Italian-born American film director
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Two episodes dropping in the same week; aren't you all so lucky?! It's been two years since we've covered a film from one of our favorite eras. What better than to return to it with another pick from Chris! It's 1949's The Passionate Friends, directed by David Lean and starring Ann Todd and the great Claude Rains, one of Kevin's personal faves and known more to him as Senator Joseph Paine in Frank Capra's beloved Mr. Smith Goes to Washington. And so, folks, with the heart and soul of Brief Encounter and the airy enthusiasm of In Which We Serve, join Chris and Kevin as they head forth into known waters of beautiful people, beautiful environments, and just a rather beautiful film. The Golden Age has been waiting for the gang's return! Submit your mailbags to us at thesearcherspodcast@gmail.com. Thank you. Please rate us a 5/5, and review us on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you listen to us. Follow us on Letterboxd.com if you'd like to see what we've recently watched. Ben, Chris, & Kevin
Any time Trump or one of his supporters brings up the 2020 election, insisting he didn't lose it, we hear the usual chorus of groans: why can't he get over it? He lost. Move on. The thing is, I can't get over it either. 2020 was the year everything changed. My entire world was turned upside down because I could see, for the first time, that I was in a bubble, a feedback loop that had shaped my perception of reality. It's just that it wasn't actual reality. It was a curated, hysteria-inducing delusion. It wasn't just me. Go on YouTube, and you'll find hundreds, if not thousands, of people whose lives were fundamentally transformed that year in one way or another. COVID made them quit their job and move into a van. COVID made them decide to divorce. COVID made them learn how to bake sourdough. And a lot of us were red-pilled. It was as though someone pressed the pause button and all of us froze in place for a time. Like in the movie Weapons where the kids suddenly wake up one day…Isolated and shut in, we all turned to social media and the internet, which meant more people were connected than ever before at a time when there were more people alive than ever before. We've never really fully processed what happened to all of us that year.It was the year we stopped trusting the science, the schools, Hollywood, the legacy media, and the government. Children were locked down and staring at their screens, with many of the lost boys finding their way into the dark corners of the internet and would emerge years later fumbling their way toward a rifle and a rooftop.That isn't all of it, or even half of it. None of us would emerge from that year unscathed. We can't talk about it as a country or a people because we are still so divided. The big things divide us, like the vaccine, the masks, the lockdowns, and most especially, the 2020 election.We were stepping into something we did not understand and weren't prepared for. Things have changed enough now that it will be hard to remember just how bad things got after Trump won in 2016. I remember because I was on the inside. I lived it with the Democrats and what would become a Doomsday Cult.We called ourselves “the resistance” even though we had all of the power. Trump and MAGA, they were the real resistance, or at least the revolutionaries going up against the most powerful machine in American history, maybe ever.All I knew was that I had to fight for my side. I woke up every day like a good soldier for the cause and went to battle online, wasting precious time with my daughter, or doing anything else except sitting and staring at a screen and fighting with people I didn't even know over issues that didn't matter with arguments that had no end and went nowhere.Inside the Doomsday Cult, we were awash with mass hysteria because every single day, every time Trump tweeted, the legacy media sent out more waves of hysteria that pulsed through the hive mind and kept reinfecting anyone who scrolled Twitter or Facebook. It was a new emergency every day. We were stuck in an unending state of trauma.The legacy media desperately wants to forget what happened, how they lied and gaslit the public. The consequences for these moral crimes have been minimal. A slap on the wrist for ignoring Joe Biden's cognitive decline, but there has never been a reckoning for what they did to all of us, people who trusted them, in 2020.What Happened to MeMy daughter had to leave her senior year at college to have her graduation on my balcony, but we did it because we were doing our part to help save the country during this once-in-a-generation pandemic.Mobilizing for the cause meant sewing our own masks, displaying them proudly on Instagram. It meant mixing our own hand sanitizer because it was all out at the drug store. Some people were wearing face shields. We were living in fear. We were cowed into silence. Half the country fell into Mass Formation Psychosis. We weren't allowed to attend weddings, churches, or schools, but somehow on Memorial Day, the George Floyd protests became the most important thing in America for months.Systemic racism, they told us, was more urgent than COVID. Really? Bringing the whole country — the whole world — to its knees was less serious than George Floyd dying at the hands of a police officer in Minneapolis? Yes. That's what they were telling us, and everyone was mandated to go along with everything that came next.These were our idols, we were told. It was the new state religion, even if Trump was still the president. This is the ideology we're allowed to gather for. This is worth tear ing down statues, burning buildings, carving out “autonomous zones” and demanding everyone put a black square on Instagram, capitalize the word Black and raise their fists to Black Lives Matter. The madness unfolding on the streets meant Democrats could actually lose in November, I believed. So why wasn't anyone trying to stop them? Why were the Democrats encouraging them? I started wondering what the hell was going on. It felt like unseen hands were manipulating events behind the scenes, and we were all expected to just go along with it.As I began to speak out and ask questions, I was turned into an enemy. “You've changed,” wrote Neera Tanden on Twitter. She was right. I had. By the time Twitter pressured the New York Times to back off their Tom Cotton essay, Send in the Troops, I was done. Maybe I was naive. I didn't understand the assignment. I'd seen too many Frank Capra movies. I'd begun to believe politics was like an Aaron Sorkin screenplay. I thought we were the good guys. We are the side with ethics and decency and fairness.I was like Linda Hamilton in Terminator 2 when Arnold Schwarzenegger shows up, and she thinks he's a bad guy, but when he says, “Come with me if you want to live, she realizes that everything is backward. The people she thought were the good guys weren't. The guy she thought was there to kill her was actually there to save her. By the end of 2020, I was as black-pilled as Jack Nicholson in Chinatown, disillusioned and wide awake. Forget it, Jake. It's Chinatown.But what I saw them do - how we were all manipulated, how they rigged the election to be too big to fail - I could see for the first time that my side had too much power. So much power that American democracy was now beside the point.It didn't matter how the people voted, because we would decide who was allowed to win and who would become an existential threat to the world we were building, the utopia we were building online.When I left the party, I knew I couldn't be fully honest about what I believed happened, though I did say that the election had been rigged. I also couldn't be honest about what I knew about January 6th, at least not in the beginning. When I saw the riot break out, my first thought was, that's not MAGA. They don't do that.And anyway, even if they did, why couldn't the Democrats chalk it up to months of lockdowns and highly enraged, radicalized people on the Right just as there were on the Left that Summer. Why couldn't they? Because it was all still part of the long con, the mass delusion. These ideas were dangerous to hold for anyone in America but especially someone of the Left, and yet, I could not stop it. The truth began knocking. I ignored it as long as I could, but eventually, the knocking became a banging, and I had no choice but to open the door.How to Rig An ElectionOnce you start tugging on the question of why Twitter and Facebook censored the Hunter Biden