Paper Towns (2015)

A brief reference to Scranton is featured towards the end of the 2015 film Paper Towns, based on the bestselling YA novel by John Green.  Click on either link to place a hold on the DVD or Blu-ray.

Book: Outrageous! Monologues and the Odd Scene by Charles Busch (2017)

Meeting my favorite writer.  Playwright/actor Charles Busch and me following a performance of his play The Divine Sister February 13, 2010 at Theater for the New City in New York.

Have you ever met your favorite writer, one you just wanted to tell how much you loved their work, and they were just as wonderful as you hoped they would be?  And has said author ever included a reference to your hometown in one of his works? For me, that writer is actor/playwright Charles Busch.  I had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Busch in February 2010 after a performance of his play The Divine Sister, and I must say he was one of the kindest people I’ve ever met.  Also, he includes a reference to Scranton in a revised monologue from one of his first and most successful plays.

Now, if you’ve never heard of Charles Busch: first, tsk tsk tsk; and, second, Charles Busch is one of the funniest and most talented actor/playwrights who has ever graced the New York stage. 

For nearly 35 years, Charles Busch has been a successful playwright, actor, and staple of the New York City theater community.  A theater major and graduate of Northwestern University, Charles Busch actually began to write his own plays out of necessity, both to give himself great parts to play and casting himself as the leading lady, magically channeling the ladies of the stage and screen he so admired all his life—actresses from the stage (Eleanor Duse and Sarah Bernhardt) and screen (Greta Garbo, Norma Shearer, Bette Davis, Joan Crawford, and Mae West) he had admired since he was a young child. 

In 1984 Charles Busch (with his talented group of friends including Julie Halston, Andy Halliday, Theresa Marlowe, Kenneth Elliot, Arnie Kolodner, and the late Bobby Carey and Meghan Robinson) formed his acting troupe Theater-in-Limbo (at the Limbo Lounge in the East Village), where he wrote and performed several plays that led to Off-Broadway transfers.

Among Charles’s most successful plays is Vampire Lesbians of Sodom, which ran for five years and remains one of the longest running off-Broadway plays in theater history.  Charles’s other hit plays include: Psycho Beach Party (originally Gidget Goes Psychotic); The Lady in Question (a tribute to Nazi war films of the 1940s); the Christmas-themed Times Square Angel; and  2010’s The Divine Sister (a parody of every Hollywood film featuring nuns), which ran for over eight months off-Broadway.  

Charles is also a Tony nominee for his 2000 play The Tale of the Allergist’s Wife, which ran for 777 performances on Broadway and starred theater legends Linda Lavin, Michelle Lee and Tony Roberts. Charles recently adapted his play for an upcoming film version, which is set to star Bette Midler and Sharon Stone.

Charles adapted his play Die, Mommie, Die! (winning the 2003 Grand Jury Prize for Best Film Performance) and Psycho Beach Party (featuring future Oscar nominee Amy Adams in only her second film appearance) into successful feature films.  In 2006, Charles made his directorial debut, wrote, and starred in the film A Very Serious Person.

He is also the author of the 1993 semi-autobiographical novel Whores of Lost Atlantis.

In 2017, Charles published the book Outrageous! Monologues and the Odd Scene   - “a collection that puts the spotlight on the hilarious monologues and two-character scenes from his many plays that have kept audiences in stitches for more than three decades. It is an invaluable resource for actors seeking unique audition or competition material but can also be appreciated by readers simply enjoying the work of a brilliant comic imagination."  The book also features selections from previously unpublished plays, as well as insightful commentary on each of the monologues.

The Scranton reference occurs on page 37.  It is featured in an expanded and revised monologue from Busch's first major success, 1984's Vampire Lesbians of Sodom.  The play tells the story of two aging actresses battling over two centuries.  The Scranton reference occurs in Act Two of the play, set in the 1920s.  In the monologue, aspiring actress Renee Vain is not-so-delicately dumping her actor boyfriend King Carlisle in favor of one of the vampire lesbians, La Condesa.

