Sep 27, 2023

On YouTube: James Cagney Gets Physical

 

James Cagney became famous for his slick way with street-smart wisecracks, but he was also a remarkably physical actor, from dancing and action sequences to little bits of business with his expressive hands and face. This compilation explores the many ways this energetic star expressed his physicality in his roles. It was such a fun video to make. I love watching Cagney at work!

Sep 7, 2023

On YouTube: The Worst of Classic Juvenile Delinquent Films

 

I had a blast putting together this video about 1950s juvenile delinquent flicks. Full of stick-ups, fights, leather, drugs, and “teens” who look like they’re in their 20s or even 30s, there’s nothing quite like them. These are classic movies because their awkward mix of stern, moralistic warnings and bold exploitation are endlessly entertaining.

Aug 30, 2023

Podcasts for Classic Film Fans: August Round-up

A lot of my podcast listening this month featured classic actresses, whether as sole focus of an episode or discussed at length. I loved all of these great tributes to some of the most talented and influential women in studio age Hollywood. All episode titles link to the show: 

Hollywood Obsessed 
August 13, 2023 

Lorenzo Lamas is so humble and charming in this interview in which he discusses both his own career and his famous parents: Fernando Lamas, Arlene Dahl, and stepmother Esther Williams. I’m looking forward to part two.

Cinema Junkie 
August 24, 2023 

This is an excellent talk with Yunte Huang, author of Daughter of the Dragon: Anna May Wong's Rendezvous with American History. He has a great perspective on Wong’s legacy and most important films, in which he acknowledges problematic aspects of her career, but emphasizes where she shined as a performer.

Fade Out 
August 25, 2023 

Film and culture writer Marya Gates talks about Sylvia Sidney’s final film, Tim Burton’s Mars Attacks! (1996). I love how she discusses that this late film in her career was her introduction to the actress. The directors who cast film legends like Sidney have done so much to inspire interest in classic films.

Movie Nights & Matinees 
July 30, 2023 

This was a fascinating talk about old school film collecting and projecting. As much as I love the convenience of digital home projection, I’m always going to be drawn to the tactile allure of film.

Aug 23, 2023

On YouTube: Bette Davis Completely Loses it

 


My latest on YouTube: a tribute to the fiery power of Bette Davis, the actress who inspired my lifelong passion for classic movies.

Aug 16, 2023

On YouTube: 50 MORE Saucy Pre-Code Moments

 

I had so much fun making my 50 Saucy Pre-Code Moments video that I had to do a part two. There are a lot more clips I want to share, so it is likely that I will eventually make a part three! This period of Hollywood film history is endlessly amusing.

Aug 9, 2023

On YouTube: Barbara Stanwyck Completely Loses it for Four Minutes and Cary Grant Gets Physical

 

I have been having a blast making YouTube videos lately. My two most recent uploads are tributes to a pair of my favorite actors: Barbara Stanwyck and Cary Grant. I'm going to be posting more frequently on the channel, as I have a lot of things to explore, so if you haven't already, follow me over there to keep in the loop!

 

Aug 7, 2023

News! My Film The Light to Play at the Tacoma Film Festival 2023


 

I am thrilled to share that my short film The Light has been selected for Tacoma Film Festival 2023. This is the first film that I have submitted to a festival and the first narrative movie I've made, so I'm incredibly honored to be included.


The city of Tacoma has special meaning for me because my Dad was born there. He was a major factor in my becoming interested in classic films and supported me by buying me books, our first VCR, and loads of VHS cassettes for recording afternoon matinees.


The Light is the story of a spirit lost between worlds who reminisces about her past life while trying to figure out where she belongs in the afterworld. I narrate the story over a series of clips from public domain films which I edited together to create a new work.


After the festival in October, I will be sharing the film with a wider audience, but for now, I'm delighted to have made something which has earned these laurels:






Aug 2, 2023

Podcasts for Classic Film Fans: July Round-up

The highlight of my podcast listening this month was finding a couple of fascinating new-to-me shows. All episode titles link to the show: 

All Things Marilyn 
June 26, 2023 

An excellent deep dive into the facts about the famous dress Marilyn Monroe wore to sing Happy Birthday to President Kennedy and the night of the fundraiser where she sang. It’s an episode as much about getting facts straight about any historical event as it is doing justice to Monroe.

