Podcast appearances and mentions of irving thalberg

Back in Hollywood's Golden Age, two men with vastly different backgrounds came together to shape the future of film. Louis B. Mayer, a shrewd businessman and Irving Thalberg, a visionary producer, formed a partnership that defined MGM and set the standard for the modern studio system. In this episode, famed film critic Kenneth Turan explores their unlikely partnership, their imperial rise, and their eventual fall. 

This week, Air Mail Co-Editor Alessandra Stanley explains how Trump has replaced D.E.I. with his own brand of affirmative action. Something you might call L.O.O.—loyalty, obsequiousness, and obedience. Then, everyone knows Annie Hall as one of the great movies of the past 50 years. But Alex Belth reveals how Woody Allen's 1977 love story was considered a total fiasco when he first edited it and how the director and his team reconceived the movie in the cutting room. And finally, as the founders of MGM, Louis B. Mayer and Irving Thalberg were among the most consequential figures in the history of Hollywood, and Sam Wasson joins us from L.A. to discuss their role in creating movies as we know them today. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Louis B. Mayer (1884–1957) and Irving Thalberg (1899–1936) were unlikely partners in one of the most significant collaborations in movie history.Join us with film critic Kenneth Turan, author of the new biography Louis B. Mayer and Irving Thalberg: The Whole Equation, as we explore their extraordinary partnership and role in creating the film industry as we know it.

Feature: New book ‘Louis B. Mayer and Irving Thalberg: The Whole Equation’ tells the story of two MGM visionaries Moviegoers nowadays might not know much of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios’ history outside of its iconic mascot, a lion who introduced each film with it’s iconic roar. It was an introduction that was meant to prepare viewers for not just a film, but a spectacle. A new book by retired film critic Kenneth Turan shares the studio’s rich history of spectacle through the work of co-founder Louis B. Mayer, and Irving Thalberg, who served as its head of production following MGM’s inception. For this week’s FilmWeek feature, we’ll speak to former film critic Kenneth Turan, about his forthcoming book Louis B. Mayer and Irving Thalberg: The Whole Equation, and give listeners a glimpse as to how they contributed to Hollywood. “Louis B. Mayer and Irving Thalberg: The Whole Equation” is available for pre-order, and releases February 4th; click here to learn more.

  Today on another brand new episode of the Rarified Heir Podcast, we give you part one of our conversation with Suzanne Lloyd, the granddaughter of silent film comedy star & Christmas tree obsessive, Harold Lloyd. Now, if the name (or the image) of Harold Lloyd doesn't immediately ring a bell like Buster Keaton or Charlie Chaplin, this is one of the reasons we do this podcast, to make sure the legacy of legendary (or sometimes just working actors) are not forgotten. And after you hear Suzanne's lengthy and almost encyclopedic remembrances of the man who raised her and why his name isn't always mentioned as one of the three silent film comedians, you will understand it after listening to part one and next week's part two. There is a reason. One we know all too well ourselves with the Ernie Kovacs estate. On today's episode, we discuss the silent era of film and names like Hal Roach, Colleen Moore, Mary Pickford, Daryl Zanuck, Irving Thalberg, Snub Pollard and more are bandied about like so many of Suzanne's colorful stories about Harold Lloyd. We also hearabout Suzanne's grandmother, actress Mildred Davis who was a pretty huge silent film star in her own right. It's a whirlwind of information that fans of silent films won't get enough of and fans who love old Hollywood but maybe don't know the silent era well will want to learn more about. Suzanne was a marvelous guest – someone who knows dates, places, studios, names and more like these things happened just yesterday. It's clear that because she now controlls the Harold Lloyd Estate and his production company that she learned all this while also genuinely loving her grandfather who raised her like a daughter. It's terrific stuff. So now podcast listeners, we bring you the story of Speedy aka Harold Lloyd on this episode of the Rarified Heir Podcast. Take a listen.