RENEE:

Please go away, King.  You don't understand.  You can never understand.  Our dreams are different.  You started out as a scrawny little boy from Pennsylvania.  You may have become a great big movie star, the idol of millions but you're still a hick from Scranton.

Charles Busch is currently starring in his new play The Confession of Lily Dare, playing a limited 24-performance run at the Theater for the New City in New York.

Copies of Charles Busch's Outrageous! Monologues and the Odd Scene are available for purchase exclusively from Dramatic Publishing; click here to purchase a copy.

Two films written by and starring Charles Busch—Die, Mommie, Die!, and Psycho Beach Party, as well as the excellent documentary The Lady in Question is Charles Busch --are available to borrow for the Lackawanna County Library System.  Click on any of the three titles to place a hold.

To see Charles Busch in his element, click here to watch an extended clip of his 2010 hit play The Divine Sister.  You can also click here to watch an interview with Charles Busch.

Book: Teen Idol on the Rocks: A Tale of Second Chances by Bobby Rydell (2016)

Legendary singer Bobby Rydell stopped by our very own Library Express on Saturday, August 26th, 2017 to meet fans and sign copies of his 2016 autobiography Teen Idol on the Rocks: A Tale of Second Chances.  Rydell includes a reference to Scranton in the book.

Bobby Rydell had a string of hit songs in the late 1950s-early 1960s (including Volare, We Got Love, Wild One, and Forget Him).  He also starred with Ann-Margret in the 1963 film adaptation of the hit Broadway musical Bye Bye Birdie.  He continues to tour all over the world.  He was also memorialized in the 1978 movie Grease with the high school's name, Rydell High.

Rydell mentions Scranton on page 178 of his autobiography, discussing his change in management:

"Besides, I had some other big challenges that were complicating my life.  One was small; the other would take three decades to work out.

The small one was fixed in a day.  Stan Seidenberg was out.  In 1986, I performed a benefit concert in Scranton, Pennsylvania for a close friend, a priest named Father Joseph Sica.  I didn't like the way Stan handled the finances and we had a falling out.  When I fell, it was right into the arms of Dick Fox, who has been my manager for the last thirty years.  If only he knew back then what he was getting into."

Teen Idol on the Rocks: A Tale of Second Chances by Bobby Rydell is available to borrow from the Lackawanna County Library System.  Click here to place a hold.

www.bobbyrydell.com/

The Facts of Life (Season 3, Episode 16)

"The Four Musketeers" is episode 16 of the third season of the classic 1980s sitcom The Facts of Life, and it features a brief Scranton reference.

The episode revolves around Blair, Natalie, Tootie and Jo finishing up their their six month probation living with Mrs. Garrett after stealing a school van.  The four girls are finally allowed to move into the Eastland dorms.

Jo:

Does anybody know Lila Oliver?

Blair:

I do.  She's a junior from Scranton.  Not very pretty.  Below average intelligence.  Sloppy.

Jo:

Oh.

Blair:
You were MADE for each other.

The Ghost Breakers (1940) Available To Borrow From Library; Features Scranton Reference

The 1940 horror-comedy The Ghost Breakers is now available to borrow on DVD from Scranton Public Library.  The film features a brief reference to Scranton, spoken by none other than comedy legend Bob Hope.

Directed by George Marshall (Marlene Dietrich’s “comeback” film Destry Rides Again, as well as Bob Hope and Lucille Ball in the film Fancy Pants and Ball again in episodes of her TV series Here’s Lucy) this breezy, timelessly amusing comedy re-teams Bob Hope and Paulette Goddard, who two years earlier appeared together in The Cat and the Canary.

Mary Carter (Goddard) has just inherited a castle owned by her great-great grandfather off the coast of Cuba and said to be haunted. Despite warnings and death threats, she accepts the inheritance.