laptop, you begin to unravel the bigger picture of just how deep the conspiracy went. But you don't need the whole story. You just need to know this: The FBI and the CIA worked against the sitting president to lie to the public that the laptop was “Russian Disinformation.” It was just a standard run-of-the-mill October surprise, timed to help ignite a scandal before the election. But it was also information the public had a right to know, as we would find out later. So anyone who shames Trump for calling the election rigged and denying it was legit will have to answer for this. But if you keep pulling on that string, you'll find the why of it. They were trying to fix all of the problems they believed caused Hillary Clinton's loss. This would be payback for the email scandal that hit her campaign, which she called “Russian Disinformation.” That would also turn out to be untrue.But there were other problems that needed correcting, like lazy voters who assumed Hillary would win because she was so far ahead in the polls and didn't bother turning out. They would fix this problem using COVID as the pretext to change everything about how people vote and how those votes are collected.They knew they had Pennsylvania won long before Election Day and it would only be a matter of convincing the public not to get too excited about a “red mirage.” To all of them, that's the right way to win an election.Trump won Iowa, Ohio and Florida, not to mention the bellwether counties that have decided our elections. The only other time anything like this happened was in 1960, when JFK won in a squeaker. Compare that to 2020, and you can see that something was very off about the numbers. Since the Democrats believed Mark Zuckerberg's Facebook had handed Trump the win in 2016 by using their marketing machine (the Clinton campaign refused their help), it was time for Zuckerberg to undo that damage, which came in the form of a $400 million slush fund used to “fortify” the election but mostly in the heavily blue districts. Had all of this been shared with the whole country as a way to improve our elections overall, that would have been one thing. But it was all done behind the scenes, in the shadows, far from the reach of anyone who might dissent. It was anything but ethical and anything but fair.It was all part of a grand scheme to stay one step ahead of Trump. If they already knew he would claim it was rigged, why not just rig it? Who would the people believe? Trump or the “bipartisan cabal” of unelected bureaucrats hiding in the shadows?The truth is that Trump was pulling ahead because the Left was losing its mind, and Trump picked up on it. He changed his campaign; no matter how many ways they tried to keep him from his rallies, he got the word out anyway. That would explain why he won those key states but lost so much in the popular vote. Our elections should not be decided months before Election Day. Candidates should have to make their case to the people, not hide in the basement and let the system do the work. It's the candidate's job to inspire the voters to vote for the kind of government they want, and it's the voters responsibility to be motivated enough to turn out to the polls and cast their vote. But with an easily manipulated hive mind like the Democrats had cultivated for ten years they didn't need any of it.The Year That Broke AmericaI've never been able to convince anyone of what I believed happened in 2020. If you were on the Left, chances are, you wouldn't be able to see it either. You would have trusted the same people I used to trust: CNN, New York Times, MSNBC, your social media feed.You would have come out of that year thinking Joe Biden won the 2020 election fair and square and that Donald Trump refused to lose, so he led a dangerous assault on the Capitol, putting our democracy under threat. Yet, after everything they did to Trump that year and for the four years prior, what else could he have done except protest? It was just a little too convenient that there happened to be a riot at the same time, a Reichstag Fire that handed absolute power to Team Blue.If you were still trapped inside the Doomsday Cult, you'd have been primed and ready to go to war on your fellow Americans because Vice President Kamala Harris would tell you January 6th was like 9/11 and Pearl Harbor. You would have thought Liz Cheney and the Prime Time Show Trial was legit. What an easy mark you'd be.If you never escaped, as I did, you'd still be trapped inside the Doomsday Cult and never have any idea that none of this is your fault. You were put into a kind of trance in 2020, even before, like the kids in the movie Weapons, frozen in place and used as an army to do the bidding of the Democratic Party.They made you believe, like they made me believe, that every day really was the end of the world as long as Donald Trump was in power. But it was never true, none of it. All the Democrats ever had to do was offer the people something better. If everything Molly Ball wrote about the election the “Secret Bi-Partisan Cabal” supposedly saved, how did Trump win again? In Weapons, the children are put under a spell and aimed at the enemies of the witch. Once the spell is broken, the children wake up and realize the person they should be mad at isn't the one she made them attack, but instead the witch herself for robbing them of their ability to think for themselves. And so it goes with the Democrats.// This is a public episode. 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“CLASSIC CINEMA STAR OF THE MONTH: BARBARA STANWYCK” - 7/06/2026 (147) Anyone who's listened to From Beneath the Hollywood Sign for any length of time, knows that BARBARA STANWYCK is the all-time favorite actress of Steve and Nan. This week, we will be discussing the remarkable life and career of this legend. What can you say about Stanwyck? Tough, talented, fiercely independent, and endlessly versatile, she could break your heart in Stella Dallas, make you laugh in The Lady Eve, and leave you breathless in Double Indemnity. Join us as we explore her extraordinary journey from a difficult childhood to becoming one of the most respected actresses of Hollywood's Golden Age. Along the way, we'll share fascinating behind-the-scenes stories, surprising moments from her personal life, and reveal why directors, co-stars, and film crews adored working with her. If you're a fan of classic movies—or simply love stories about remarkable people—you won't want to miss this tribute to the incomparable Barbara Stanwyck. SHOW NOTES: Sources: A Life of Barbara Stanwyck: Steel to True 1907-1940 (2013), by Victoria Wilson; Pieces of My Heart (2008), by Robert Wagner with Scott Eyman; Barbara Stanwyck: Straight Down The Line | The Hollywood Collection, 1997 Barbara Stanwyck: Fire and Desire (1991), by Richard Schickel; The Name Above The Title (1971), by Frank Capra; “Barbara Stanwyck, Actress, Dead at 82,” January 22, 1990, by Peter B. Flint, New York Times; Barbara-Stanwyck.com AFI.com TCM.com biography.com walkoffame.com wikipedia.com IMDBPro.com; Movies Mentioned: The Locked Door (1929); Mexicali Rose (1929); Ladies of Leisure (1930); Illicit (1931); Ten Cents A Dance (1931); The Miracle Woman (1931); Night Nurse (1931); Forbidden (1932); The Bitter Tea of General Yen (1932); Baby Face (1933); Annie Oakley (1935); Her Brother's Wife (1936); That Is My Affair (1937); Stella Dallas (1937); Golden Boy (1939); Remember The Night (1939); The Great Man's Lady (1941); Ball of Fire (1941); The Lady Eve (1941); Meet John Doe (1941); Lady of Burlesque (1944); Christmas In Connecticut (1945); The Strange Loves of Martha Ivers (1946); My Reputation (1946); The Two Mrs. Carrolls (1947); East Side West Side (1949); Quo Vadis (1951): No Man of Her Own (1950); The Furies (1950); Clash By Night (1952); The Moonlighter (1953); Jeopardy (1953); Executive Suite (1954); There's Always Tomorrow (1956); Forty Funs (1957); Trooper Hook (1957); The Night Walker (1964); --------------------------------- http://www.airwavemedia.com Please contact sales@advertisecast.com if you would like to advertise on our podcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The Best Picture Show - Episode 11 Quintin and Sush discuss the 100 Best Picture winners from the last century of filmmaking. They discuss every Oscar ceremony, the historical context of each film, and how the film has stood the test of time. This episode they watch the eleventh Best Picture winner: You Can't Take It With You. They discuss their thoughts on the second Frank Capra winner and wrap up their thoughts on the 1930s.