From noir and the western to the utopian world of screwball, where love is anything but love, and Hollywood reached its fairytale peak. Part 2 of my conversation with the film historian/critic/novelist David Thomson is all about being raised by movies, the importance (and occasional hazards) of insanity, and secrets of the moon.   The full, intimate episode is available only to subscribers. Become one now at patreon.com/filthyarmenian to follow the full, twisted adventure, with access to twice as many episodes.   Story Board: George Bailey, James Stewart, perfect fathers, divorce, Julia Roberts, James Dean, Rock Hudson, Noel Coward, David Lean, Joan Didion's last act, Virginia Woolf, a writer's judgment, the loss of the great editor, Bob Gottlieb, Dino DeLaurentis, David Lynch, Blue Velvet, Irving Thalberg, Harvey Weinstein, book industry, Little Shop Around the Corner, Preston Sturges, the big secret, directorial power, Freeway, Spike Lee, Chick Hearn, Pat Riley   David Thomson is the author most recently of the enchanting fiction trilogy SUSPECTS, SILVER LIGHT, and CONNECTICUT.    Follow us on twitter/instagram @filthyarmenian

We dive into the extraordinary life and career of Norma Shearer, a trailblazing actress whose name became synonymous with Hollywood glamour and resilience. From her humble beginnings to her reign as the "First Lady of MGM," Shearer's journey is an inspiring tale of determination, talent, and breaking barriers. Join us on this mesmerizing journey through the life of Norma Shearer—a woman who defied expectations, shattered glass ceilings, and left an enduring legacy in the annals of Hollywood. Her captivating story serves as an inspiration for all those who dare to dream and strive for greatness in the face of adversity.

The definitive and “utterly absorbing” biography of America's first news media baron based on newly released private and business documents (Vanity Fair). In The Chief, David Nasaw presents an intimate portrait of William Randolph Hearst, famously characterized in the classic film Citizen Kane, and whose influence was nearly as great as many world leaders. A brilliant business strategist, Hearst controlled the largest publishing empire in the United States, including twenty-eight newspapers, the Cosmopolitan Picture Studio, radio stations, and thirteen magazines. He quickly learned how to use this media stronghold to achieve unprecedented political power. The son of a gold miner, Hearst underwent a public metamorphosis from Harvard dropout to political kingmaker; from outspoken populist to opponent of the New Deal; and from citizen to congressman.? With unprecedented access to Hearst's personal and business papers, Nasaw details Heart's relationship with his wife Millicent and his romance with Marion Davies; his interactions with Hitler, Mussolini, Churchill, and every American president from Grover Cleveland to Franklin Roosevelt; and his acquaintance with movie giants such as Louis B. Mayer, Jack Warner, and Irving Thalberg. An “absorbing, sympathetic portrait of an American original,” The Chief sheds light on the private life of a very public man (Chicago Tribune).

In late 1931 F. Scott Fitzgerald traveled to Hollywood for a second attempt to crack the lucrative movie market. While there he attended a party at the home of MGM studio chieftain Irving Thalberg and his wife, Norma Shearer, at which he performed a bit of drunken doggerel and embarrassed himself. Never one not to avail himself of autobiographical material, he quickly shaped a story about an emotional triangle between a "hack" screenwriter (Joel Coles) and a charismatic director (Miles Calman) and his actress/Pygmalion figure/wife (Stella). Because it addressed the theme of adultery frankly, the Saturday Evening Post rejected "Crazy Sunday," as did the somewhat racier Cosmopolitan, fearing the wrath of publisher William Randolph Hearst (who had his own "interest" in Hollywood, of course). Instead, the story appeared in H. L. Mencken's influential journal American Mercury, where it become the second of only two Fitzgerald stories to appear there. In this episode we explore the Hollywood background, connect "Crazy Sunday" to Fitzgerald's eventual attempt at a Hollywood novel (The Last Tycoon), note the prominence of psychoanalysis in the plot, and even speculate what Fitzgerald's disastrous lyrics to "Dog"---the poem he performed at that fateful party---might have sounded like with a little musical accompaniment. (Of course, it would have sounded craz-eee!).   

In the Season Premiere of Season 6 (Heists, Cons, & Grifters) Kyle is joined by script supervisor Katy Baldwin and fellow podcaster Ben Thelen (of the Dead Reckoner Podcast) to discuss the machiavellian undercurrents of Erich von Stroheim's elaborate and opulent con artist study in the silent film Foolish Wives (1922).

On The Writers' Hangout, we talk with Victoria Lucas, an independent producer who has developed scripts for projects starring Antonio Banderas, Scarlett Johansson, Wesley Snipes, and Hilary Swank. Among her favorite projects is the highly acclaimed coming-of-age film, The Island on Bird Street, awarded the Silver Bear at the Berlin International Film Festival. Victoria is also a Judge for the PAGE Awards contest, and her family has worked in Hollywood since the very earliest days of the film industry. We're going to talk with her about her legendary grandmother Bess Meredyth, a screenwriter, actress, and founding member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences. 