She is joined by radio broadcaster Larry Lawrence (Hope) who, believing he has killed a mob boss, flees New York with his butler, Alex (Willie Best). She enables him to escape by stowing him in a trunk bound for Cuba. In return, he promises to help rid her inherited castle of the ghosts and ghoulish creatures said to inhabit it. Once on the island, the three explore the eerie castle and search for the key to the castle's treasure while being haunted by the ghosts of Mary's ancestors.

Hope proves yet again that he is the master of the one-liner. The following dialogue is spoken as Mary and Larry descend a staircase into the dungeon of the castle--the scene takes place at the 1:21:14 mark, in the last five minutes of the movie:

Mary

Look at these railway tracks running through here.

Larry

Reminds me of my hotel room in Scranton.

Click here to place a hold on The Ghost Breakers.

Out of the Furnace (2013)

My dear friend and colleague Anna Kilcullen recently told me about a passing reference to Scranton in the critically-acclaimed 2013 movie Out of the Furnace, directed by Scott Cooper (Crazy Heart). 

Filmed mostly in Braddock, PA (located in the eastern suburbs of Pittsburgh), Out of the Furnace follows hard-working Russell Blaze (Christian Bale) as he takes matters into his own hands to seek justice after his brother Rodney (Casey Affleck) mysteriously disappears and law enforcement doesn't follow through fast enough.

About 10 minutes into the movie, Russell and his girlfriend Lena Taylor (Zoë Saldana) are lying in bed and discussing future plans:

RUSSELL

Wanna run away somewhere?

LENA

Don't change the subject.

RUSSELL

I want to run away somewhere.  Let's do it.

LENA

Where? 

RUSSELL 

I don't know.  I've never been east of Scranton, but... 

Out of the Furnace is available to borrow on both Blu-Ray and DVD from the Lackawanna County Library System. 

Much thanks to the fantastic Anna Kilcullen for this reference.

The English Teacher (2013)

Released in 2013, The English Teacher is a dark comedy about a single English teacher from Kingston, Pennsylvania who helps a former student and budding playwright by presenting his latest play at Kingston High School.  The film stars Julianne Moore, Michael Angarano, Greg Kinnear and Nathan Lane, and it is narrated by Fiona Shaw.

The film includes numerous references to Kingston, as well as Scranton and other areas/places in NEPA.

2:08 

NARRATOR

"She lived in Kingston, Pennsylvania, not too far from where she was born. 

6:25

Teacher Linda Sinclair (Julianne Moore) accidentally pepper sprays her former student Jason Sherwood (Michael Angarano) when he approaches her at an ATM at night.

JASON

"Who uses pepper spray in Kingston?"

6:36

Linda gives Jason a ride home.

LINDA

"Jason Sherwood.  What ate you doing back here in Kingston, Pennsylvania?  I thought you'd be tearing up Broadway by now."

8:36

Sign: "Welcome to Kingston High School.  The Pride of Kingston, PA.  Go Monarchs!"

17:40

Drama teacher Carl Kapinas (Nathan Lane) defends a production of Oklahoma done in masks.

CARL

"It was in the traditional Japanese nose style, for your information.  And Lydia Plutka at the Times Leader called it 'profoundly imaginative,'" 

19:00

LINDA

"You wanna sell the board?  You wanna sell the parents?  Then sell them on Jason Sherwood, a former Kingston High School student who came back to inspire the next generation."

CARL

"We'll double normal ticket sales.  You'll see.  The people of Kingston are hungry for something new." 

24:24

During rehearsals for the play.

CARL

"And now, Mr. Sherwood, may I say on behalf of the entire Kingston High School Theater Department, it is an honor to have you with us."

26:49

Jason is offended by a comment from a student regarding the play.

LINDA

"Oh, come on!  He's a kid.  He's just an insecure kid from Kingston, Pennsylvania and you're a New York playwright."

