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Reel Twisty: Setting Stories Straight

Reel Twisty: Setting Stories Straight

Written by: Tasha and Matt Film and True Story Enthusiasts
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Investigating the real tales that "based on true stories" are about.


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Episodes
  • Jaws: New England, Steven Spielberg, and the Reel Twisty Summer of the Shark

    Jaws: New England, Steven Spielberg, and the Reel Twisty Summer of the Shark
    Oct 16 2026
    Send us Fan MailIn 1916, a cluster of shark attacks shook the New Jersey coastline, driving frightened sea bathers off the beaches at the height of the summer heat. In 1974, the release of a book by first-time author Peter Benchley emptied beaches and filled bookstores. Then, in June 1975, young director Steven Spielberg redefined filmmaking and the summer blockbuster when a little film with a big star started the Summer of the Shark, sending shockwaves of fear through beachgoers again. This time, they ran straight from the water and into theaters. Find out just how close Jaws comes to catching the truth of the real 1916 New Jersey shoreline terror.Research Resources:Reel Twisty Bookshop: JawsJaws, IMDBStanley Fisher: Shark Attack Hero of a Bygone Age, John Allan Savolaine, 2016The Daily Jaws: JawsShark TrustGlobal Catches, Exploitation Rates, and Rebuilding Options for Sharks, Marine PolicyNovel Aerial Observations of a Possible Newborn White Shark in Southern California, Springer Nature LinkJaws: Book vs. Movie, Audible BlogJaws: The 10 Biggest Differences Between the Horror Movie and Peter Benchley's Book, MovieWebThe State of Sharks, 40 Years After Jaws, Smithsonian MagazineHow Realistic Is the Shark Science in 'The Shallows'?, Smithsonian MagazineThe True Story of Jaws, BBCA Century Later, Memories of Fatal Shark Attacks Linger in New Jersey, The New York TimesInternational Shark Attack File, Florida Museum of Natural HistoryThe Shark Attacks That Were the Inspiration for Jaws, Smithsonian MagazineCorrections, The New York Times (Sept. 8, 2001)Scientists Say Frenzy Over Shark Attacks Is Unwarranted, The New York TimesDown the Shore; Claptrap, Not 'Jaws,' The New York TimesFifty Years After 'Jaws,' We've Learned a Lot About Great Whites, Smithsonian MagazineSteven Spielberg Regrets How 'Jaws' Impacted Real-World Sharks, Smithsonian MagazineMexico Bans Great White Shark-Related Tourism on Guadalupe Island, Smithsonian MagazineAustralia's 'Rogue' Man-Eating Sharks Actually Chasing Whales, LiveScience'Extremely Rare' Sighting of Newborn Great White Shark Reported Off California Coast, Smithsonian MagazineHow Jaws Misrepresented the Great White, BBCSpielberg Tells of Guilt Over Harm Hit Film Jaws May Have Done to Sharks, The Guardian'The Shark Is Broken' Brings the Making of 'Jaws' to Broadway, Smithsonian Magazine'Jaws' Turns 40: Surprising Facts About the First Blockbuster, CBS News2 Weeks, 4 Deaths, and the Start of America's Fear of Sharks, National GeographicOverfishing Drives Over One-Third of All Sharks and Rays Toward a Global Extinction Crisis, Current Biology'Jaws' 40th Anniversary: 40 Reasons Why Steven Spielberg's Movie Is the Ultimate Summer Blockbuster, Cleveland.com'I'll Never Have a Clown in My House' - Why Movie Horror Lives On, Poetics TodayOverreaction to Fearsome Risks, Springer Nature LinkCelebrate the 50th Anniversary of Steven Spielberg's 'Jaws' With This Sprawling Exhibition at the Academy Museum, Smithsonian MagazineJaws: The Exhibition, Academy Museum of Motion PicturesSteven Spielberg Reflects on Jaws at 50, NPRJaws Is Still Stuck in Our Teeth, 50 Years Later, NPRJaws Shark Gets His Bite Back: A Love Story, NPRHunting Bruce, Or, On the Trail of the Jaws Shark, NPRJaws: Celebrating Sand, Sex, and a Really Big Fish, NPRFrom Junkyard to Museum: The Journey of a Jaws Shark, NPRGreat White Sharks Come Much Closer to Swimmers Than Thought in Southern California, Smithsonian MagazineChewing On the Complex Legacy of Jaws, National GeographicJaws @ 50: The Definitive Inside Story, National GeographicRogue Shark?, National GeographicOverheard: Do Shark Stories Help Sharks?, National GeographicFood Fights, Fake Blood, Obsessed Fans: When Jaws Invaded Martha's Vineyard, National GeographicJohn Williams Recalls Jaws, The Film Music SocietyHow a 26-Year-Old Steven Spielberg Made Jaws…and Nearly Lost His Career in the Process, Literary HubBruce, Seattle RepThe Shark Is Broken Circles the Guts of Jaws, The New YorkerAn Oedipal Fish Story on Broadway, The New YorkerThe 40-Year Legacy of Jaws, The AtlanticA Turn in the Tide for Sharks and Their Public Image, Smithsonian Magazine
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    2 hrs and 15 mins
  • The Black Dahlia Part 4: The Reel Twisty Investigation Into the Murder of Elizabeth Short