This episode was written using the following references:Balio, T. (2012). Selling Stars: The Economic Imperative. In Neale, S. (ed.), The classical Hollywood reader (pp. 209-225). London: Routledge.Barrios, R. (1995). A song in the dark : the birth of the musical film. New York;: Oxford University Press.Bradley, E. (1996). The first Hollywood musicals : a critical filmography of 171 features, 1927 through 1932. Jefferson, N.C. : McFarland & Co.CBS. (1959, October 25). The Movies Learn to Talk. The Twentieth Century.Florio, A. & LaVine, W. R. (1980). In a Glamorous Fashion: The Fabulous Years of Hollywood Costume Design. New York: Scribner's Sons.Grant, B. (2012). The Hollywood film musical. Oxford: Wiley-Blackwell.Herzog, C. C. & Gaines, J. M. Balio, T. (1991). ‘Puffed Sleeves Before Tea-time': Joan Crawford, Adrian and women audiences. In Gledhill, C. (ed.) Stardom: Industry of desire (pp. 74-91). London: Routledge."Irving Thalberg." (2020) In Immigrant Entrepreneurship, Retrieved April 10, 2020, from Immigrant Entrepreneurship: http://www.immigrantentrepreneurship.org/entry.php?rec=58Kenrick, J. (2010). Musical theatre : a history. New York, N.Y. ;: Continuum.Kislan, R. (1995). The musical : a look at the American musical theater. New York, NY ;: Applause.McLean, A. L. (2010). Flirting with Terpsichore: Dance, Class and Entertainment in 1930s Film Musicals. In Cohan, S. (ed.) The sound of musicals. London: A BFI book published by Palgrave Macmillan.Rubin, M. (2002). Busby Berkeley and the Backstage Musical. In Cohan, S. (ed.), Hollywood musicals, the film reader (pp. 53-61). London: Routledge.Thomas, Bob. (1984). Thalberg: Life and Legend. Garland.Vieira, M. (2010). Irving Thalberg: Boy Wonder to Producer Prince. University of California Press.To see more examples of Irving Thalber's work at MGM, watch:Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ (1925) dirs. Fred Niblo and B. Reeves EastonThe Divorcee (1930) dir. Robert Z. LeonardThe Barretts of Wimpole Street (1934) dir. Sidney FranklinChina Seas (1935) dir. Tay GarnettThe Good Earth (1937) dir. Sidney Franklin

This month, we delve into the archives for a previously recorded but unreleased episode where the original OLFC gang discuss those Best Picture winners that also have an adapted screenplay. Edmund Goulding's Grand Hotel is based on Vicki Baum's 1929 novel of the same name. The star-studded ensemble includes Greta Garbo, John and Lionel Barrymore, Wallace Beery and a very young Joan Crawford. Produced by Irving Thalberg, this MGM extravaganza is the only Best Picture winner not to be nominated in any other category.  In The English Patient, Ralph Fiennes and Kristin Scott Thomas lead the cast under Anthony Minghella's Oscar-winning direction, in this adaption of Michael Ondaatje's novel that follows a love affair during World War II. Thank you to Thomas Whitelaw for our intro music and Rachel Valentine Smith for our artwork. This episode was partly recorded remotely and so we apologise for any changes in sound quality present.

Hollywood's first great movie producer, Irving Thalberg, was famously quoted as telling his writers at MGM, ""Just give me five great moments, and I can sell that movie."" For movies and screenplays, moments are specific points in time of particular importance to the overall story. Moments are how most of us remember movies. Think of the conversation on the tarmac between Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman at the end of Casablanca. Or Harrison Ford as he attempts to steal the golden idol in Raiders of the Lost Ark. Or even Mel Gibson's rallying battle cry, ""They'll never take our freedom!"" in Braveheart.  Rev. Stephen Lohoefer looks at one of these type of moments in Acts - full of drama, excitement, and hugely important to the entire story of scripture.

Hollywood's first great movie producer, Irving Thalberg, was famously quoted as telling his writers at MGM, ""Just give me five great moments, and I can sell that movie."" For movies and screenplays, moments are specific points in time of particular importance to the overall story. Moments are how most of us remember movies. Think of the conversation on the tarmac between Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman at the end of Casablanca. Or Harrison Ford as he attempts to steal the golden idol in Raiders of the Lost Ark. Or even Mel Gibson's rallying battle cry, ""They'll never take our freedom!"" in Braveheart.  Rev. Stephen Lohoefer looks at one of these type of moments in Acts - full of drama, excitement, and hugely important to the entire story of scripture.