29:02

CARL

"I did keep at it.  That's how I found my way to Kingston and to all of you."

39:14

DR. TOM SHERWOOD

(Greg Kinnear)

"Listen,  so you know.  On Tuesdays and Thursdays, he's supposed to be taking LSAT prep tests up in Scranton."

47:28

Linda's bank statement reads charges from Kingston Gas & Electric, Kingston Wardrobe Supply, and Kingston Fabrics and Drapery.

1:11:11

Shot of Kingston High School opening night sign for the play

122:50

DR. TOM SHERWOOD

"If it's not too weird for you or me, Walter Mosley's speaking over at Wilkes next week, and I thought maybe..."

In the end credits,  a special thanks is given to WNEP - Newswatch 16 at 6 PM.

The English Teacher is available to borrow on DVD from the Lackawanna County Library System.  Click here to place a hold. 

Dance, Fools, Dance To Be Shown Wednesday, August 13th at Scranton Public Library

The 1931 Joan Crawford classic Dance, Fools, Dance, which centered on the murder of a reporter named Bert Scranton, will be screened at Scranton Public Library as part of its upcoming "Ladies of Pre-Code" film series.  It will be shown Wednesday, August 13th at 7 PM in the Community Room (basement of Lackawanna County Children's Library).  The screening is free with your library card.

For more information, please call Bill at (570) 348-3000, x3008 or email Bill by clicking here.

Check out a clip of Dance, Fools, Dance below:

Dance, Fools, Dance Available To Borrow on DVD

The 1931 Pre-Code classic Dance, Fools, Dance (featuring the first pairing of Joan Crawford and Clark Gable) is now available to borrow from Albright Memorial Library. 

Dance, Fools, Dance includes a character named Bert Scranton, played by Cliff Edwards.

Fearing her brother Roddy (William Bakewell) has become part of a bootleg gang, socialite-turned-cub reporter Bonnie Jordan (Joan Crawford) volunteers to cover the follow-up story to the murder of the paper's star reporter, Bert Scranton (Cliff Edwards), while he is investigating a Prohibition-era massacre.   Posing as a professional dancer, she infiltrates the gang of Jake Luva (Clark Gable), working in one of his speakeasies.

Click here to place a hold on Dance, Fools, Dance. 

The Front (1976)

In one of only a handful of films he appeared in that he did not direct, acclaimed filmmaker Woody Allen stars in the 1976 comedy/drama The Front. The film, which deals with blacklisting in the entertainment industry in 1950s New York City, was directed by formerly blaclisted director Martin Ritt (The Long Hot Summer, Norma Rae, The Sound and the Fury) and co-stars former blacklisted actors Zero Mostel (Mel Brooks' The Producers) and Hershel Barnard. 

Allen plays Howard Prince, a down-on-his luck cashier who poses as a writer for blacklisted talents to submit their work through, but the injustice around him pushes him to take a stand.

Around the 1:12:50 mark in the film, Howard is visited by Hecky Brown (Zero Mostel), a blacklisted actor from a television show Harold is "writing" for; Hecky is cooperating with the HUAC to entrap Harold into admitting he is a fellow Communist.  They have the following exchange:

Howard:

How's it going?

Hecky Brown:

Not bad.  Club date.  Out-of-town.  Not bad.  Scranton.  Allentown.  Altoona.  You didn't know I was a big hit in Pennsylvania.

The Front is available to borrow on DVD from the library; click here to place a hold.  It was also recently released on Blu Ray by Twilight Time.

The Supreme Macaroni Company by Adriana Trigiani (2012)

Your truly with author Adriana Trigiani following her lecture in Scranton on April 18th, 2013.

My wonderful colleague and fellow avid reader Michele L. recently finished bestselling author Adriana Trigiani's final book in her Valentine series.  The Supreme Macaroni Company, released in late 2013 (and whose title Adriana first announced when she presented at the Matthew F. Flynn Library Lecture Series on April 18th, 2013) continues the saga of the love, life and work of shoemaker Valentine Roncalli.