Zakaj nekateri bogataški negativci z velikega platna absolutno odbijajo, medtem ko nas drugi vendarle neustavljivo privlačijo?»Pohlep, ob pomanjkanju boljših besed, je dober,« pravi Michael Douglas v slovitem monologu iz filma Wall Street, pod katerega se je podpisal režiser Oliver Stone. Se pa Douglas tu seveda ne ustavi, temveč v vlogi brezvestnega investitorja Gordona Gekka, za katero je leta 1987 prejel tudi oskarja za najboljšega igralca, nadaljuje: »Pohlep se nikoli ne moti. Pohlep deluje. Pohlep razjasni sleherno situacijo in izraža samega duha evolucije. Naj gre za pohlep po življenju, po denarju, po ljubezni ali znanju, pohlep je obraz nezadržnega vzpona človeštva.« Te besede so se razločno vpisale v naš kolektivni kulturno-zgodovinski spomin. Berejo se namreč kot nekakšen eleganten destilat dominantne ideologije zadnjih nekaj desetletij na Zahodu; so esenca neoliberalizma, njegovega – ob pomanjkanju boljših besed – temeljnega etosa. No, kar se ni vpisalo v naš kulturno-zgodovinski spomin, pa je, da je jedrno sporočilo filma, sporočilo Wall Streeta kot celote, natanko nasprotno razmišljanju Gordona Gekka. Oliver Stone, čigar levičarske simpatije niso nikakršna skrivnost, namreč skuša pokazati, kako pohlep spodjeda tradicionalne vrednote, kot sta pošteno delo in osebnostna integriteta, pokazati skuša, kako pohlep razgrajuje ključne medčloveške, družbene vezi, ne nazadnje skuša pokazati, kako pohlep uničuje tudi t. i. realno gospodarstvo. Vse to film poskuša, gledalke in gledalci pa smo si zapomnili – in najbrž vsaj malo tudi ponotranjili – predvsem poglede, stališča in vrednote karizmatičnega negativca Gekka. Zakaj? Morda zato, ker se vrtoglavega bogastva vedno drži nekaj magnetično, neustavljivo privlačnega? – Ta argument sicer zveni precej prepričljivo, a zakaj potem nihče ne sanjari o tem, da bi nekega dne postal odtujeni magnat à la Charles Foster Kane iz Državljana Kana, legendarne mojstrovine Orsona Wellsa iz leta 1941? Zakaj nikomur ne pade na misel, da bi svoje življenje živel kot gospod Potter, brezčutni, hladnokrvni skopuh iz filma Čudovito življenje, ki ga je leta 1946 posnel Frank Capra? Pravo vprašanje, ki si ga v tem kontekstu torej velja postaviti, je slej ko prej tole: zakaj nekateri bogataški negativci z velikega platna absolutno odbijajo, medtem ko drugi vendarle zapeljivo mamijo? K temu pa morda lahko dodamo še tole podvprašanje: ali je filmov, ki zasledovanje in kopičenje bogastva ter življenje na veliki nogi prikazujejo v privlačnejši luči, kaj več, odkar sta ob koncu 70-ih let 20. stoletja Margaret Thatcher in Ronald Reagan sprožila neoliberalno revolucijo? – Odgovore smo v tokratnem, filmsko obarvanem Kulturnem fokusu iskali v pogovoru z dr. Jelo Krečič, filozofinjo, raziskovalko in predavateljico na več fakultetah, članicah Univerze v Ljubljani. Foto: Lionel Barrymore v vlogi gospoda Potterja iz Caprovega filma Čudovito življenje; poznavalci sedme umetnosti, ki jih je leta 2003 k sodelovanju povabil Ameriški filmski inštitut, so gospoda Potterja postavili na šesto mesto lestvice 50 največjih zlikovcev v zgodovini ameriškega filma (Wikipedija, javna last)
Oscar-winning director Ron Howard tells host Ben Mankiewicz that he feared being “branded” a supernatural comedy director following the success of “Splash” and “Cocoon.” After tapping guidance from his “Happy Days” boss, Garry Marshall, and insight from Frank Capra's biography, Howard set forth to explore the medium of film in all its genres as a director. He tells Ben about being mesmerized by “Bonnie and Clyde” and “The Graduate” and learning how to work with stars when acting in “The Shootist” with John Wayne directed by Don Siegel. Ron Howard's Super 8 answers run the gamut from nods to “Project Hail Mary.” and “Eastern Promises,” to “One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest,” and “Blazing Saddles.” Films Mentioned: Night Shift Splash Cocoon Grand Theft Auto It Happened One Night Brian's Song Boys in the Band The Wild Bunch The Graduate Bonnie and Clyde White Heat The Shootist Charley Varrick Skyward Eden The Paper The Missing Backdraft Frontier Woman The Journey Around the World in 80 Days One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World Project Hail Mary Eastern Promises Unforgiven A Face in the Crowd Gone with the Wind Matilda High Noon Arrival Something About Mary Terms of Endearment As Good as it Gets Young Frankenstein Blazing Saddles Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Don't Kill the Messenger with movie research expert Kevin Goetz
Send Kevin a Text MessageBob Bookman, one of Hollywood's most respected literary agents, managers, and producers, joins host Kevin Goetz for a masterclass on the art of discovering stories that successfully make the leap from page to screen. Over a remarkable career, Bookman has represented authors and filmmakers including Michael Crichton, John Irving, Thomas Harris, Jonathan Demme, Cameron Crowe, and Tom Stoppard, helping bring to the screen films like Jurassic Park, The Silence of the Lambs, Hannibal, The Cider House Rules, A Beautiful Mind, and Jerry Maguire. In recent years he's brought that same eye for material to producing, including the Best Picture nominee A Complete Unknown.Running the Yale Law School Film Society (06:54): Bookman recalls building an underground film education out of 16mm prints borrowed from historian Bill Everson, bringing legends like Frank Capra, Fritz Lang, and Miloš Forman to campus for free screenings.Landing the Job, and Skipping the Mailroom (18:26): Bookman shares how a chance introduction from agent Jack Gilardi led to interviews with legends like Abe Lastfogel and David Begelman, before he landed at IFA and bypassed the mailroom.Becoming "The Book Guy" (23:24): Bookman describes how agency head Marvin Josephson handed him ICM's entire literary publications franchise,launching his decades-long reputation as Hollywood's go-to book agent.What Makes a Book Cinematic (27:09): Bookman breaks down why great novels rarely make great films, and what he actually looks for: three-act structure, character conflict, and a story that takes audiences somewhere new.The Secret to a Great Adaptation (29:15): Using John Irving's Oscar-winning adaptation of his own novel The Cider House Rules as the gold standard, Bookman explains why most authors shouldn't adapt their own books, and why Irving was the exception.The Best Adaptations, and a Hawks-Hemingway Bet (33:00): Bookman names The Silence of the Lambs and A Beautiful Mind among the best adaptations he's seen, then tells the story of how Howard Hawks turned Ernest Hemingway's self-described worst book into To Have and Have Not.Rapid-Fire on the Legends (37:43): Bookman gives quick, candid impressions of the writers and directors he's worked with — Michael Crichton, Jonathan Demme (including his own cameo in The Silence of the Lambs), Cameron Crowe, Tom Stoppard, and Paul Greengrass.Originality, AI, and What's Next (40:24): Bookman argues that algorithms can imitate stories but not replicate the human heart, and discusses his new venture producing low-budget original films.Host: Kevin GoetzGuest: Bob BookmanProducer: Kari CampanoWriters: Kevin Goetz, Darlene Hayman, and Kari CampanoAudio Engineer: Gary Forbes (DG Entertainment)For more information about Bob Bookman:IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1023283/Website: https://www.bobbookman.com/For more information about Kevin Goetz:- Website: www.KevinGoetz360.com- Audienceology Book: https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Audience-ology/Kevin-Goetz/9781982186678- How to Score in Hollywood: https://www.amazon.com/How-Score-Hollywood-Secrets-Business/dp/198218986X/- Facebook, X, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Substack: @KevinGoetz360- LinkedIn @Kevin Goetz- Screen Engine/ASI Website: www.ScreenEngineASI.com
We flip, dive and punch our way through The Furious and decide if it's really the best action movie of the decade. Plus, we also talk Frank Capra's Pocketful of Miracles, Disclosure Day, Bushido: The Cruel Code of the Samurai, The Strangers - Chapter 3, Reckless and Beef season 2. Follow the show on Twitter: @thecinemaspeak Follow the show on Instagram: cinemaspeakpodcast Subscribe on Youtube: Cinema Speak
In this episode of the show our trip through John Landis comedies of the 1980s continues with Trading Places. Over the course of our conversation you will hear us talk about this movie as less an example of the 80s-native edgy sketch comedy but rather an evocation of the spirit of classic screwball comedies in the style of Frank Capra and Howard Hawks. We talk about the chemistry between Dan Aykroyd and Eddie Murphy, Hollywood slowly waking up to a possibility that a black star could carry a movie (but still only in an ensemble or a buddy setup) and where John Landis and his edge fits in all this. Finally, we discuss the infamous blackface scene and the gorilla gag, while also wondering about how exactly trading worked in the pre-digital era. Tune in and enjoy!Hosts: Jakub Flasz & Randy BurrowsHead over to uncutgemspodcast.com to find all of our archival episodes and more!Follow us on Twitter (@UncutGemsPod), IG (@UncutGemsPod) and Facebook (@UncutGemsPod)Buy us a coffee over at Ko-Fi.com (ko-fi.com/uncutgemspod)Subscribe to our Patreon! (patreon.com/uncutgemspod
“Will young, freewheeling American boys take the iron discipline of wartime? … In my judgment the answer is Yes! ... if the answers they get are worth fighting and dying for.” This is the story of propaganda on the home front. The word “propaganda” has some messy connotations, but it's fundamentally about pushing a narrative, which can be good or evil. Leaders on all sides of the war thought about how to spur the populace to join in the war effort, and in America, it fell to entertainers and artists to really rally the nation to war. They utilized every form imaginable: films, comics, cartoons, posters, anything. Movie and comedy stars put on road shows for soldiers. Animation studios enlisted beloved cartoon figures like Donald Duck and Bugs Bunny to sell war bonds, and even invented the hilariously inept Private Snafu to teach soldiers what NOT to do. Captain America, on the other hand, was born ready to punch Hitler's lights out. We'll also cover that unassailable masterpiece, Casablanca, as well as some propaganda aimed at US soldiers from the other side: the siren known as “Tokyo Rose.” ____ Connect with us on HTDSpodcast.com and preorder Prof. Jackson's new book go deep into episode bibliographies and book recommendations join discussions in our Facebook community get news and discounts from The HTDS Gazette come see a live show get HTDS merch or become an HTDS premium member for bonus episodes and other perks. HTDS is part of Audacy media network. Interested in advertising on the History That Doesn't Suck? Contact Audacyinc.com. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices
What is AI actually good for? Curt Schacker, Co-founder of TrackVision, joins me to answer that question with a real-world example that will resonate with anyone who has ever stared down a mountain of pre-project groundwork. The conversation explores where AI genuinely delivers, what it still cannot replace, and why the hardest part of any implementation might soon get a whole lot easier.Curt's Top 3 Movies“It's a Wonderful Life” by Frank Capra: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iLR3gZrU2Xo“The Shawshank Redemption” by Frank Darabont: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PLl99DlL6b4“Notting Hill” by Roger Michell: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4RI0QvaGoiI Mister Beacon is hosted by Steve Statler, CEO of ambientChat.ai — Using AI to connect people with places and products with an app that puts you in control of YOUR data.Our sponsor is Identiv https://www.identiv.com, whose IoT solutions create digital identities for physical objects, enhancing global connectivity for businesses, people, and the planet. We are also sponsored by Blecon http://www.blecon.net. Blecon enables physical products to communicate with cloud applications using Bluetooth Low Energy. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
The terrific story of an eccentric family who take creative people into their home that are looking to escape their unfulfilling jobs. Starring James Stewart, Jean Arthur, Lionel Barrymore and Edward Arnold. Directed by Frank Capra.