In this episode we discuss the ninth Best Picture Winner, The Great Ziegfeld, the first and one of the best Hollywood biopic musicals, the career of Florenz Ziegfeld, and the death and funeral of legendary Hollywood producer Irving Thalberg! Other topics include: George Jessel, musician and songwriter Spike Jones, Walt Disney, William Powell, Billie Burke, William Wyler, Irving Thalberg, costumes by Adrian, A Pretty Girl is Like a Melody, Mr. Deeds Goes to Town, film history Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thanktheacademypodcast Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/thankacademypod Email us your thoughts: thanktheacademypod@gmail.com --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/thank-the-academy/support

In this episode we discuss the fifth Best Picture Winner, Grand Hotel, the impact of Irving Thalberg on the film industry, and the first star-studded blockbuster in Hollywood! Other topics include: MGM studios, Lionel Barrymore, John Barrymore, Greta Garbo, Joan Crawford, Wallace Beery, Cedric Gibbons, Walt Disney, big budget blockbusters, film history, director Edmond Goulding, and the Great Depression. Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thanktheacademypodcast Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/thankacademypod Email us your thoughts: thanktheacademypod@gmail.com --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/thank-the-academy/support

The Best Picture breakdown by Worthy hosts, Ben Smith and Jon Roberts, take the high seas in this episode to explore the 8th Academy Awards and 8th Best Picture winner “Mutiny On The Bounty”. This Frank Lloyd directed epic tells the notorious tale of Captain Bligh (Charles Laughton) and the crew that abandoned him. The film also starred Clark Gable as the leader of the mutinous crew, Fletcher Christian. It also stars Franchot Tone, Herbert Mundin, Eddie Quillan, Dudley Diggs and Donald Crisp.   The film’s impressive production and design was led by legendary MGM producer, Irving Thalberg. This week’s episode dives into the appeal of villains like Captain Bligh, the expanding nature of big Hollywood productions and how the Academy Awards continues to change through the early stages.   If you like this episode and the show, please leave a review! It really does help us. Give us a follow on Instagram at WorthyPodcast and on Twitter @WorthyPod. Subscribe on Spotify, iTunes, or wherever you may get your podcasts!

Irving Thalberg, David O. Selznick, Luis B. Mayer, and more are here in this week's film. A film special to our show because of our time spent in the time and setting of the film on our way to watching every Best Picture, but is that all there was for us here? Find out what we thought of Mank on today's episode of Once Upon a Time at the Oscars! We’ll be watching every film nominated in every category this year! If you’d like to join us in this challenge tag us in all of your movie watching posts on social media! We want to see what you’re watching! Up Next: Promising Young Woman (2020) directed by Emerald Fennell You can find more info on the show as well as the full film list and watch order on our website: www.outaopodcast.com Or use our Letterboxd list! Support for Once Upon a Time at the Oscars is provided by our Patreon backers. For as little as $2 a month you can help support our show as well as receive fun benefits, including the chance to vote for what film you think deserves to win Best Picture every year! Subscribe to the show – Apple, Google, Spotify, Feed (Copy the url into the podcast app of your choice) If you like the show, please consider leaving a rating or review on iTunes or your podcast player of choice! Help us reach more listeners! You can stay up to date with the show by following us at: facebook.com/outaopodcast twitter.com/outaopodcast instagram.com/onceuponatimeattheoscars Once Upon a Time at the Oscars is the weekly podcast where we take on the gauntlet of watching every single film that was nominated for Best Picture at the Academy Awards! Starting with the films of 1927, Kyle and Marilee break down these movies every week. Each episode is part review, part trivia, and part critique. This podcast is intended for anybody that loves movies. We have zero background in the film industry, we’re just a film-loving couple that thought it’d be fun to go on this odyssey together, with all of you! Let us know what you thought of the film! You can send your thoughts and we’ll read them on an upcoming ceremony episode: outaopodcast@gmail.com Thanks for tuning in! See you at the movies, Kyle and Marilee