Forgotten Hollywood 
June 26, 2023 

Nat Segaloff was a publicist for The Exorcist (1973) and he brings his insider view to a new book, The Exorcist Legacy: 50 Years of Fear. He shares a lot of great stories from the early promotion of the film to the rumors that surrounded the production.

Weird Work 
June 2, 2022 

I loved this older episode about the interesting, but demanding work of a movie location scout. There’s a lot more to this job than I expected.

Teenage Golden Age 
July 27, 2023 

This was a solid overview of the remarkable variety in Elizabeth Taylor’s life with her most recent biographer, Kate Anderson Brower. I agreed when Brower called her, “the first influencer.” I think that accurately describes the effect she had on her public throughout her life, including her enormous and brave work fighting AIDs.

Jul 26, 2023

Watching Classic Movies Podcast: The Wild World of Sixties Film Fashion with Fashion Instagrammer Rachel Boyce



Fashion Instagrammer and actress Rachel Boyce lives her love of 60s and 1700s period fashion. While we tend to refer to previous decades when talking about fashion trends, Rachel looks back centuries when sharing her extensive knowledge about how past looks influence the present. We talked about how many years of different styles found their way into the cultural explosion of the sixties, including the wide variety of films made in that decade. 





Listen to our previous episode about Sharon Tate and owning vintage fashion:


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Jul 19, 2023

Watching Classic Movies Podcast--Talking Cult Movies with Millie de Chirico Co-Author of TCM Underground: 50 Must-See Films from the World of Classic Cult and Late-Night Cinema



Millie de Chirico has long been a knowledgeable and accessible champion for classic film in her work programming for TCM and the TCM Classic Film Festival, as co-host of the essential I Saw What You Did podcast, and now as co-author with Quatoyiah Murry of the amazing book TCM Underground: 50 Must-See Films from the World of Classic Cult and Late-Night Cinema. I loved having her back on the show to talk about how changing access to films has widened the landscape for cult flicks and dig into some of the fascinating movies Millie wrote about in the book.





Listen to my previous conversation with Millie about late career Elizabeth Taylor. It’s one of my favorite episodes:

 

I also did a video review of the book when it first came out:


The show is available on—

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Like the podcast? Want to hear more frequent episodes? Subscriptions are as low as 99 cents a month


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Jul 14, 2023

On DVD/Blu-Ray: Erich von Stroheim's Impeccable Foolish Wives (1922) is Impeccably Restored

 


If there’s anything that screams out for a 4K restoration, it’s an Erich von Stroheim film, and the San Francisco Silent Film Festival and The Museum of Modern Art have done so in a stunning collaboration, now available on DVD/Blu-ray from Flicker Alley. Full of elaborate scenes and meticulously-constructed details, Foolish Wives (1922) is typical of the director’s craft and a wonder to see with such clarity. 

Touted as the first one-million-dollar film, a figure far from the original budget, Foolish Wives shows all of that on the screen. Director, writer, and star von Stroheim is a slippery con man who calls himself Count Wladislaw Sergius Karamzin and scams wealthy wives in glamorous settings. Here it’s Monte Carlo, actually a luxurious set constructed in Northern California, but you wouldn’t know it. 

The fake count is partners in crime with his supposed cousins who go by Princess" Vera Petchnikoff (Mae Busch) and "Her Highness" Olga Petchnikoff (Maude George). They are tended to by their maid Maruschka (Dale Fuller), whom Sergius takes advantage of in every way. 

This convincingly glamorous trio does its best to strip high society for parts, targeting victims with the focus of a billionaire buying up failing corporations. They have no heart or ambition beyond acquiring wealth and it is ultimately a losing proposition for them, but they have a merry time going to hell. 

Von Stroheim films their journey with a sense of eroticism and sensation, in addition to luxuriating in the lush surroundings. It’s such a decadent setting that it’s a bit shocking when he slows down to show reverence to a World War I vet who is an amputee. As one of the Count’s victims waits to be whisked to him in the night, she sees the armless man, and tenderly places a cape that has fallen to the ground on his shoulders again. 