Rolling along into the 40's for our Decades Month with the 1944 black comedy Arsenic and Old Lace. Directed and produced by Frank Capra, the story follows a Brooklyn writer of books on the futility of marriage who risks his reputation after he decides to tie the knot.. The film stars Cary Grant, Raymond Massey, Jack Carson, Priscilla Lane and Peter Lorre. Come join us!! Website : https://tortelliniatnoon.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tortelliniatnoonpodcast/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TortelliniAtNoon Twitter: https://twitter.com/PastaMoviePod
In the third episode of Season 12: On the Road, Kyle is joined for a one-on-one conversation with screenwriter and fellow podcaster Spro Frosty to discuss the democratic appeal and endearing charm of Frank Capra's ode to the survivalism, community, and love juxtaposed with the hardship and division of wealth that defined the Great Depression in the classic road movie It Happened One Night (1934).
Front Row Classics is celebrating the 90th anniversary of Mr. Deeds Goes to Town. Brandon and Peter Martin are discussing the highlughts and relevance of Frank Capra's fable of an ordinary man in extraordinary circumstances. The two discuss the casting of Gary Cooper and Jean Arthur and many of the remarkable character actors who populate Capra's world.
Mr. Deeds Front Row Classics is celebrating the 90th anniversary of Mr. Deeds Goes to Town. Brandon and Peter Martin are discussing the highlughts and relevance of Frank Capra’s fable of an ordinary man in extraordinary circumstances. The two discuss the casting of Gary Cooper and Jean Arthur and many of the remarkable character actors … Continue reading Ep. 429- Mr. Deeds Goes to Town →
Join me as I welcome historian and media literacy expert Dr. Vaughn Joy to discuss her book Selling Out Santa: Hollywood Christmas Films in the Age of McCarthy. The book explores the evolution of Christmas films during the post-war era, paying close attention to the years 1945-1961. Join us as we explore the significance of Christmas as a cultural lens, the impact of the HUAC investigations on Hollywood storytelling, and the contrast in career trajectories of two iconic directors Frank Capra and Walt Disney. When you are finished with this episode, be sure to pick up a copy of the book for free through open access or via my bookshop.org affiliate shop. And be sure to subscribe to Black and White and Read All Over for Dr. Joy's Review Roulette and so much more! Support the show
C'est une anecdote fascinante qui rappelle que les plus grandes stars d'Hollywood ne sont pas toujours humaines. Jimmy le Corbeau (ou Jimmy the Raven) n'était pas seulement un animal de tournage ; il était une véritable institution dans l'industrie cinématographique américaine durant l'âge d'or du cinéma.Une carrière hors norme (1934-1954)Appartenant au dresseur Curly Twiford, Jimmy a fait sa première apparition sur grand écran dans le film You Can't Take It with You (1938) de Frank Capra, bien que son entraînement ait commencé dès 1934. Capra a d'ailleurs été tellement impressionné par l'oiseau qu'il l'a fait figurer dans tous ses films ultérieurs, le considérant comme son porte-bonheur.Au total, on estime que Jimmy a "joué" dans plus de 1 000 longs métrages. Bien que beaucoup de ses rôles soient des apparitions furtives, sa présence était un gage de professionnalisme. Sa carrière s'est étendue jusqu'au milieu des années 1950, faisant de lui l'un des acteurs les plus prolifiques de l'histoire, toutes espèces confondues.Une intelligence "humaine"Ce qui distinguait Jimmy des autres corbeaux, c'était sa capacité d'apprentissage phénoménale. On rapporte que :Il comprenait environ cent mots (certaines sources avancent même plusieurs centaines).Il pouvait réaliser des tâches complexes sur commande : ouvrir des lettres, taper sur une machine à écrire, ou même allumer une cigarette.Il était capable de reconnaître les instructions selon le contexte de la scène, évitant ainsi de multiples prises.Son dresseur, Curly Twiford, affirmait que Jimmy avait le niveau intellectuel d'un enfant de 8 ans. Il était si précieux que la production l'avait assuré pour la somme astronomique, à l'époque, de 10 000 dollars.Ses rôles les plus mémorablesSi vous revoyez les classiques de cette époque, ouvrez l'œil :Le Magicien d'Oz (1939) : C'est lui que l'on voit perché sur l'Épouvantail.La Vie est belle (1946) : Il joue le rôle de l'animal de compagnie de l'oncle Billy dans la banque.Enchanted Island (1958) : Ce fut l'une de ses dernières apparitions notables.Un héritage uniquePour sa contribution à l'industrie, Jimmy a reçu une distinction rare : une médaille d'honneur de la Croix-Rouge pour son travail de divertissement auprès des soldats pendant la guerre, et ses empreintes ont même été immortalisées dans le ciment. À sa disparition, sa trace s'est perdue, mais son record reste inégalé dans les annales d'Hollywood. Hébergé par Acast. Visitez acast.com/privacy pour plus d'informations.
The last director-centric episode was back in late November / early December but we're back on the regularly monthly schedule as of now! Huge thanks to my buddies Ross & Tripp for coming on to talk about a true blue classic storyteller, and we have a lot to say! For this episode on the legendary Frank Capra we focus on a couple more obscure titles instead of the popular ones. I chose the pre-code dramedy American Madness while Ross & Tripp picked the adaptation of the hit play Arsenic and Old Lace starring Cary Grant. That's the plan of action I'm taking with this show from now on - I choose a lesser-known film worth discussing and the guest does the same (as much as I love It's A Wonderful Life of course). I'm so grateful to the hosts of A Tripp Through Comedy, one of my favorite shows for joining me on this episode that I'm sure you'll enjoy if you're a fan of Capra (or even if you're not!).Follow Tripp & Ross: A Tripp Through ComedyFollow All-Things Me Here: JimLaczkowski.net
Send us a textWe continue on with our Criterion Collection theme: this time it's spine number 1156; "Arsenic and Old Lace," a 1944 screwball comedy classic, directed by Frank Capra and starring Carey Grant, Priscilla Lane, Raymond Massey and Peter Lorre. Based on a stage play of the same name, this is the story of a dysfunctional, and mildly insane, family who literally have bodies buried in their basement.We also dive into what "screwball comedies" are exactly, how they came to be, and why they probably don't resonate much with modern audiences. There is definitely one among our party that does not care for them, and that always makes for a lively discussion.But. . . if you like the idea of murderous little old ladies, Teddy Roosevelt, and Boris Karloff lookalikes, then this may be the film for you!
