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This very special old pale episode originally aired on June 20th, 2022.

It's October 6th, 1974. A young, up-and-coming film director walks through

the Departures Terminal at Boston International Airport. The director has just finished

shooting a big budget action movie. After a long and grueling production, he's finally going home.

The director glances up at the Departures Board as the board clicks and changes.

And he hears a boarding call for his seven o'clock flight to Los Angeles.

The director quickens his pace, struggling with his suitcase as he strides towards the gate.

There, the director finds himself replaying every moment of the past 159 days.

The constant prop malfunctions and script rewrites, the difficult actors, the endless reshoots

and delays. Beads of sweat break out on his forehead. Suddenly feeling dizzy,

the director takes hold of a railing to steady himself.

He pictures the stern faces of the studio executives who put their faith in him,

and to whom he will now have to explain how a movie that was supposed to cost only $4 million,

and he kept costing more than twice that. Sensing the onset of a panic attack,

and fearing he might collapse or throw up, the director ducks into the nearest bathroom.

He turns on the faucet, splashes his face with cold water, then he looks at himself in the mirror.

At just 27, Steven Spielberg only has one mainstream credit to his name, a commercial flop,

called the Sugarland Express. This latest picture was supposed to be Steven's big break,

and he blew it. The best case scenario now is he goes back to directing low-budget B movies,

...