It is moments like these that give von Stroheim’s work the feeling of being truly rooted in life, despite their outrageous settings and characters. Whatever sensations he pursues, he doesn’t look at them with tunnel vision, any drama has another story happening alongside of it. It’s a testament to the richness and complexity of his work. There simply has never been a filmmaker quite like this and we are fortunate to be able to see his work presented so beautifully over one hundred years after he put it on film. 

The Flicker Alley print is jawdropping in its clarity. I couldn't believe how clean and clear it looked. The set includes a lot of helpful and illuminating bonus material, including the archival Filming Foolish Wives (1922), the documentary The Waves and Merry-Go-Round: On Location with Erich von Stroheim, and the wonderfully detailed Erich von Stroheim and Hollywood’s First Million-Dollar Picture. All are essential viewing, because the production of the film is as interesting as the work itself. I also appreciated the essays in the accompanying booklet, including Searching for Foolish Wives: The Decades-Long Effort to Reconstruct Erich con Stroheim’s Masterpiece by James Layton. 


Many thanks to Flicker Alley for providing the set for review.

Jul 12, 2023

Watching Classic Movies Podcast: The Fact and Fiction of True-Crime Masterpiece Chameleon Street (1989) with Paula Guthat of Cinema Detroit


 

The 1989 film Chameleon Street, written, directed by, and starring Wendell B. Harris Jr. won the grand jury prize for a dramatic film at Sundance Film Festival in 1990. But that honor didn’t lead to the accolades and long directing career that it should have. This quirky masterwork tells the true crime story of William Douglas Street, Jr., a con artist from Detroit who has successfully impersonated athletes, lawyers, reporters, and doctors over a long career of scamming. He is currently in prison for identity theft. I spoke with Cinema Detroit co-founder Paula Guthat about this fascinating film, the wild story behind it, and how Harris molded this tale of the con into a reflection of life, society, and the performance of being human. 


 




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Jul 10, 2023

New Video: 50 Saucy Pre-Code Moments

 

I had a lot of fun making my latest YouTube video, 50 Saucy Pre-Code Moments. It offers a window into what movies were becoming before they were subject to a more firmly enforced production code.

Jul 5, 2023

Watching Classic Movies Podcast: Bogie, Bacall, and The Hollywood Home Front Trilogy with Martin Turnbull


I was happy to welcome back novelist Martin Turnbull, my most popular guest on the podcast to date. We talked about Bogart, Bacall, Hollywood and Warner Brothers Studios during World War II and how they are featured in his Hollywood Homefront Trilogy including the recently released finale to this fascinating blend of fact and fiction You Must Remember This






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Jun 28, 2023

Podcasts for Classic Film Fans: June Round-up

With the passing of Harry Belafonte and Treat Williams on my mind, I searched out great tributes to these actors in my podcast listening this month. While I usually focus on new episodes; I often find myself going back to catch older episodes I've missed, and which better suit my interests at a later date. All episode titles link to the shows: 

Gilbert Gottfried’s Amazing Colossal Podcast 
October 6, 2019 

I was devastated to learn Treat Williams had left us so suddenly. This episode of the also dearly departed Gilbert Gottfried’s excellent podcast from a few years back has always stayed with me. I love the playful joy of their conversation.

Cinema Junkie 
June 6, 2023 

Silent film accompanist Ben Model celebrates the tenth anniversary of his DVD label Undercrank Productions with Beth Accomando. He shares his history, process, and what he is doing to keep the love of silent film alive.


Maltin on Movies 
June 2, 2023 

Not only is this conversation with director John Badham (Saturday Night Fever) a delight, but it’s a must-listen for aspiring filmmakers. Badham was ahead of his time when it came to working with actors. He learned quickly to listen rather than pull rank.
Micheux Mission 
April 25, 2023 

There’s a great tribute to Harry Belafonte in the first part of this episode, including a list of suggested films that are notable in that they include comedies. As I had only seen Belafonte in dramas myself, it was interesting to hear the hosts discuss his comic chops.