"You really had a wonderful life. Don't you see what a mistake it would be to throw it away?" -CLARENCEIn this special book, Jimmy Hawkins helps us focus on the true meaning behind the classic holiday movie. It's not just the message or its many famous lines but rather the motivation behind the creation of the film and director Frank Capra's unrelenting vision for what it should be.As a boy, Jimmy played George Bailey's youngest son, Tommy. And he has spent the eight decades since living out the heart of the story and becoming arguably the world's foremost expert on the movie. Filled with unpublished facts that the author has collected about the cast and crew, this book gives a clearer understanding of what they all brought to the scripted pages.Through excerpts from the screenplay, never-before-seen photos, and a lifetime of friendship with both Frank Capra and the stars of the movie, Hawkins guides us to discover why this story still touches the spirit decades after its release. Because It's a Wonderful Life is not just George Bailey's or Frank Capra's story-it's the story of all of us, and of many generations to come.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/arroe-collins-unplugged-totally-uncut--994165/support.
Celluloid Pudding: Movies. Film. Discussions. Laughter. History. Carrying on.
2026 is here. Like many of you, Sam and I had both hoped that we could sweep up the negative detritus of the past year and heave it in the dustbin along with the torn bits of ribbon and holiday wrapping paper. In less than 30 days 2026 already feels like a future spiraling headlong and out of control. It makes one want to escape, and seek out a peaceful place where all of humanity can be welcome, but also healed.Shangri-La is such a place. Please join Sam and I for this in depth discussion of Frank Capra's masterpiece based on James Hilton's bestselling novel from 1933. Human history has a very strange way of repeating itself. Episode links:Lost Horizon DVD-Special Feature https://youtu.be/3s6p5weJrwE?si=y6EoBdrL_igBIJ7-The Road to Shangri-La https://youtu.be/Xrpo1_GQp04?si=loTJGS9OrXBm11iaShangri-La Lost Treasures of Tibet https://youtu.be/HSSU58ZrqwE?si=7MoG0jW7EpZc70BjThree Dog Night - Shambala (song) https://open.spotify.com/track/0P6fEgTn3cxLLyYTJYoYGj?si=Rou6YezLRgqGvkmT1Z3opg
The guys talk about the opening scene of the movie It's a Wonderful Life and the lesson you can learn from the movie by Frank Capra.
An uplifting and inspirational dramedy seems like a pretty good way to start 2026 on Have You Ever Seen...although emphasize the drama in that portmanteau because this one isn't big on comedy. Frank Capra made a lot of films about social justice, although this has an unfortunately still-relevant message. Gary Cooper plays the title character, a hair-trigger small-towner who goes to New York and is deemed insane for wanting to give the massive fortune he inherited to those who need it more. Cooper isn't stiff here, for once, and it's actually one of the best things he did, playing a volatile lug-nut who falls hard for liar-liar-pants-on-fire Jean Arthur. So don't go silent when the world turns on you. Just check out my 707th podcast which is, one hopes, anything but silent. Well, Actually: Mayo Methot wasn't married to Humphrey Bogart until 2 years after this movie came out. Also, Hart To Hart DID air in 1979, but the show ran most of its episodes in the early '80s. Subscribe to this show about classic movies and also rate & review it. Also, find my page on Letterboxd (RyanHYES). Contact options: Twi-X (@moviefiend51), Bluesky (ryan-ellis) and email (haveyoueverseenpodcast@gmail.com).
A timeless film about the meaning of life and finding happiness, as a group of plane crash survivors find themselves deep within the Himalayan mountains which hides the mythical valley of Shangri-La. Starring Ronald Colman and Jane Wyatt. Directed by Frank Capra.
Frank Capra's It's a Wonderful Life is one of the best-loved films of Classical Hollywood cinema, a story of despair and redemption in the aftermath of war that is one of the central movies of the 1940s, and a key text in America's understanding of itself. This is a film that remains relevant to our own anxieties and yearnings, to all the contradictions of ordinary life, while also enacting for us the quintessence of the classic Hollywood aesthetic. Nostalgia, humour, and a tough resilience weave themselves through this movie, intertwining it with the fraught cultural moment of the end of World War II that saw its birth. It offers a still compelling merging of fantasy and realism that was utterly unique when it was first released, and has rarely been matched since. Michael Newton's study of the film, It's a Wonderful Life (British Film Institute, 2023), investigates the source of its extraordinary power and its long-lasting impact. He begins by introducing the key figures in the movie's production - notably director Frank Capra and star James Stewart - and traces the making of the film, and then provides a brief synopsis of the film, considering its aesthetic processes and procedures, touching on all those things that make it such an astonishing film. Newton's careful analysis explores all those aspects of the film that are fundamental to our understanding of it, particularly the way in which the film brings tragedy and comedy together. Finally, Newton tells the story of the film's reception and afterlife, accounting for its initial relative failure and its subsequent immense popularity. Michael Newton is Lecturer in English at Leiden University, Netherlands. He is the author of Savage Girls and Wild Boys: A History of Feral Children (2002), Age of Assassins: A History of Conspiracy and Political Violence, 1865-1981 (2012), and of Kind Hearts and Coronets (2003) and Rosemary's Baby (2020) in the BFI Film Classics series. Daniel Moran earned his B.A. and M.A. in English from Rutgers University and his Ph.D. in History from Drew University. The author of Creating Flannery O'Connor: Her Critics, Her Publishers, Her Readers and articles on G. K. Chesterton and John Ford, he teaches research and writing at Rutgers and co-hosts the podcast Fifteen-Minute Film Fanatics, found here on the New Books Network and on X. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network
Frank Capra's It's a Wonderful Life is one of the best-loved films of Classical Hollywood cinema, a story of despair and redemption in the aftermath of war that is one of the central movies of the 1940s, and a key text in America's understanding of itself. This is a film that remains relevant to our own anxieties and yearnings, to all the contradictions of ordinary life, while also enacting for us the quintessence of the classic Hollywood aesthetic. Nostalgia, humour, and a tough resilience weave themselves through this movie, intertwining it with the fraught cultural moment of the end of World War II that saw its birth. It offers a still compelling merging of fantasy and realism that was utterly unique when it was first released, and has rarely been matched since. Michael Newton's study of the film, It's a Wonderful Life (British Film Institute, 2023), investigates the source of its extraordinary power and its long-lasting impact. He begins by introducing the key figures in the movie's production - notably director Frank Capra and star James Stewart - and traces the making of the film, and then provides a brief synopsis of the film, considering its aesthetic processes and procedures, touching on all those things that make it such an astonishing film. Newton's careful analysis explores all those aspects of the film that are fundamental to our understanding of it, particularly the way in which the film brings tragedy and comedy together. Finally, Newton tells the story of the film's reception and afterlife, accounting for its initial relative failure and its subsequent immense popularity. Michael Newton is Lecturer in English at Leiden University, Netherlands. He is the author of Savage Girls and Wild Boys: A History of Feral Children (2002), Age of Assassins: A History of Conspiracy and Political Violence, 1865-1981 (2012), and of Kind Hearts and Coronets (2003) and Rosemary's Baby (2020) in the BFI Film Classics series. Daniel Moran earned his B.A. and M.A. in English from Rutgers University and his Ph.D. in History from Drew University. The author of Creating Flannery O'Connor: Her Critics, Her Publishers, Her Readers and articles on G. K. Chesterton and John Ford, he teaches research and writing at Rutgers and co-hosts the podcast Fifteen-Minute Film Fanatics, found here on the New Books Network and on X. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/performing-arts
If George and Mary Bailey are annual guests at your home every winter, you already know that It's a Wonderful Life is more than just a holiday tradition--it's a powerful reminder that our lives can change everyone around us, for better or worse. But what can this Christmas classic teach us about our everyday lives? Bob Welch invites us to revisit the defining lessons in Frank Capra's 1946 classic and discover new dimensions of the film you've seen time and again.Become a Parshall Partner: http://moodyradio.org/donateto/inthemarket/partnersSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
We wrap up our series of classic holiday films with It's a Wonderful Life - the timeless tale from Frank Capra that proves no man is a failure who has friends. We'll hear three of its stars - Jimmy Stewart, Sheldon Leonard, and Thomas Mitchell - in Suspense thrillers, an old time radio recreation of the movie, and a bonus spoof courtesy of The Jack Benny Program. Thomas Mitchell is a tycoon with more than business on his mind in "Case History on Edgar Lowndes" (originally aired on CBS on June 8, 1944). Sheldon Leonard is a professional killer in "Feast of the Furies" (originally aired on CBS on July 11, 1946). And Jimmy Stewart is a man who finds the chance to escape his humdrum life in "Consequence" (originally aired on CBS on May 19, 1949). Then, Stewart and co-star Donna Reed reunite in a Lux Radio Theatre presentation of the film (originally aired on CBS on March 10, 1947). And finally, Jack Benny learns what the world would be like if he'd never been born - with a guest appearance from director Frank Capra (originally aired on NBC on February 2, 1947).