    The Black Dahlia Part 4: The Reel Twisty Investigation Into the Murder of Elizabeth Short
    Oct 4 2026

    Send us Fan Mail

    Join us for part 4 – the final part of this series – as we explore the 79-year-long investigation into the 1947 death of 22-year-old Elisabeth Short. Learn about the LAPD’s search for the killer, the 1949 Grand Jury and its final suspect list, and the theories and accusations that have come to light – even as recently as this year.

    Research Resources Part 4:

    William J. Mann, Black Dahlia: Murder, Monsters, and Madness in Midcentury Hollywood

    The Black Dahlia

    The Reel Twisty BookShop.Org Black Dahlia Page

    For a complete research resources list, see the show notes for Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3
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    1 hr and 44 mins
  • The Black Dahlia Part 3: Elizabeth Short’s Demise and the Reel Twisty Birth of The Black Dahlia in 1947 Los Angeles

    The Black Dahlia Part 3: Elizabeth Short’s Demise and the Reel Twisty Birth of The Black Dahlia in 1947 Los Angeles
    Sep 22 2026

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    Today finds us at the crime scene. Learn how the police came upon the death of 22-year-old Elizabeth Short, and more of the lore that made her into The Black Dahlia – including how the 2006 neo-noir film, The Black Dahlia, represented 1947 Los Angeles and the Leimert Park neighborhood and how those depictions hold up against the truth.

    PLEASE NOTE: We end the episode with descriptions of how Beth’s body was left at the crime scene, including reports from those present and the final autopsy report. If you want to avoid hearing the horrific details, tap out at 48:15:38.

    Research Resources Part 3:

    William J. Mann, Black Dahlia: Murder, Monsters, and Madness in Midcentury Hollywood

    The Black Dahlia

    “Editor ‘Aggie’; NEWSPAPERWOMAN. By Agness Underwood. 297 pp. New York: Harper & Brothers. $3.50,” The New York Times

    “Who Killed the Black Dahlia?” Sarah Pruitt, History

    “Elizabeth Short – The Black Dahlia,” Legends of America

    “Does This Old Letter Finally Solve the Mystery…,” Katie Dowd, SFGate

    “I Know Who Killed The Black Dahlia,” The Guardian

    “The Black Dahlia ‘Sobbed in Terror…,’” People

    “The Ruthless Murder of Elizabeth Short,” Medium

    “Janice Knowlton, 67; Believed That Her Father Killed the Black Dahlia,” Los Angeles Times

    “An Amateur Codebreaker May Have Just Solved the Black Dahlia and Zodiac Killings,” Los Angeles Times

    “Were the Zodiac Killer and the Black Dahlia the Same Person? The Devil Is In the Details,” Los Angeles Times

    “Minotaur,” 1934 portrait by Man Ray

    “Memories of Murder…,” Los Angeles Times

    “Black Dahlia Dig Finds ‘Interesting’ Items…,” Los Angeles Times

    “The Black Dahlia Mystery…,” Los Angeles Times

    “Ralph Asdel, 82; Detective in the Black Dahlia Case,” Los Angeles Times

    “Horrifying Stories of Women Chased Down by the LAPD Abortion Squad,” Los Angeles Times

    “L.A.’s Fatal Attraction…,” Los Angeles Times

    “Heaven Is Here,” lmharnisch.com
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    1 hr and 16 mins
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