Jun 14, 2023

On YouTube: A Rainbow of Classic Movie Fashion


Color in classic film fashion is so powerful in setting mood and defining a character. In a series of clips that move through the colors of the rainbow, this new video on my YouTube channel demonstrates the many ways a variety of hues can affect the look and feel of a movie.

 

May 31, 2023

Podcasts for Classic Film Fans: May Round-up

A lot of my podcast listening this week involved subjects that connected to current day issues. From striking workers to the examination of Asian-American actors in Hollywood, it was a reminder that our history consistently flavors the present. Episode titles link to shows:

Little Gold Men by Vanity Fair 
May 11, 2023 

The discussion about Flower Drum Song (1961) which starts at about the 25-minute mark is a solid analysis of the film because it draws from the past and present state of Asian-American actors in Hollywood.

The Tinsel Factory: A Film History Podcast
 
May 14, 2023 

This is a fascinating history of the 1941 Disney animator’s strike of 1941, made more fascinating by the current WGA strike, which seems to be only the beginning of an industry-wide push for big change.
Rarified Heir
May 16, 2023 

The only child of Vincent Price, Victoria Price has always been a great storyteller when it comes to sharing her unusual childhood. While she spent a lot of time alone, she was deeply loved, and her famous father made her a priority as much as he was able. She does a great job telling that complicated tale here.

Just the Discs
 
May 15, 2023 

The concept of Brian Sauer’s podcast seems simple: he discusses new releases on disc, but the way he does it is what makes this show satisfying. He approaches each episode with the energy of a knowledgeable fan, so there’s always lots of great information about the film, but it’s shared in a friendly, accessible way. It’s a great resource for anyone looking to expand their physical media collection.

May 26, 2023

Book Review--But Have You Read the Book? 52 Literary Gems That Inspired Our Favorite Films


 

While the first films I saw as a child were book adaptations like The Wizard of OZ (1939) and Gone with the Wind (1939) it wasn’t until much later in life that I thought about what the process of adapting a written work to the big screen entailed. In her new book, But Have You Read the Book? 52 Literary Gems That Inspired Our Favorite Films, podcaster and entertainment writer Kristen Lopez brings a well-researched eye to that process. 

There are a lot of ways to approach describing the task and results of adaptation, but Lopez keeps it streamlined, picking the most prominent film where multiple versions of a story have been made and focusing most of her 52 entries on the differences between page and screen. She uses side bars to address some of those complicating factors, like other adaptations worth noting and bits of interesting, related trivia. The films stretch from 1931 to the present day and are diverse in theme, subject, and genre, though the focus is on Hollywood films. 

In the wake of the book’s release, there has been some online chatter about readers planning to tackle every book and film in, But Have You Read the Book? including some who are as ambitious to attempt an entry a week and finish every title in the book in a year. Fortunately that would be a pleasant task, because Lopez’ selections are all excellent films and novels, which of course is often not the case. 

The idea of exploring the source material along with a film adaptation has long been a popular one among film fans. Lopez has handled the task of translating this concept to the page with a light touch and thorough analysis. It’s an entertaining read in addition to being informative. 


Many thanks to TCM for providing a copy of the book for review.

May 19, 2023

On Blu-ray: The Gorgeous 4K Restoration of the William Cameron Menzies Sci-fi Classic Invaders from Mars (1953)


 

Invaders from Mars (1953) is an excellent example of how execution can overcome a mediocre plot. This story of the inhabitants of a spacecraft that lands in a small town taking over the bodies of its residents isn’t novel, but everything about the way it’s presented is unusual and artfully done. This is entirely due to the influence of director and production designer William Cameron Menzies. I recently enjoyed a 4K restoration of the film on a new DVD release from Ignite Films. 

While Menzies had directed several films before this production, he had been most celebrated and prolific as a production designer. In this late career work he uses his distinctively bold style to mold the tone of the film, using eerie blue night lighting, stark, oversized sets, and dramatic perspective to create an unsettling, otherworldly tone. The film’s hero is a boy (Jimmy Hunt) who tries in vain to get the grown ups around him to believe that aliens are invading, and the sets are made to express the intimidation and rigid conformity that the adult world represents for him. 

