanAvenell]

Same here, I learnt all my fancy words from Marvel. The teachers were discombobulated.

[@mysterymac38]

"Spiderman is bald". Alan Thicke didn't even know that was a costume Spiderman was wearing.

[@tacoma171]

If they only had a crystal ball and could've seen where comics would go and the blockbuster movies they'd produce. They'd be bowing to Stan Lee

[@stevenlennon12]

something about alan thick in this show that makes u just hate the guy. I mean I cant stand the guy now lol

[@hulksmash1357]

"Best of luck in the film enterprise" hahahahahaha He belittled comics so facetiously. That old guy will out live you Allen.

[@TheGuyInTheCheapSeats]

He did.

[@sonic31century1]

At minute 5:50 Stan Lee said, "One great thing I think about the Spider-man costume - every kind of kid relates to him. You could be an oriental , you could be black, you could be an Eskimo but the mere fact that you can't tell through the mask what type of person he is makes it very easy for kids all around the world to empathize with Spider-man. " People today in these politically correct times will miss Stan's point because he did not use the terms "Person Of Color, " "Asian American, " and "Indigenous People" to describe some of his comics' diverse readership.

[@DarkMsStress]

Gillbert was legitimately into those books

[@garyl5128]

As I was hearing Thicke's condescending attitude, I was thinking how he must have changed his tune after he saw just how successful Marvel Comics has become, and how much money the movies are making. I think Stan with Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko etc were visionaries of their time, it's just a shame that people like Thicke weren't/aren't, and just pre-judge the comics without even reading them (they clearly hadn't). I wonder what he thought of Harry Potter or Star Wars before they were popular.

[@johnny6610]

People have different taste, relax. Most people who saw these movies never read or knew anything about them. It’s just Hollywood made them trendy and invested in them, when they ran out of ideas.

[@RockandrollNegro]

Marvel Comics is making far less money today than they were when this was filmed. Marvel Entertainment, however, is doing great. Comics are basically dead, killed by the people who write them and publish them.

[@garyl5128]

@@RockandrollNegro I think I'm inclined to agree with you, unfortunately. I used to still buy them up until the pandemic hit, but had been cancelling titles over the years as I just wasn't enjoying them. The last batch I bought are still unread and I can't see me wasting any more money on new ones. I still prefer the books Lee was directly involved in over anything that had come after.

[@langreeves6419]

@@RockandrollNegro I pick up my comics every Wednesday from the wonderful people at my lcs. Comics aren't dead. And many of the movie plots come from recent comics. Yes, comics are a much smaller market than the past. But that has more to do with the digital age, streaming TV, and an unlimited amount a time killing phone apps. I also think comics would be helped if the parent companies cared to advertise a bit? Like the marvel section of Disney+ could have a quick blurb somewhere to let people know comics are still being made. I meet people who don't know you don't have to wait a few years for the next Spider-Man movie.....you can read new Spider-Man stories right now. But the people who write and illustrate the comics are very much wanting the comics to sell. It's how they make a living, and I don't know any independently wealthy comic creators. Of course, some writers I don't like, and I don't buy. But that's not because they don't want me to buy it. That's because you can't produce a story everyone will like. There are comics I've read which other people hate. And they sometimes accuse the writer of not caring if the comic sells. They do care, they just can't please everyone.

[@Galactus_]

Totally forgot about Alan Thicke's talk show. Thanks for sharing this amazing bit of history. Stan is The Man!!!

[@PatTheBatmanFan]

+swsteven You and everyone else!

[@actarusmlt]

Listen, how nice and well choice words he said!

[@treborretlaw]

stan lee defending comics..just as i did when i was a young boy reading superman and batman..a brother in arms

[@Gothiczartan]

Stan Lee made it through the 70s, 80s, 90s, 2000s til 2018. That was his last Stan he ever made in 2018. Glad to see him mad his Stan in 1984.

[@ANGEL---.]

Stan lee una leyenda que nunca olvidaremos

[@trevora2009]

they all looked down on comics poor fools

[@jaymz9097]

RIP champ! Thanks for bringing the marvel and super hero’s in enjoyed since a kid and still enjoy right now! Say hi to my dad up there for me! #Legend

[@MrSamer83]

RIP Stan Lee and Alan Thicke!!!

[@meowza3k]

Sorry Stan we're out of time...we only have time for 3 minute of standing around while people clap.

[@MichaelSartore]

can you imagine how tired the audience's arms were from clapping that long

[@langreeves6419]

Sorry Stan, I'm out of rude insults. Show's over.