Today's episode in our season of live recordings from the Regent Street Cinema looks at the biopic of a revolutionary: Margaretha von Trotta's Rosa Luxemburg (1986), which explores the deeply unstable relationship between the personal and the political. David talks to writer and philosopher Lea Ypi (Free, Indignity) about where biography ends and philosophy begins and whether revolutionary politics requires the leading of a revolutionary life. What was Rosa Luxemburg's true cause? Who or what betrayed her and her ideas? And how does her legacy live on? Out now on PPF+: a bonus episode to accompany this series in which David and film historian Harrison Whitaker discuss the greatest Christmas film of ideas: Frank Capra's It's A Wonderful Life, which is much more than just a seasonal tearjerker. To get this and all our bonus episodes plus ad-free listening sign up to PPF+ https://www.ppfideas.com/join-ppf-plus Next time: Wittgenstein w/Nikhil Krishnan Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
From the publisher: Christmas is not just a day or a frame of mind as Kris Kringle (Edmund Gwenn) imparts in Miracle on 34th Street (1947); Christmas is also a vehicle for national mythmaking as an idealising mirror for American cultural and political attitudes of a given moment. Via a case study on Hollywood Christmas films released between 1946 and 1961, Selling Out Santa offers an examination of political pressures on Hollywood in the post-war period and the cultural ramifications of federal involvement in the motion picture industry. As the House Committee on Un-American Activities opened hearings in 1947 and the FBI gathered reports on potential communist subversion in Frank Capra's Christmas classic It's a Wonderful Life (1946), Hollywood executives began to bend to the socially conservative pressures of this post-war moment. Using Christmas films as the core of this investigation to identify and analyse changes within the genre as they relate to and reflect changes in the wider cultural and political moment exposes for film scholars, students, and non-specialists how these federal and external pressures on Hollywood moulded these holiday favourites throughout the 1950s and set the social standard for decades of Christmas releases.Vaughn Joy is on social media at https://bsky.app/profile/gvaughnjoy.bsky.socialInformation on her book can be found at https://indiepubs.com/products/selling-out-santa?srsltid=AfmBOopjXbRVgGjiwj4_WnZgoxzgP_DnDpf-4pdhv3STCYk0t-pSrcZqShe is on Substack at https://substack.com/@gvaughnjoyAxelbankHistory.com is designed by https://www.ellieclairedesigns.com/Axelbank Reports History and Today" can be found on social media at https://twitter.com/axelbankhistoryhttps://instagram.com/axelbankhistoryhttps://facebook.com/axelbankhistory
“FUN FACTS ABOUT CLASSIC HOLIDAY MOVIES” - 12/22/2025 (119) We all know the iconic Holiday movies like “A Christmas Carol,” “It's A Wonderful Life,” “White Christmas.” This week, Nan and Steve go behind the scenes of some of your favorite classic holiday movies and dig up some fun facts about these films that you may or may not know. We talk about the snow, the casting, the locations, and a lot more! Join in the fun as they conjure up holiday cheer with these great films. SHOW NOTES: Sources: Christmas in The Movies (2023), by Jeremy Arnold; Christmas In Classic Films (2022), by Jacqueline T. Lynch; The Many Cinemas of Michael Curtiz (2018), edited by R. Barfton Palmer & Murray Pomerance; Have Yourself a Movie Little Christmas (2010), by Alonso Duaralde; Ginger: My Story (2008), by Ginger Rogers; Christmas At The Movies: Images of Christmas in American, British, and European Cinema (2000), edited by Mark Connelly; It's Christmas Time At The Movies (1998), by Gary J & Susan Svehla; AMC American Movie Classics: Greatest Christmas Movies (1998), by Frank Thompson; The ‘It's A Wonderful Life' Book (1986), by Jeanine Basinger; Great Movie Directors (1986), by Ted Sennett; The Films of Frank Capra (1977), by Victor Scherle & Wiliam Turner Levy; "35 Surprising ‘White Christmas' Movie Facts About the Cast, Songs & More,” October 31, 2024, Good Housekeeping; “A Short History of Fake Snow In Holiday Movies: From ‘It's A Wonderful Life' to Harry Potter,” December 15, 2021, LAist.com; “The Song That Changed Christmas,”October 5, 2016, by Will Friedwald, Wall Street Journal; “It's A Wonderful Life: Rare Photos From the Set of a Holiday Classic,” November 26, 2013, by Ben Cosgrove, Time magazine; “On A Wing and a Prayer,” December 23, 2006, by Stephen Cox, LA Times; “Whose Life Was It, Anyway?” December 15, 1996, by Steven Smith, LA Times; “White Christmas: Rosemary Clooney Remembers Everyone's Favorite Christmas Musical,” December 1994, by Frank Thompson, Pulse! Magazine; “Less Than Wonderful: James Walcott Reassesses Capra's Christmas Classic,” December 1986, Vanity Fair; “Capra's Christmas Classic: Yes, Virginia, It's A Wonderful Life,” December 1986, by Trea Hoving, Connoisseur; “All I Want For Christmas is a VCR,” December 24, 1985, L.A. Herald-Examiner; “Bing, Astaire Bow Out, Par Recasting ‘Xmas',”January 7, 1953, Variety; “Bing Bobs Back into ‘Christmas' Cast at Par,” January 22, 1953, Variety, “White Christmas: From Pop Tune to Picture,” October 18, 1953, by Thomas Wood, New York Times; “Around the Sets,” August 13, 1944, L.A. Examiner; TCM.com; IMDBPro.com; Movies Mentioned: A Christmas Carol (1938), starring Reginald Owen, Gene Lockhart, Kathleen Lockhart, Leo G. Carroll, June Lockhart, Terry Kilburn, Barry McKay, and Lynne Carver; Christmas In Connecticut (1945), starring Barbara Stanwyck, Dennis Morgan, Sydney Greenstreet, S.Z. Sakall, Reginald Gardiner, Robert Shayne, and Una O'Connor; It's A Wonderful Life (1947), starring Jimmy Stewart, Donna Reed, Lionel Barrymore, Henry Travers, Thomas Mitchell, Beulah Bondi, Gloria Grahame, Frank Faylen, Ward Bond, H.B. Warner, Frank Albertson, Samuel S, Hind, Mary Treen, Todd Karnes, Virginia Patton, Sarah Edwards, Sheldon Leonard, and Lillian Randolph; White Christmas (1954), starring Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye, Rosemary Clooney, Vera-Ellen, Dean Jagger, Anne Whitfield, and Mary Wickes; --------------------------------- http://www.airwavemedia.com Please contact sales@advertisecast.com if you would like to advertise on our podcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The second episode in our live series from the Regent Street Cinema explores Louis Malle's My Dinner with Andre (1981), in which two men discuss the meaning of theatre, capitalism, love, science, faith and freedom over a meal. David talks to playwright and screenwriter Lee Hall (Billy Elliot, Rocketman) about how a great film can be made out of a single conversation. Who was the real Andre? How scripted was the dialogue? Who won the argument? And why has this film had such an extraordinary afterlife? Out tomorrow on PPF+: a bonus episode to accompany this series in which David and film historian Harrison Whitaker discuss the greatest Christmas film of ideas: Frank Capra's It's A Wonderful Life, which is much more than just a seasonal tearjerker. To get this and all our bonus episodes plus ad-free listening sign up to PPF+ now https://www.ppfideas.com/join-ppf-plus If you are looking for last minute Christmas presents we have 6- and 12-month gift subscriptions to PPF+ giving access to all our bonus episodes, ad-free listening and automatic sign-up to our fortnightly newsletter – which can be delivered to the recipient of your choice on Christmas Day! https://ppf.supportingcast.fm/gifts Next time: Rosa Luxemburg w/Lea Ypi Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Happy holidays! Dion & Blake are back and celebrating the season with an in-depth discussion of one of Hollywood's greatest Christmas tales, 1946's It's a Wonderful Life — directed by Frank Capra and starring an amazing cast, including Jimmy Stewart and Donna Reed.The boys examine the making of this extraordinary holiday classic, as well as ponder its lessons and meaning, discuss the brilliance of Jimmy Stewart, and much, much more!