As with many of the sci-fi flicks of the era, Invaders from Mars can be read as an allegory for any number of societal ills people of the day were experiencing. It doesn’t need another read though, the effect of those amazing sets, the goofy look of the aliens in a late film reveal, and the actors who know just how much to give in a production where everything around them is already giving a lot makes it work as pure entertainment. It also perfectly evokes the feelings and fears of being young and relying on your parents for safety and support when the rest of the world feels overwhelming and mysterious. 

Special features on the disc are robust and include a new and vintage trailer, interviews with the film’s star Jimmy Hunt, Menzies’ biographer James Curtis, and Menzies’ granddaughter Pamela Lausen, a featurette about the production, director John Sayles’ introduction for the film at TCM Classic Film Festival, restoration comparisons, a press image gallery, and a 20-page booklet with essays about the restoration process. 


Many thanks to Ignite Films for providing a copy of the film for review.

May 16, 2023

Guest Appearance: Movie Nights & Matinees Podcast and the Classic Film Fan USA Travel Guide


I had a fantastic time talking to Bill Groves of the Movie Nights & Matinees podcast about the Classic Film Fan USA Travel Guide. Give it a listen to learn more about the book! The show is available from the usual suspects. You can also listen here.

May 12, 2023

Documentary Picks at SIFF--Desperate Souls, Dark City and the Legend of Midnight Cowboy and Douglas Sirk: Hope as in Despair


 

While there are several documentaries that will be of interest to classic film fans at Seattle International Film Festival 2023, Desperate Souls, Dark City and the Legend of Midnight Cowboy and Douglas Sirk: Hope as in Despair were of particular interest to me. In different ways both films explore the powerful external elements that shape cinema and how they are so often rooted in challenging emotions. The film titles link to the festival screening information for each documentary. 

Having read and reviewed the source material, Shooting Midnight Cowboy by Glenn Frankel, there was a hint of familiarity to Nancy Buirski’s documentary about the production of the film Desperate Souls, Dark City and the Legend of Midnight Cowboy. Like the book, it acknowledges the deep debt Midnight Cowboy owed to its source material, the book by James Leo Herlihy and it likewise gives the actors and other participants in the production the space to speak candidly on the personal and societal impact of making the film and the turbulent times it reflected. 

Buirski explores those times thoroughly, with extensive footage of the rapidly changing, violent, and rebellious world in which Midnight Cowboy was made. Coupled with deeply emotional and insightful commentary from players including Bob Balaban, Jon Voight, and Jennifer Salt, you come away with a better understanding of both the film and the era. For that reason, the documentary has general appeal beyond classic movie fandom. 

One element that Buirski gives more attention is the feeling that this was a film about misfits made by a band of misfits. That fact was made more remarkable when Midnight Cowboy became the first X-rated film to win Best Picture at the Academy Awards. The very establishment (though in her own way rebellious) Elizabeth Taylor looks a bit surprised, if not unpleased to see the film’s win as she announces it, reinforcing the juxtaposition of a rebellious production with an industry struggling to maintain relevance in a rapidly shifting landscape.
German director Roman Hüben’s Douglas Sirk: Hope as in Despair is a more spare, elegant production which hones in on a tragedy that ultimately shaped the tone of the also German filmmaker’s Hollywood melodramas (among them Imitation of Life, Magnificent Obsession and All That Heaven Allows). Hüben bases his film on the discoveries he made at the Douglas Sirk Archives housed in the Cinémathèque Suisse. There he found the revealing calendar/diaries his second wife Hilde Bary kept on his behalf. 

In his research Hüben learns that Sirk’s first wife Lydia Brinken apparently became a Nazi out of spite because it angered her that her ex-husband had married a Jewish woman. She also used current German laws to forbid him from seeing his son, who also became a Nazi. The boy became an actor at an early age, so the devastated Sirk was only able to see him on the screen. 

The film explores how this heartbreaking turn of events molded Sirk’s style, which showed direct references to what had happened and hit emotional notes that seemed clearly influenced by his loss. Jon Halliday, the author of Sirk on Sirk offers the most revealing insights into how that affected the filmmaker, though he told him very little of what happened. Also welcome is the insight of the two directors who most effectively translated the Sirk style: Todd Haynes in a new interview and Rainer Maria Fassbinder in archival footage; both men understood that while the filmmaker used a distinctive visual style, his true essence was in the way he explored emotional content. 