[@michellesanctuary9089]

rare material, thank you so much for this upload.

[@Launchpad05]

RIP Alan Thicke.

[@oovii808]

Yes, RIP...used to love this show...

[@alexnejako777]

Stan is very well spoken here

[@TheMikester307]

I rea comics all through school, and I learned a lot about the power of story through those comic books. Now, I'm a writer! -----Mike Mayak

[@Beej1987]

Yeesh, can't believe someone gave Alan Thicke a talk show.

[@solaariz]

R.I.P Stan "The Man" Lee

[@lestoil]

Steve Allen!!! Greatest wit EVER!! He was too intelligent for TV.

[@mikeangel7976]

Rip Stan lee ❤️

[@jeanemlicar27]

Wish I had those issues in my comic book collection.

[@cordellsenior9935]

"Best of luck with those film aspirations." - Famous last words (sort of)

[@Eminem200183]

R.I.P. Stan Lee, Alan Thicke, and Steve Allen. Btw, the girl that looked bad on the cover of Spider-Man was The Black Kat. It would had been interesting if Felicia Hardy was together w/ Peter Parker. But Peter was better with Mary Jane Watson

[@IIsweet.n.spicyII]

Excelsior!!!

[@AgentXXSmith]

Ha ha, Gilbert Gottfried at 7:58

[@Eminem200183]

Agent Smith I think I saw Richard Belzer in there too

[@caliken10]

I remember watching this at 17 years old and I thinking "Alan Thick is being a jerk to Stan Lee!" SMH

[@sonic31century1]

Once Stan Lee was booked for this appearance, the show's producers probably had a production assistant run down to the corner 7-11 store to buy the comics. These days the production assistant would have to search on the internet for a comic shop which would probably not be located conveniently down the street like a 7-11 would have been. Comics need to be located in places that the average person actually goes to, not just specialty stores like comic book shops.

[@juniorgordon5416]

RIP #StanLee

[@arthurwatt4144]

Stan and alan RIP

[@mikewilson3581]

I remember seeing The Red Hot Chilli Peppers for the first time on "Thick Of The Night".

[@memes_for_kings]

WTF Thicke of the Night?! 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@Trilaan]

5 hours later, the applause stopped and the majority of the audience was treated for sprained(with a few broken) hands.

[@revoltpuppy]

At 9:08 - me when I read Marvel comics, every time.

[@albertlopez2237]

Fantasy superheroes realistic.

[@Vicleg10]

The voiceover announcer on this clip sounds like the late Charlie Tuna that announced for Scrabble during most of its original run.

[@Eminem200183]

Vicleg10 It was Charlie Tuna

[@dreparker9686]

They all laughed at him...now look! he had the last one. :)

[@angelmanfredy]

Wow Alan Thicke knew absolutely nothing about comics. “Spider-Man doesn’t have hair.” 😂

[@tetrakings]

7:10 Fast forward 24 years and Avengers and Black Panther both make over a BILLION dollars in the box office......while Stan is merely a millionaire.....and even THAT is doubtful

[@thxlopez]

Which ff issue is that

[@Lalvon_Zelpharr]

RIP

[@123rockfan]

That was a really dumb thing thicke said, kids learn words by having things in context, so showing a misanthropic face when using the word is what makes kids learn it

[@nickbatt399]

and stan's reply was perfect "if you can draw misanthropic, you're pretty good."

[@langreeves6419]

Stan usually would also say the fact that there's a picture helps a kid LEARN A NEW WORD! Having context clues and pictures is great! But Alan wasnt very interested in what Stan was saying, and often cut him off in order to say something condescending. And Stan did love big words. I'm 58 and college educated. Yet when I go back and read his old comics, I still find words to learn.

[@seasonsfearingthereaper5290]

you were awesome Alan. he always reminded me of a cooler version of my dad. lolol they looked alot alike and wow what a priceless interview

[@garyl5128]

More like clueless - he clearly had no idea about Marvel Comics or their content. A good talk show host would have done some research.

[@langreeves6419]

@@garyl5128 or at least let the guest speak without cutting off what your guest is saying so you can say rude condescending comments.

[@nickbatt399]

This was like in the matrix when Neo puts his hand up and stops all the bullets but instead of bullets, it's anti comic sentiment

[@MichaelSartore]

Spodermun has no hairs.

[@markherring3513]

Alan Thicke clearly never read one comic book in his life or hes purposely acting stupid. Horrible interviewer.