On YouTube--Magnificent Marlene Dietrich Moments: The von Sternberg Years

 

The seven films director Josef von Sternberg made with Marlene Dietrich are a remarkable record of the filmmaker’s obsession with his star. From the cheap cabaret of The Blue Angel to the grandeur of The Scarlet Empress, von Sternberg explored different settings, but coached Dietrich to maintain a familiar array of characteristics in each film. From the way she moved and spoke, to the little bits of business that gave the woman she played life, there is one Dietrich who rises out of the seven women she played for the director who made her not only a star, but a legend. 

Films in video: 

The Blue Angel (1930) 

Morocco (1930) 

Dishonored (1931) 

Shanghai Express (1932) 

Blonde Venus (1932) 

The Scarlet Empress (1934) 

The Devil is a Woman (1935)

Watching Classic Movies Podcast--Authors of Eleanor Powell: Born to Dance Paula Broussard and Lisa Royère

 

Eleanor Powell was Hollywood’s best female tapper, but she isn’t nearly as well known as screen hoofers like Fred Astaire and Gene Kelly. With their book Eleanor Powell: Born to Dance my guests Paula Broussard and Lisa Royère are working to fix that cultural oversight. Having been dancers themselves, they offer a fascinating perspective on this one-of-a-kind star’s style. We talked about the uniquely skilled Powell, who was as engaging as a person as she was a performer, and Paula and Lisa’s own relationship with her in her later years.

 

Connect with Paula and Lisa: 

Facebook page 

Facebook group 

Instagram  

Website 

Paula’s Twitter/X: @PMBroussard 

Lisa’s Twitter/X: @pamelisa 

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

You can also support my work on ko-fi

On YouTube: Christmas in Classic Movies

 

There are many common themes and characteristics when it comes to Christmas in classic movies (Santa, gifts, trees with SO much tinsel), but there are also several ways vintage Hollywood films play with the idea of what the holiday should look like and how people feel about it. This compilation shows both those familiar patterns and the more rebellious points of view. 

Watching Classic Movies Podcast: The Turbulent, Remarkable Life of Veronica Lake with Brian Brown

While the actress Veronica Lake dealt with her share of trauma, her life was not quite the tragedy that it has long been rumored to be. Before she hit her mid-twenties she had appeared in six bonafide classic films, including Sullivan’s Travels, three noirs with Alan Ladd starting with This Gun for Hire, I Married a Witch and So Proudly We Hail. She left Hollywood behind, but never stopped working on the stage and in television, while pursuing the life she was unable to have as a young star. I spoke with UCLA Cinema and Media Studies Program Manager and Lake enthusiast and researcher Brian Brown about the highs and lows of this remarkable actress. 

For more great Veronica Lake content, follow Brian on Twitter 

Titles discussed: 

Sullivan’s Travels (1941) 

This Gun for Hire (1942) 

The Glass Key (1942) 

I Married a Witch (1942) 

So Proudly We Hail (1943) 

The Blue Dahlia (1946) 

Ramrod (1947) 

The Sainted Sisters (1948)

Slattery’s Hurricane (1949) 

The show is available on Apple, Spotify, Amazon Music, PocketCasts, Google, and Radio Public

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

You can also support my work on ko-fi

Watching Classic Movies Podcast: Talking Toshiro Mifune with Jill Blake

 Toshiro Mifune was one of the first classic film stars I loved and yet I didn’t know much about him personally. I decided to remedy that by talking to writer and CineJourneys co-founder Jill Blake. Jill has researched and written about Mifune and had a lot to share about his life, career, and remarkable partnership with filmmaker Akira Kurosawa.

 

Check out Jill's work: 

CineJourneys Substack

CineJourneys website 

Read Jill’s piece on Mifune 

The show is available on Apple, Spotify, Amazon Music, PocketCasts, Google, and Radio Public

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

You can also support my work on ko-fi

The Classic Film Fan USA Travel Guide Now Available in Paperback on Amazon! 99 Cent Black Friday Sale on eBook

Thank you to everyone who has bough the USA Classic Film Fan USA Travel Guide eBook! I can't tell you how much I appreciate your interest.

Ever since I have released the book, I have received requests to release it in paperback. And I listened! The guide is now available as both eBook and paperback on Amazon and will be available from more stores and web retailers soon, including from some of the venues featured in the book.

As a little Black Friday treat, I'm also offering the eBook for only 99 cents for a limited time! You can get that on Amazon through 12/1.

Buy Here!

 

New Video: Memorable Film Noir Moments

 

There are a lot of familiar elements in classic film noir: heavy use of voiceover, femme fatales, rain-soaked night streets, wrinkled trench coats, and a deep sense of fatalism. Here I also explore the stylized sex and violence and desire for escape, wealth, and possession found in many films of this singular style of cinema. 

Films featured: 

The Big Heat (1953) 

Kiss of Death (1947) 

Night and the City (1950) 

Kansas City Confidential (1952) 

99 River Street (1953) 

The Hunted (1948) 

The Crooked Way (1949)

In a Lonely Place (1950) 

The Big Sleep (1946) 

Laura (1944) 

Blast of Silence (1961) 

Murder, My Sweet (1944) 

The Big Combo (1955) 

Wicked Woman (1953) 

Too Late for Tears (1949) 

Detour (1945) 

Kiss Me Deadly (1955) 

The Maltese Falcon (1941) 

Gun Crazy (1950) 

Double Indemnity (1944) 

One Girl’s Confession (1953) 

Deadline at Dawn (1946) 

This Gun for Hire (1942)