While Hope as in Despair reveals an artist managing a life-altering loss, Hüben also explores Sirk's joy in work, and accurately describes his output as “films made by someone who loves people.” With a combination of film clips and interviews, a story of perseverance in the face of trauma emerges. It is ultimately a story with a strong upside, centering a man with a great sense of humor who led a productive life to the very end. 


The 49th Seattle International Film Festival is in theaters from May 11-21 and streaming May 22-28.

May 10, 2023

Watching Classic Movies Podcast: Classic Film Travel Destinations, The Stoogeum with Michelle Squiccimara


My guest is Michelle Squiccimara, registrar and outreach coordinator of The Stoogeum in Ambler, Pennsylvania. This three-story museum dedicated to the 3 Stooges contains thousands of artifacts and works of art. It’s also the home of the 3 Stooges fan club, one of the largest and most enduring in the nation. We talked about the many surprises the Stoogeum holds, the supportive fan community that has helped it to thrive, and a new book that reveals the underseen history of the Stooges extensive career on the road. 






How to purchase A Tour De Farce: The Complete History of the Three Stooges on the Road, by Stoogeum founder Gary Lassin

The Stoogeum is included in my book, The ClassicFilm Fan USA Travel Guide: Over 500 Attractions for Road Trips and Online Exploration


Thank you to everyone who has purchased the book so far! I'm thrilled by the response. If you are enjoying the guide, I'd love it if you'd post a review wherever you bought it. It really helps!


The show is available on Spotify, PocketCasts, Breaker, Stitcher, Anchor, Google, Radio Public, Amazon Music, and YouTube.

Watching Classic Movies podcast is also available on Apple Podcasts! If you are enjoying the show, please give it a 5-star review and share it with your friends.

Like the podcast? Want to hear more frequent episodes? Subscriptions are as low as 99 cents a month, click on the Support button here.

You can also support my work on ko-fi.

May 5, 2023

On YouTube: Two New Videos, Badass Seniors in Classic Film and Domesticity in Classic Film Noir

 

 I recently posted a couple of new videos on YouTube: 

There are plenty of young, bold stars in classic movies, but for my money nothing beats a badass senior. After all, with all that life experience, wisdom, and the confidence that comes with being a survivor, what’s not to love? These classic films feature elderly characters who plant themselves firmly in the middle of the action and don’t take nonsense from anyone.

   

While the most popular image of film noir is that of men in trenchcoats walking down foggy nighttime streets. There’s a lot more to it than that. One aspect of noir that always fascinates me is when it collides with domesticity: marriage, family, the home, and everything that goes with it. Here are five noir flicks that touch on domestic life in some way.

May 3, 2023

Watching Classic Movies Podcast: Classic Film Travel Destinations, The Jimmy Stewart Museum with Executive Director Janie McKirgan

This episode my guest is Janie McKirgan, Executive Director of the Jimmy Stewart Museum in Indiana, Pennsylvania. We talked about the long history of this museum that seems humble from the outside, but has an extensive collection within and a movie theater that shows Stewart films every day. It’s a beloved institution in a town that still shows a lot of love for its most famous native. 


You can learn more about the Jimmy Stewart Museum at its official website

Check out their Jimmy Stewart podcast. There are some amazing interviews, including one with Kim Novak! And some interesting clips featuring Stewart. 

The Jimmy Stewart Museum is included in my book, The Classic Film Fan USA Travel Guide: Over 500 Attractions for Road Trips and Online Exploration


The show is available on Spotify, PocketCasts, Breaker, Stitcher, Anchor, Google, Radio Public, Amazon Music, and YouTube.

Watching Classic Movies podcast is also available on Apple Podcasts! If you are enjoying the show, please give it a 5-star review and share it with your friends.

Like the podcast? Want to hear more frequent episodes? Subscriptions are as low as 99 cents a month, click on the Support button here.

You can also support my work on ko-fi.