On page 113 Valentine's mother inquires whether Valentine spoke to Father Drake.  Valentine responds:

"I left him a message.  God, I wish we were better Catholics and had some decent connections.  If we did, we could climb up the food chain for a officiante.  Our monsignor retired, and the one bishop we knew left for Scranton to live with his sister at the Mercy Home."

On page 338, on the final page of her acknowledgements, Adriana thanks her "lifelong friend, (actor) Joe O'Brien, first of Scranton and then Manhattan."  She pays tribute to her dear friend, who passed away on April 3, 2013, shortly before Adriana's lecture in Scranton), as "the best brother and friend, and a fine actor who lit up the stage and screen with originality and passion."

The Supreme Macaroni Company is available to borrow from the Lackawanna County Library System in several formats: regular print, large print, and CD audiobook.  Click on the preceding links to place on a hold.

Much thanks to Michele L. for this reference.

Dear Mom, Love Cher (2013)

Georgina Holt (86 year-old mother of Cher):

"We got down to twenty cents, I remember that, and I said, 'Johnny, this will buy the baby two bottles of milk.  What are we going to do?'"

"We had gone to Scranton, Pennsylvania.  He said, 'Well, I'm Catholic.  We can put her in the Catholic home and we can border there, and you can go to work, and I'll go back to New York and try to get money.'"

"And so I went to work in a diner for a dollar a night, from seven at night to seven in the morning (pictured as White Tower Hamburger, but the it must have been a stock video because no restaurant by that name existed in Scranton, according to the 1946 City Directory) in a strange town where I knew nobody.  After two weeks, I went to go pay the money, then take her out.  The Mother Superior wouldn't let me take her out and said that I should let her be adopted.  Johnny was at his sister's in New York, and I had no way of contacting him."

"There was this man on the City Council I became friends with, and I told him my situation.  He was just terrific.  He said, 'Look, Kid.  I can't buck the Catholic Church right now.'  But he said, 'I will help you.'  He did finally help me get her out, but I was just terrified." 

This incident, told by Cher's mother Georgina Holt in the Lifetime TV documentary Dear Mom, Love Cher (premiere date May 6, 2013) inspired Cher to write the song Sisters of Mercy.

UPDATE 7/12/14 The library now has two copies of Dear Mom, Love Cher available to borrow on DVD.  Click here to place a hold.

Night Film by Marisha Pessl (2013)

Since late Spring, Entertainment Weekly has been generating a lot of buzz about Marisha Pessl's second novel titled Night Film.  Through text, images from websites and newspaper/magazine clippings, Night Film involves a disgraced investigative reporter researching the suicide of the daughter of a mysterious film director, which may or may not be cult-related. The reclusive director, Stanislas Cordova, makes controversial horror films on his massive estate (named The Peak), and the films are often banned and only screened in underground locations.

Pages 153-154 of Night Film consists of an article reproduction of an interview conducted by the reporter.  The interview's subject is Nelson Garcia, a neighbor of the filmmaker:

"According to Garcia, in early December 2004, he received a series of UPS deliveries that were intended for The Peak but, by mistake, was delivered to him.  The first was a massive box stamped with a label reading Century Scientific. 

 

Century Scientific, Inc., based in Scranton, Pennsylvania, is a company that specializes in medical equipment.  They vend beds, wheelchairs, stretchers, and other therapeutic devices to private hospitals." 

 

Night Film is available to borrow from the Lackawanna County Library System; click here to place a hold. 

Jason X (2001); Yup, Even A Friday the 13th Movie Has A Scranton Reference

 

I've seen every Friday the 13th movie numerous times, but I have NEVER noticed the Scranton reference in 2001's Jason X; still unsure if I heard the dialogue correctly, I even had to turn on the closed captioning to verify the reference, but it's true.