Movie of the Year: 2020Mank The Taste Buds continue their prep for the 2020 season with Mank! Oh Fincher, My Fincher. In this episode, we dive into the world of smartass screenwriter and coolest-drunk-at-the-party Herman J. Mankiewicz as he pens the script for what is arguably the best movie of all time, Citizen Kane. It should be noted that the aforementioned synopsis in no way reflects this movie's plot. We barely even see Orson Welles (and the man was hard to miss! 6”2' and simply built of beef). Fincher spends most of the time rummaging around Mank's vodka-soaked memories of Old Hollywood, in all of its sleazy, glitzy glory. Icons of the studio era's golden age parade across the beautifully stylized screen, from a weepy Louis B. Mayer to a conniving Irving Thalberg, offering the audience a chance to contemplate Fincher's favorite subject – awful white guys and their eternal knack for wreaking havoc on those around them. Presented in dreamy black-and-white and sprinkled with the occasional cigarette burn, Mank investigates the politics and corruption that inspired Citizen Kane's script through the eyes of its deeply flawed protagonist. Gary Oldman convincingly portrays the paradoxical writer with an unmistakable lilt of self-disgust: a leftist wit among capitalist titans, an intellectual among hacks, a jester among kings… he hides his impotence behind boozy layers of aloof criticism. He treats his wife poorly and vomits at cool parties. He's the worst gambler I've ever seen and is mean to Lilly Collins (has he not seen Emily in Paris?!). Fundamentally, Mank is an a-hole. But the kind of a-hole Fincher can't help but love (I get it… who among us hasn't fallen prey to a f@#kboi). The most appealing parts of him surface in his interactions with Marion Davies, played pitch-perfectly by the brilliant and ever-luminous Amanda Seyfried. Set in the shadow of the 1934 California gubernatorial election, Mank serves as a scathing piece of social commentary. Its targets are, sadly, evergreen: wealth disparity, fascism, and the upper-crust who laugh it all off because they can. While Mank in no way comes out of the events a hero, his role in the fallout reveals the conflicted and complex man operating beneath the performance. I'm just gonna say it, this episode rules. Maybe one of the best episodes of any podcast ever, thanks in large part to the INCREDIBLE guest host Kate Dellis. She's funny. She's sharp. She's coming for you, PopFilter. Sleep with one eye open. Special thanks to Ryan and Mike for spending large quantities of time teaching a total n00b how to edit this freakin thing. Expect nipple tassels in the mail, as a token of my gratitude. Make sure to also:Check out the 2019 bracket Visit our website Use our Amazon page! Join our Patreon team! (TO HEAR EXTRA SEGMENTS!) Like us! Follow us! Write to Us! — contact@yourpopfilter.com https://www.patreon.com/yourpopfilter (Support the show) (https://www.patreon.com/yourpopfilter)

The authorship of Citizen Kane has been the subject of much debate ever since Pauline Kael's essay Raising Kane which put forth the strange notion that Orson Welles was less of the driving force behind Kane and naming screenwriter Herman J. Mankiewicz as the unsung hero who deserved sole credit for one of cinema's greatest achievements.  Fincher seems to be using this template for his bio pic of Mankiewicz, played by Gary Oldman as a shambolic court jester much in demand among the Hollywood elites until his own self-destructive tendencies bring it all down. As with all Hollywood lore, the characters that populate this myth are well known epic figures from Irving Thalberg to Upton Sinclair, but the underlying themes of movies as propaganda and the political machinations of the media machine bely a certain unconscious irony for Fincher, who seems to be trading in the very same myth making by upholding the idea that Welles was a megalomaniacal credit hog and not the brilliant filmmaker who would go onto make many superb films.  

Hot on the heels of David Fincher's Mank, a hotly disputed retelling of the origins of Citizen Kane, we explore F. Scott Fitzgerald's own take on the rise of Orson Welles. In the final year of his life, without income from Hollywood studios or loans from his longtime agent, Harold Ober, Fitzgerald supported himself by cranking out seventeen short stories about the Hollywood hack Pat Hobby, which he sold to Arnold Gingrich's Esquire for $250 each. (Five of the stories appeared posthumously). The most historically interesting of the series is May 1940's "Pat Hobby and Orson Welles," which pokes fun at Old Hollywood's fear and trepidation at the arrival in Tinseltown of the wunderkind notorious for his 1938 War of the Worlds broadcast. Fitzgerald's story appeared in print just as Herman Mankiewicz completed a 267-page doorstop draft called American, which Welles shortly shaped into a withering assault on William Randolph Hearst that ensured we would never hear the name "Rosebud" the same way again. The filmmaker that the hapless scrapper Pat Hobby must contend with has thus not yet made the most celebrated movie in American cinema. Rather, Welles is known for the extravagant contract RKO offered him in 1939, including a $150,000 salary and authority over the final cut. Strangely enough, what gossip columnists are most curious about is the boy wonder's newly grown beard, which threatens old-timers like Pat as much as the changes to the studio system his arrival augurs. As we discuss the legacy of the Pat Hobby stories and their relationship to The Love of the Last Tycoon, the Hollywood novel left incomplete by Fitzgerald's premature death in December 1940, we debate auteur theory, the Hollywood production process that Fitzgerald at once loathed and idealized through his adoration of Irving Thalberg, and the creative parallels that have saddled Fitzgerald, Welles, and Mankiewicz with the troublesome label "genius."

