Aasif Mandvi is a comedian and actor – and, as I’ve recently learned much to my delight, a pop culture fanatic at heart. In his new podcast series, “Lost at the Smithsonian with Aasif Mandvi,” the former “Daily Show” correspondent who now co-stars in the CBS drama “Evil,” gets up close and personal with some of the most iconic artifacts at the National Museum of American History in Washington, D.C.
Whether exploring vintage clothing (Fonzie’s leather jacket from “Happy Days”), ratty furniture (Archie Bunker’s chair from “All in the Family”) or mismatched shoes (Dorothy’s ruby slippers in “The Wizard of Oz”), there are endless ways to get lost at the Smithsonian. Mandvi and his guests at the Smithsonian share how these and other items – 10 iconic pop culture objects out of 156 million in the Smithsonian collection – each became defining symbols of 20th century American pop culture.
In the opening episode of the series, we learn why Henry Winkler’s portrayal of “The Fonz” became the breakout character in the mid-70s sit-com “Happy Days” and how his leather jacket became a symbol of coolness in an era of Watergate, when Americans yearned for simpler, happy days. Mandvi interviews Winkler to learn how he was able to turn “The Fonz” into an American icon.
“He was everybody who I wanted to be and who I wasn’t, because I was not in control of my life or my psyche,” said Winkler in describing his portrayal of “The Fonz.”
In the second episode, Mandvi explores the acoustic guitar belonging to José Feliciano, who at age 22 was the first artist to perform a “personalized” rendition of the National Anthem. Today, taking liberties with the National Anthem is commonplace before baseball games and many other American sporting events. However, as Feliciano deviated from the norm when he performed “The Star Spangled Banner” before a 1968 World Series game in Detroit, it nearly destroyed his career. But was it an act of protest or patriotism? You might be surprised by the musician’s answer.
“My version was not outlandish,” recalled Feliciano, now 72, during his conversation with Mandvi. “It was a combination of soul, gospel and because I’m Latin, I gave it a little bit of a Latin feel.”
What began as a chat about Feliciano’s legendary guitar ended up morphing into a thoughtful conversation about race, about patriotism, and what it means to be an American. The blind, Grammy Award-winning Puerto Rican artist also performs a private concert when he’s reunited with his guitar at the Smithsonian.
The third episode, which debuted last week, focuses on the ruby slippers Judy Garland wore in the 1939 film classic “The Wizard of Oz.” As Mandvi recently tweeted, “Click your heels 3 times and say ‘There’s no place like @amhistorymuseum,’ & you’ll be transported to an exhibit that’s been viewed 100,000,000+ times. ... Well, not really. But you’ll get pretty close.”
Curator Ryan Lintelman said of Dorothy’s famous ruby slippers: “So we estimate that since 1979 we we got them, a hundred million people have seen them probably. You know, it’s pretty incredible. And other than like maybe the Mona Lisa, I don’t know that any other museum can really claim that one thing has been seen by so many people,” he said.
Thus far, three episodes of “Lost at the Smithsonian” have aired and new podcast episodes drop each week via Stitcher. Those in the know have hinted that among the future items Mandvi explores include Muhammad Ali’s boxing robe and Mr. Spock’s ears from the original “Star Trek” TV series.
I don’t know about you, but I can’t wait to get lost at the Smithsonian.
Listen to “Lost at the Smithsonian” via Stitcher:
https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/stitcher/lost-at-the-smithsonian
A postscript: “Lost at the Smithsonian” concluded its run on November 24. Following is a list of themes for each episode:
1. Fonzie’s Jacket
2. Jose Feliciano’s Guitar
3. Dorothy’s Ruby Slippers
4. Phyllis Diller’s Gag File
5. Muhammad Ali’s Robe
6. Carrie Bradshaw’s Laptop
7. Archie Bunker’s Chair
8. Pele’s #10 Jersey
9. Bee Gees’ Silver Suits
10. The Original Muppets
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