Jason X, the 10th film in the Friday the 13th franchise, is affectionately referred to by fans as "Jason Goes To Space."

Because of his seemingly inability to be killed, Jason Voorhees is cryogenically frozen by scientists to prevent another murderous rampage; scientist Rowan (Lexa Doig) is accidentally frozen with Jason. A spaceship crew revives them in the year 2455, when "Earth 2" has replaced the now-uninhabitable Earth, and Jason proceeds to continue his trail of murder.

In the first sequence of the film, set in the present, Rowan and Dr. Wimmer (a brilliant cameo by director David Cronenberg) are disagreeing on whether or not to have Jason frozen:

Rowan:

What are you doing here?

Dr. Wimmer:

 I'm taking the speciman.

Rowan:

Well, you can't.  I haven't prepared the cryostatic chamber.

Dr. Wimmer:

(SCOFFS)

I don't want him frozen.  I want him soft.

Rowan:

We've already discussed this.

Dr. Wimmer:

Yeah.  Well, I had to go over your head.  I'm moving him to our Scranton facility. 

Jason X is available on DVD and was also recently released on Blu Ray as part of the Friday the 13th: The Complete Collection box set. 

The Good Luck Girls of Shipwreck Lane by Kelly Harms (2013)

My dear friend and fellow avid reader Michele L. came upon a Scranton reference in her summer reading.

Kelly Harm's debut novel The Good Luck Girls of Shipwreck Lane tells the story of Janine Brown of Cedar Falls, Iowa, who wins a beautiful house that overlooks the coast in Maine. 

The problem: there are two Janine Browns in Cedar Falls, Iowa, and both think they've won the house, especially when they are both contacted from the network. 

Page 29, 2nd paragraph: 

"We only made it to Scranton before I go stark raving mad and demand a hotel with a TV that carries the Food Network." 

The Good Luck Girls of Shipwreck Lane is available to borrow from the library.  Click here to place a hold.

Much thanks to Michele L. for this reference.

Author Sebastian Junger To Speak in Scranton Thursday, October 3rd; Referenced Scranton in His Book "War"

The 2013 selection for the Matthew F. Flynn Library Lecture Series American Masters Lecture is Sebastian Junger,  the bestselling author of The Perfect Storm and War, and the co-director of the 2010 documentary Restrepo.

Mr. Junger will speak at the Scranton Cultural Center on Thursday, October 3rd at 7 PM.

War features a brief reference to Scranton.

In 2000 his book The Perfect Storm was adapted into a hit film starring George Clooney and Mark Wahlberg. 

Tickets are free with your library card and will be available in September at all libraries in the Lackawanna County Library System, as well as the Scranton Cultural Center box office.

www.sebastianjunger.com

The Fringe ("Season Five, Episode Three: "The Recordist") (October 12, 2012)

The hit sci-fi TV show The Fringe recently wrapped its fifth and final season on FOX.  Near the beginning of the third episode of the season (titled The Recordist, which originally aired on Friday, October 12th, 2012), Dr. Walter Bishop (John Noble) has the following exchange during a Coordinate Search in Northern Pennsylvania:

HENRIETTA BISHOP:

Walter, you alright? 

WALTER: 

I'm fairly certain I have a blood clot, because somebody wouldn't stop at Scranton to let me stretch my legs. 

Much thanks to Elizabeth Davis for this reference. 

Long Gone Daddies by David Wesley Williams (2013)

 

Barb Williams, who has regularly contributed Scranton references to the blog, emailed me recently to tell me her husband David Wesley Williams has just published his debut novel titled Long Gone Daddies, and it is FILLED with Scranton references, included two chapters set in Scranton itself.

Below is a description of the book from the publisher's page, John. F. Blair:


"All his life, Luther Gaunt has heard songs in his head songs of sweet evil and blue ruckus, odes to ghosts, drinking hymns. In search of his past, he hits the road with his band, the Long Gone Daddies, and his grandfather's cursed guitar, Cassie.