Legend has it that as soon as head of production Irving Thalberg saw the receipts for "Dracula," he wanted M-G-M to throw its own hat into the ring with the most horrific film ever made. The result was an unmitigated financial and public relations disaster, only remembered in time as a cult masterpiece.All original music courtesy of Niel Jakobyhttps://nieljacoby.bandcamp.com/Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/MonsterCrazeMemoirsOfficialiTunes/Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/monster-craze-memoirs/id1491963648Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3aSrQ5JFez33XuVanaFYIwPocket Casts: https://pca.st/lkra63chSoundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/user-3949861YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBGcDWtQj2wGEnlAB7P4AFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/Monster-Craze-Memoirs-106199087480182/Twitter: https://twitter.com/KennethJWaste2

We're delighted to bring you this interview with the charming and wonderfully talented Ferdinand Kingsley, who plays Irving Thalberg in the latest masterpiece by director, David Fincher. Mank (2020, Netflix) is set in old Hollywood and centres around the elite circle that were running MGM at the time Herman J. Mankiewicz was developing Orson Welles' masterpiece Citizen Kane (1941).Accomplished actor Ferdinand Kingsley, son of actor Ben Kingsley and theatre director Alison Sutcliffe, speaks directly to his fellow actors about how he carved out his own path in the performing world. It really wasn't as easy as you may assume. He discusses the criticality of training, the difference between film acting and theatre performance, his childhood behind the curtain and his preparation process for playing a character with such a contrasting worldview and actions taken, such as, Thalberg. This highly accomplished MGM film producer, played by Kingsley, became known for delivering the world's first mainstream "fake news", disguised as service announcements and documentary style clips in cinemas. Irving Thalberg produced these "news" segments using out of work actors and they were played at the beginning of most of his blockbuster movies, in order to influence the vote of the masses towards the Republican party.

This week, host Stephen B. Platt is joined by special guests Anna Sheehy and Kate Willoughby to review 'A Night at the Opera'. Listen in as they discuss Irving Thalberg, Italian censorship, and influencing James Cameron. Music from filmmusic.io "Hyperfun" by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) License: CC BY (creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

Norma Shearer, connue pour son charme sophistiqué et la diversité de ses talents, était surnommée « la First Lady du grand écran » par la M.G.M. en raison de son mariage avec le producteur hollywoodien Irving Thalberg. Actrice qui a sû habillement passer du cinéma muet au cinéma parlant, elle remportera l'oscar de la meilleur actrice en 1939 pour son interprétation dans « Divorce ».

