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 

2023 TCM Classic Film Festival Recap 

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 

Warner Bros. 100 Years of Storytelling 

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! 

We’ve Only Just Begun: The Early Years 

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 

Voyage to the Third Dimension 

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).

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.

You can also support my work on ko-fi.

Watching Classic Movies Podcast: Classic Film Travel Destinations, The Ava Gardner Museum with Lynell Seabold and Lora Stocker

 

My guests are Lynell Seabold, Executive Director of the Ava Gardner Museum in Smithfield, North Carolina and Lora Stocker a longtime volunteer for the museum who has served as a social media consultant and board member. 

We talked about what the museum has to offer both as a physical and virtual experience, including the many ways the museum celebrates Ava Gardner and unites fans and collectors from around the world. 

Explore the Museum's virtual offerings at the Official Ava Gardner Museum site 

They also have a fantastic gift shop

Lot of good stuff on the Ava Gardner Instagram account 

The Ava Gardner 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.

Watching Classic Movies Podcast: Classic Film Travel--The James Dean Museum with Curator Dorothy Schultz

This season of Watching Classic Movies Podcast I'm going to be interviewing people from the places I write about in my new book, The Classic Film Fan USA Travel Guide: Over 500 Attractions for Road Trips and Online Exploration.

My first guest of the season is Dorothy Schultz, curator of the James Dean Museum.

We had a great talk about this thriving tribute to an actor who burned bright in his short life and left an enduring legacy. The museum is home to the largest collection of Dean artifacts and attracts visitors from around the world. It is also deeply loved and supported by the surrounding community, which includes Dean’s family. Dorothy shared stories about the museum and the annual festival it hosts, tips about how to make the most of a visit, and what Dean means to her as an artist and influential figure.

 

You can learn more about The James Dean Museum and check out their gift shop here

 

James Dean Museum on Instagram

  

We talked a lot about the famous photos Dennis Stock took of James Dean. There's a great gallery of them here.

The James Dean 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.

I Wrote a Book! Check out The Classic Film Fan USA Travel Guide: Over 500 Attractions for Road Trips and Online Exploration

 

You know that Toni Morrison quote "If you find a book you really want to read but it hasn't been written yet, then you must write it?" Well I took that to heart and wrote a travel guide tailored to my greatest interest, classic movies! 

I am delighted to announce the publication of The Classic Film Fan USA Travel Guide: Over 500 Attractions for Road Trips and Online Exploration. 

Check out the book trailer!

I started this project in the early days of the pandemic with the goal of having a guide for myself and perhaps my friends once everything opened up again and it made more sense to travel. However, the more I learned, the more I realized I needed to go further with my research. I connected with hundreds of great people who run these places and saw how much they could use a little publicity after being shuttered for so long. 

The result was this book, a true labor of love. I've written The Classic Film Fan USA Travel Guide to cater to both people who can hit the road and those who cannot travel, but wish to experience what they can of these attractions. There are a surprising number of ways that these places can be enjoyed online, many of them permanent holdovers from the early days of the pandemic. 

Starting next week on Watching Classic Movies podcast, I'll be sharing some great interviews I had with several of the people who run these venues. It was so much fun to talk to these folks; their passion for classic film is enormous! 

Find out where to buy the book here.