Bedford Falls is calling. John, Luke, Westy, and Matt take on Frank Capra's beloved Christmas classic, exploring how a box office disappointment became one of the most watched films in history. We dig into Jimmy Stewart's post-war comeback, Donna Reed's scene-stealing brilliance (and beauty), and why the FBI thought this film was Communist propaganda (yep, really). Plus: the innovative snow that changed Hollywood forever, whether George Bailey's breakdown is cinema's greatest acting moment, and a lot more. Expect laughs, opinions, and at least one host getting suspiciously emotional about an angel earning his wings.Connect with ATRM: To join our fantastic community of film fans, support what we do, access our archive, listen to exclusive episodes, and a whole lot more, become an ATRM patron:Join the ATRM Community We're available on any podcast platform:Listen on Apple PodcastsListen on SpotifyYouTube: Subscribe to our channelWe're across all major social channels too:Twitter: @ATRightMoviesInstagram: @allthe_rightmovies Facebook: Join our movie groupBluesky: @alltherightmovies.comTikTok: @alltherightmoviesWebsite: alltherightmovies.com
I spoke with Dr. Vaughn Joy, author of a recent book on Christmas movies and politics. We spoke about Frank Capra, his celebration of America through film, and his ostracization as an alleged Communist, despite that. Selling Out Santa: Hollywood Christmas Films in the Age of McCarthy Music is by Evan Schaeffer.
Doug has had some really weird dreams about Alice lately. Read that however you'd like, but you don't know the half of it until you listen to this episode.Plus, celebrate the 100th birthday of living legend song and dance man, Dick Van Dyke!And are Alice and Doug going to get a pet tamarin...?Other discussion topics include:- The 1940s weren't ready for homo sapiens- Hot take: Is it possible method actors aren't that great at acting?- Toy cigarettes- Where is Owen Wilson's Mighty Ducks movie?- The best/worst Frank Capra impression, possibly ever.
This week is the return of one of our most popular themes from 2024, Christmas or Not? Bella and Nick debate about some of the historically contested films - are these Christmas movies or ain't they? You can help us decide!We start with one of the most quintessential films in the Christmas-or-not debate. It is also one of the most quintessential films in American history. Jimmy Stewart stars in Frank Capra's It's A Wonderful Life. Second, Chris Columbus and Joe Dante team up for a brilliant blend of horror, comedy, and the holiday season in the cult-classic Gremlins. Finally, two comedic legends, Eddie Murphy and Dan Aykroyd, team up in the wildly popular film, Trading Places. Our friend Ryan Lacen also stops by for a new segment, the One-Minute Movie Rebuttal, to defend his beloved Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang. ❗️SEND US A TEXT MESSAGE ❗️Support the showSign up for our Patreon for exclusive Bonus Content.Follow the podcast on Instagram @gimmethreepodcastYou can keep up with Bella on Instagram @portraitofacinephile or Letterboxd You can keep up with Nick: on Instagram @nicholasybarra, on Twitter (X) @nicholaspybarra, or on LetterboxdShout out to contributor and producer Sonja Mereu. A special thanks to Anselm Kennedy for creating Gimme Three's theme music. And another special thanks to Zoe Baumann for creating our exceptional cover art.
Dan and Brian discuss four adaptations of Charles Dickens' famed holiday novella for a sixth consecutive holiday season. This year, they each share their feedback on two different entries randomly selected from a giant list. Join as they consider the perils of low-budget cinema tackling high-budget material, British humor, and the compatibility of western tropes with Scrooge. Then, they look inward and combat some holiday malaise by discussing a film in a similar spirit to Dickens but from an entirely different angle, the Frank Capra classic It's a Wonderful Life. They discuss the film's deliberate pacing, its complicated politics, the soapy fake snow, and what it all means, both in and out of cinema. Dan's movie reviews: http://thegoodsreviews.com/ Subscribe, join the Discord, and find us on Letterboxd: http://thegoodsfilmpodcast.com/
Christmas movies are a genre unto themselves. And Classic Hollywood Christmas movies are a special part of that genre. Holiday movies made in Hollywood's heyday of the 1930's-1940's. Secret Movie Club founder.programmer Craig Hammill takes a look at five favorites-Frank Capra's 1946 It's A Wonderful Life, Ernst Lubitsch's 1940 The Shop Around the Corner, Preston Struges' 1944 The Miracle of Morgan's Creek, Vincente Minnelli's 1944 Meet Me In St. Louis, and W.S.Van Dyke's 1934 The Thin Man. Interestingly, all these classic use dark subject matter-contemplated suicide, financial stress, murder, small town scandal-to contrast and thus emphasize Christmas themes of redemption, family, second chances. We also take a look at two modern classics-Spielberg's Catch Me If You Can and Terry Zwigoff's Bad Santa and how they share much the same DNA as their classic Hollywood counterparts.
Dr. Vaughn Joy's new book, Selling Out Santa, explores the role Christmas movies played in shaping American culture (and vice-versa) during the Cold War. Via a case study on Hollywood Christmas films released between 1946 and 1961, Selling Out Santa offers an examination of political pressures on Hollywood in the post-war period and the cultural ramifications of federal involvement in the motion picture industry. As the House Committee on Un-American Activities opened hearings in 1947 and the FBI gathered reports on potential communist subversion in Frank Capra's Christmas classic It's a Wonderful Life (1946), Hollywood executives began to bend to the socially conservative pressures of this post-war moment. In this episode, Kelly and John talk to Vaughn about the genesis of her book and the ways in which Christmas movies have evolved into the Hallmark rom-coms we have all come to know and love-or-hate today. You can find Vaughn on Bluesky @gvaughnjoy
GGACP celebrates the 2025 holiday season with this ENCORE of a mini-show from 2017 as Gilbert and Frank (with an assist from Raybone) explore some lesser-known (and deservedly so, in some cases) Christmas flicks, including “Susan Slept Here,” “Pocketful of Miracles,” “A Carol for Another Christmas,” “Santa Claus vs. the Devil” and “The Christmas That Almost Wasn't.” Also in this episode: The cinema of Sonny Fox! Grizzly Adams to the rescue! Gilbert dons a Santa suit! Frank Capra cries plagiarism! And the squirrel that saved Christmas! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Dr. Eric Smoodin, film historian at the University of California- Davis and author of Regarding Frank Capra: Audience, Celebrity and American Film Studies, 1930-1960, joins Bob and Ben for the history of the people, the industry, and law that made Frank Capra's 1946 film It's A Wonderful Life into one of America's quintessential Christmas films. This episode originally aired as #292 on December 16, 2024. This rebroadcast was edited by Ben Sawyer.