May 1, 2023

The 49th Seattle International Film Festival 2023: Picks for Classic Film Fans


 
Seattle International Film Festival is back in theaters May 11-21 and streaming May 22-28. As always, there’s plenty on the schedule to please classic film fans. Here are my picks for 2023:

Archival Films 

There’s not much in the way of selection or adventurous picks for archival offerings this year, but The Incredible Shrinking Man (1957), Midnight Cowboy (1969) and Seven Samurai (1954) are all films that especially need the big screen treatment to be fully enjoyed and should be a treat to see in restored versions. I can’t remember the last time a classic sci-fi flick was included on the schedule and the tale of a scientist who finds his stature alarmingly reduced is particularly fun due to all those enormous props and an encounter with a monstrous kitty cat. Midnight Cowboy is a story best experienced in total immersion and an epic like Seven Samurai must be seen blown up as large as possible.
Documentaries 

Desperate Souls, Dark City and the Legend of Midnight Cowboy tells the story of the legendary Oscar-winning film in two ways: how the culture of its times breathed life into the production and how it subsequently had its own cultural effect. 

Douglas Sirk – Hope as in Despair bases its exploration of the influential German filmmaker who made a splash in Hollywood via interviews and entries about the man from his wife’s journal. 

A Disturbance in the Force tells the history of the once mocked and now mocked and celebrated The Star Wars Holiday Special, a 1978 television production that a mortified George Lucas tried to bury, but that keeps coming back to life for Star Wars fans. The poetically eccentric experimental filmmaker Jonas Mekas gets the spotlight in 

Fragments of Paradise, an appropriately experimental documentary which features footage from his extensive visual diaries. 

Classic televisions fans can get a closer look at a television legend with Being Tyler Moore, which features interviews with Rob Reiner and James L. Burrows.

Apr 28, 2023

Podcasts for Classic Film Fans: April Round-up

I enjoyed some new-to-me podcasts this month. Loved the variety of podcasting styles here. Episode titles link to the shows: 

Front Row Classics 
April 20,2023 

This is a great recap of the TCM Classic Film Festival, told from the viewpoint of a member of the media. I recognized a lot of my own experiences as a blogger here from behind-the-scenes fun to sitting in a theater audience.
Forgotten Hollywood 
March 29, 2023 

In support of his new book marking the 100th anniversary of Warner Bros., Mark Vieira discusses some of the stand out elements of this studio that’s always been of the people. Vieira notes that unlike the other major studios Warners was always a little ahead of the times with subject matter and willing to take risks.
Discovering DINAH! 
November 1, 2021 

Listen to this one from the beginning. Dinah Shore was a huge talent and hasn’t gotten near the credit she deserves for her cultural impact as singer, actress, and talk show host. This is a great start, with a good history of Shore and plenty of clips of her speaking and singing.
Movie Nights and Matinees 
March 5, 2023 

 A great conversation with Bob Furmanek and Greg Kintz of the 3-D Film Archive. This is the first time a discussion of the technical elements of 3-D hasn’t left me glassy-eyed. Also beyond excited to see the re-release of Robot Monster (1953).

Apr 26, 2023

Watching Classic Movies Podcast: Classic Film Travel Destinations, The Barrymore Film Center with Executive Director Nelson Page


My guest is Nelson Page, Executive Director of the Barrymore Film Center in Fort Lee, New Jersey, the birthplace of the United States film industry. The center is an evolving cultural institution, featuring a repertory movie theater that brings back the comforts and style of classic cinema and a museum that is free to the public and has already been a source of great fascination to its visitors in the five months it has been open. We talked about what the center has to offer, the history of film in Fort Lee, and how the future of cinema is just as exciting as the past. 



Official Barrymore Film Center Website 

Barrymore Film Center Instagram 


The Barrymore Film Center is included in my book, The Classic Film Fan USA Travel Guide: Over 500 Attractions for Road Trips and Online Exploration


The show is available on Spotify, PocketCasts, Breaker, Stitcher, Anchor, Google, Radio Public, Amazon Music, and YouTube.

Watching Classic Movies podcast is also available on Apple Podcasts! If you are enjoying the show, please give it a 5-star review and share it with your friends.


Like the podcast? Want to hear more frequent episodes? Subscriptions are as low as 99 cents a month, click on the Support button here.


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