While his band mates just want to make it big when they get to Memphis, Luther retraces the steps of his father and grandfather, who each made the same journey with the same guitar years earlier. Malcolm Gaunt could have been Elvis that white man who could sing black except his rounder's ways got him shot before he could strike that first note for Sam Phillips at Sun Records. At least that's what Luther's father Malcolm's son always told him before he made like smoke when fame came calling and disappeared down south, too.

As Luther discovers the truth about the two generations of musicians that came before him, he must face the ghosts of history, the temptations of the road, and the fame cravings of a seriously treacherous woman named Delia, who, it turns out, can sing like an angel forsaken.

Long Gone Daddies is lyrically written and accessible as a hook-filled favorite song and proves that the people who struggle the most are invariably the most interesting the most noble whether they succeed or not."

Below is a Scranton reference from David's novel that is included in the Amazon.com preview of the book:

Page 10:

"Some things I know for sure: Malcolm left a wife back home in Pennsylvania, in the coal-dusted city of Scranton."

Click here to purchase a copy of Long Gone Daddies from Amazon.

For a recently recorded podcast with David Wesley Williams discussing his book, click here.

Much thanks to Barb Williams for this reference.

http://www.davidwilliamsauthor.com/

Argo (2012)

Brian Fulton, Librarian at The Times-Tribune and all-around groovy guy, went to see Argo, the critically-acclaimed movie directed by and starring Ben Affleck that is generating a lot of awards buzz.


Based on real events, the dramatic thriller Argo chronicles the life-or-death covert operation to rescue six Americans, which unfolded behind the scenes of the Iran hostage crisis, focusing on the little-known role that the CIA and Hollywood played—information that was not declassified until many years after the event.

At one point in the film, President Jimmy Carter's Chief of Staff Hamilton Jordan (played by Kyle Chandler) states that "some guy in Scranton is planting a flag a day."

Argo is now playing at Cinemark in Moosic, Marquee Cinemas at Steamtown, and Great Escape IMAX 14 in Dickson City.

Much thanks to the ever-awesome Brian Fulton for this reference.

http://argothemovie.warnerbros.com/

Saturday Night Live (Saturday, October 13, 2012)

Four years ago, Saturday Night Live presented a hilarious skewering of the Vice-Presidential debate between Joe Biden (Jason Sudeikis) and Sarah Palin (Tina Fey), in which Biden ripped into the "hellhole" of his hometown of Scranton, Pennsylvania.

Four years later, he does it again.

Last night's SNL once again presented a hilarious parody of the Vice-Presidential Debate.  This time Republican nominee Paul Ryan (Taram Killam) is on the listening end of Joe Biden's (Jason Sudeikis) tearing into Scranton.  

The following exchange begins at around the 1:55 mark in the clip below, where moderator Martha Raddatz (Kate McKinnon) questions each candidate on getting the unemployment rate to under 6 percent and how long it will take.

Paul Ryan: 

Martha, Vice-President Biden and I come from very similar places.  I’m from Janesville, Wisconsin and he’s from Scranton, Pennsylvania.  Do you know what the unemployment rate in Scranton is right now? 

Joe Biden:  

Sure do. 

Paul Ryan:  

It’s 10 percent.  And I just wonder what the Vice-President would say to the hardworking people of towns like Janesville and Scranton. 

Joe Biden: 

Well, I’d know what I’d say to my friend AND the people of Janesville.  Things may be bad where you live, but I guarantee you it is a paradise next to the burning coal heap that is Scranton, Pennsylvania.  Do you know that show Walking Dead, The Walking Dead?  It would make a good tourism ad for Scranton.  I mean, if you went to the lowest circle of hell, you’d STILL be 45 minutes outside of Scranton.  And I grew up there.  I love it.  It’s the single worst place on Earth.