Welcome back to The Sisterhood of S.W.E.A.T., where we empower women to step into strength, resilience, and purpose — body, mind, and spirit. Today, we're celebrating one of the most beloved holiday films of all time with someone who lived it from the inside out. Jimmy Hawkins — who played Tommy Bailey, the youngest son of George and Mary Bailey — joins us to share the heart, history, humor, and humanity behind It's a Wonderful Life. Now, nearly 80 years after its release, Jimmy has gathered decades of interviews, rare photos, cast and crew insights, and untold behind-the-scenes stories in his brand-new book, The Heart of It's a Wonderful Life, releasing September 23rd. Jimmy opens up about what Frank Capra poured into the film, how Jimmy Stewart used the emotional scars of World War II to shape his performance, and why the message — one life touches so many others — is more important now than ever. Whether you've watched the film a hundred times or you're seeing it for the first time this season, this conversation will remind you that you matter, your life has meaning, and you make a difference. Key Themes The universal message that every life has value Why viewers in today's world need that reminder more than ever How the film teaches us that ordinary acts have extraordinary impact Jimmy's story about showing the film in Attica Prison Inmates recognizing themselves in George Bailey's journey How the movie inspires personal change in unexpected places Capra refused the studio system so he could make the film his way Why the movie originally failed — and how TV saved it in 1974 The idea that "God had a plan" for when the world would discover the film How his experience in WWII shaped the raw intensity of George Bailey Why Stewart said he could not perform certain scenes twice Capra's sensitive direction and deep understanding of trauma How being part of the cast shaped his purpose The journey behind writing his new book Why the story continues to guide him personally and professionally "One Life Makes a Difference" — The Core Message The film teaches us: You matter. Your life has purpose. You are impacting others in ways you may never know. Questions Asked What has kept the message of "It's a Wonderful Life" so relevant for nearly 80 years? Why does the film resonate so deeply with generation after generation? What inspired your new book, and what did you want readers to experience? How did Frank Capra's independent vision shape the final film? What mattered most to Frank Capra in creating this story? Can you share more about Jimmy Stewart's emotional preparation and depth? How has being part of this film shaped your life? Why do you think the movie failed at release but exploded decades later? Quotes: "The movie never changed — the people changed. They need that message now more than ever." — Jimmy Hawkins "George Bailey didn't think he did anything for anyone. And look what he did." "You were born to do something in this life. Maybe you haven't done it yet — but you will." "Frank Capra didn't believe in the committee way of making movies. He wanted to make his film his way." "God had a plan. The pieces weren't there in 1946 — but they were in 1974." "This movie tells everybody: you're important. Go get your dream." "We don't think we're making a difference. But we are. What you do does matter." — Linda Mitchell Jimmy Hawkins & Book Links Book — The Heart of It's a Wonderful Life by Jimmy Hawkins — available for preorder/release: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1400255104 Book (audiobook / digital) on Google Play Books / Audiobooks — https://play.google.com/store/audiobooks/details/AQAAAEAqmWHZWM Information & Announcement about the Book Release (2025) — https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250729801695/en/Its-a-Wonderful-Life-Actor-Jimmy-Hawkins-to-Release-His-New-Book Where to Stream "It's a Wonderful Life" As of now, "It's a Wonderful Life" is available on: Amazon Prime Video — stream or rent the film Xumo Play, Plex, Hoopla, and other free-with-ads platforms — depending on your region.
Join us for a rebroadcast of Christmas In America 1946. Travel back to 1946 when Harry Truman was President, the most deadly War the world had ever witnessed was finally over, and when Frank Capra pitched his friend Jimmy Stewart on a new movie titled, It's A Wonderful Life. You won't want to miss this radio variety program, with our musical guests Ernie Haase and Signature Sound, Rodeo and Juliet, Jeff Taylor, The Alternators and more. Gather up your family and friends and enjoy this unique Christmas celebration together as we look for the Manger in 1946. Topic: Christmas in America The Public Square® Long Format with hosts Wayne Shepherd and Dave Zanotti. thepublicsquare.com Release Date: Friday, December 5th 2025
In 1946, director Frank Capra brought to the big screen the tale of George Bailey of Bedford Falls, in an inversion of the Charles Dickens classic A Christmas Carol. Instead of teaching a miserly villain the error of his ways by showing him his life's low points, Capra revealed that a good man's good deeds prove one man's life has worth beyond measure. Starring Jimmy Stewart, Donna Reed, Lionel Barrymore, and Henry Travers as the angel Clarence Oddbody, this film initially received mixed reviews and was unsuccessful at the box office, despite the fact that it was nominated for five Academy Awards, including Best Picture. Without significant interest, the film's copyright in the U.S. expired in 1974 and it entered the public domain, allowing it to be broadcast without licensing or royalty fees. Broadcast at almost no cost by local television stations, the film grew to become an annual Christmas classic. Turning 80 next year, it is now regarded as one of the greatest movies ever made, but will inconsistent streaming options and copyright issues make us wish this movie had never been filmed? Now we're getting the holiday spirit in the hopes of proving that It's a Wonderful Life after all! For more geeky podcasts visit GonnaGeek.com You can find us on iTunes under ''Legends Podcast''. Please subscribe and give us a positive review. You can also follow us on Twitter @LegendsPodcast or even better, send us an e-mail: LegendsPodcastS@gmail.com You can write to Rum Daddy directly: rumdaddylegends@gmail.com You can find all our contact information here on the Network page of GonnaGeek.com Our complete archive is always available at www.legendspodcast.com, www.legendspodcast.libsyn.com Show Music:Danger Storm by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Couch Potato Theater: THE SURE THING (1985) Watch: Fandom Podcast Network YouTube Channel Link: https://www.youtube.com/@FandomPodcastNetwork Listen: Couch Potato Theater Audio Podcast Link: https://fpnet.podbean.com/category/couch-potato-theater Welcome to Couch Potato Theater, where we celebrate our favorite movies on the Fandom Podcast Network! On this episode we celebrate the 40th Anniversary of the cult classic and very underrated teen 80's rom com, THE SURE THING (1985). Plot: College freshman Walter (Gib) Gibson decides to go cross country to visit his friend in California during winter break. Awaiting there is a bikini-clad babe whom his friend assures him is a "sure thing". Meanwhile, Allison, a cute (but somewhat retentive) girl at Gib's college has also decided to head out to Cal. to see her boyfriend during break. Gib and Allison are thrust together on a road trip from hell, and somewhere along the way, they find each others company to be tolerable. Now, what will become of Gib's "sure thing?" The Sure Thing is a 1985 American romantic comedy Christmas road film directed by Rob Reiner and starring John Cusack, Daphne Zuniga, Viveca Lindfors, and Nicollette Sheridan. The film chronicles the cross-country journey of college students Walter Gibson (Cusack) and Alison Bradbury (Zuniga) as they make their way from New England to Los Angeles over Christmas break, each in an effort to meet their ideal romantic match. Released theatrically in the spring of 1985, The Sure Thing received mostly favorable reviews from film critics, who commended it for its traditional comedic structure, with some likening it to a modern version of Frank Capra's It Happened One Night (1934), though Reiner himself stated that the parallels between the two films were unintentional. Fandom Podcast Network Contact Information - - Fandom Podcast Network YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/FandomPodcastNetwork - Master feed for all FPNet Audio Podcasts: http://fpnet.podbean.com/ - Couch Potato Theater Audio Podcast Master Feed: https://fpnet.podbean.com/category/couch-potato-theater - Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Fandompodcastnetwork - Email: fandompodcastnetwork@gmail.com - Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fandompodcastnetwork/ - X: @fanpodnetwork / https://twitter.com/fanpodnetwork -Bluesky: @fanpodnetwork / https://bsky.app/profile/fanpodnetwork.bsky.social Host & Guest Contact Info: - Kevin Reitzel on X, Instagram, Threads, Discord & Letterboxd: @spartan_phoenix / Bluesky: @spartanphoenix Guests: - Erin Reitzel Gill on Instagram: @eringill666 - Jennifer Waalk on Instagram, Threads & Bluesky: @ChefStomp91 - Lacee Aderhold on Discord & Letterboxd: @Laceepants #CouchPotatoTheater #CPT #FandomPodcastNetwork #FPNet #FPN #TheSureThing #TheSureThing1985 #TheSureThingMovie #RobReiner #JohnCusack #DaphneZuniga #NicolletteSheridan #VivecaLindfors #TimRobbins #RomCom #TeenRomCom #1985Movies #ItHappenedOneNight #ItHappenedOneNightMovie #ItHappenedOneNight1934 #KevinReitzel #ErinReitzelGill #ErinGill #LaceeAderhold #JenniferWaalk
Hans is joined by Scott Jennings, AKA, the “Black Sheep of CNN,” to discuss his new book, “A Revolution of Common Sense – How Donald Trump Stormed Washington and Fought for Western Civilization.” The movie review is of a classic film about politics in the nation's capital, “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington,” Frank Capra's 1939 picture starring Jimmy Stewart and Jean Arthur.
The National Security Hour with Blanquita Cullum – Bad guys have become a trend. Some of the heroes in popular classics like director Frank Capra's Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, Meet John Doe, or It's a Wonderful Life were seen as corny. Yet, during the holiday, they are still fan favorites. Yet, guys like alleged killer Luigi Mangione have a bigger fan base than most Hollywood actors...
Guest is Robert Alt, president and CEO of the Buckeye Institute, Ohio's premier think tank, discussing Buckeye's lawsuit against the IRS and the dangers posed to the privacy of the public by IRS regulations and mishandling of taxpayer information. He also discusses his experience as a mountain climber and his recent ascent of Mt. Everest in the Himalayas. Classic movie review of “Lost Horizon,” the 1937 Frank Capra film about a hidden city in the Himalayas.