A través de la bruma del destino nos llega una leyenda de Amor Inmortal, una elegía romántica llevada al extremo: Pandora y el Holandés Errante. Una historia que te atrapa, como los ojos de Ava Gardner (Pandora), como el dolor sordo de James Mason (El Holandés), como los versos eternos de Omar Khayyam. El mar arroja dos cuerpos a una playa catalana, unas manos entrelazadas que cuentan, desde la muerte, una historia de culpa y castigo, una afrenta a Dios y a los hombres… una maldición. Albert Lewin dirigió en 1951 esta obra oculta y misteriosa, con la portentosa fotografía de Jack Cardiff, que consigue una atmósfera realmente extraordinaria, hipnótica. Dos espíritus atormentados a merced del destino, acompañados por la sangre y la muerte, que irremediablemente llevamos incrustadas en nuestra historia, dos seres sitiados por la culpa y la tragedia. Pandora y Ava Gardner se fusionan, la realidad y el mito se confunden. La crueldad y el desdén existencial de una mujer, tan bella como infeliz….Una Diosa Pagana, con su cohorte de admiradores, totalmente entregados a su belleza, víctimas de sus deseos y su voluptuosidad. Un poeta, Reggie Demarest, que no podrá soportar el amor no correspondido; un piloto de carreras, Stephen Cameron, al que Pandora obligará a arrojar su coche, su trabajo, su vida….. por un acantilado; un torero, Montalvo, que asesinará y será asesinado…… Los ojos de Pandora esconden una tristeza infinita, detrás de esa belleza tan intensa y perturbadora, Geoffrey, un viejo historiador, nos contará su leyenda, por entre la niebla del recuerdo y la fábula. Albert Lewin fue uno de los hombres clave de la Metro, asesor y mano derecha de Irving Thalberg. Un tipo extremadamente culto, amante de la pintura y la literatura, que se encargaba de dar el toque final a los guiones del Estudio. Solo tiene media docena de películas como director, pero son todas excepcionales y sumamente desconcertantes, autenticas rarezas, donde se ahonda en la corrupción moral de los hombres y en la búsqueda de una redención imposible. El Retrato de Dorian Gray, adaptando a Oscar Wilde, La Luna y 6 peniques con guión de Somerset Maugham o Los asuntos privados de Bel Ami, de Maupassant. Pandora es una obra fascinante y compleja, nada accesible, con multitud de referencias literarias, la propia leyenda del siglo XVI, la opera de Wagner, la mitología griega, incluso la historia del vampiro que busca el amor a través de océanos de tiempo… Una visión del amor verdadero, preñada con los versos del Rubaiyat de Khayyam… “Pero el dedo implacable sigue y sigue escribiendo. Seducirlo no podrás con tu piedad o tu ingenio para lo escrito tachar o con tus lágrimas borrar ni una coma ni un acento”.   La fatalidad y el imparable curso del destino replican esta noche en el campanario de Radiopolis, dos cuerpos sin vida yacen con las manos y las almas entrelazadas…. la gente se aproxima a la playa, entre los curiosos nos encontramos Zacarias Cotán, Salvador Limón, Raúl Gallego y Gervi Navío… Una historia que comienza por el final, un circulo infinito a recorrer… en un pueblo llamado Esperanza….la Eternidad se estremece. Gervasio Navío. La Gran Evasión

In the spirit of the great comedy compilation films of the 50’s, 60’s and 70’s, we’ve decided to create our own “Best of the Marx Brothers” money-grab. To be precise, the three of us have each compiled our own films…hamstrung by the constraints of our in-house Irving Thalberg. We’ll discuss our scene choices and come up with a final tracklist, all before realizing the whole exercise was pointless. Did your favorite scene make the cut? Listen and find out, unless you’re an Eve Arden fan, in which case don’t even bother…. Name-checked in this episode: W.C. Fields, Kristen Schaal, Jay Hopkins

Do you love Hollywood? Meet Martin Turnbull, the author of eleven novels set during Hollywood's Golden Age. His latest novel is The Heart of the Lion, the fascinating story of famed Hollywood mogul Irving Thalberg. Martin talks about writing, indie publishing, and more.Martin is also the author of Chasing Salomé about legendary silent movie star Alla Nazimova and nine novels in the Garden of Allah series, set throughout the Golden Age from 1927 to 1959. Link to 20% Off for ProWritingAid Highlights of the interview:Inspiration for The Garden of Allah series of novels set in HollywoodDiscussion of Chasing Salomé and The Heart of the LionReading from The Heart of the LionWriting adviceThe benefits of indie publishingTurnbull's Work In ProgressPress Play right now and don't forget to check out Martin Turnbull's novels on Art In Fiction.Martin Turnbull’s Website: www.martinturnbull.comLink to 20% Off for ProWritingAid

Hollywood's own Wonderboy, Irving Thalberg, made his mark on Hollywood's Golden Age, but will he WOW us? Join the party to find out! MARTIN TURNBULL BOOK: The Heart of The Lion Website: hollywoodpartypodcast.com IG: @hollywoodpartypodcast Logo: @kellyrobyn.co Theme music: Berkley Gedney Background music: epidemicsound.com And like all group projects in high school, I did everything: researched, written, narrated, edited by me: Lauren Semar --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/hollywoodparty/support

Esta noche recibimos un soplo de aire fresco y anárquico en La Gran Evasión con los Hermanos Marx: Una Noche en la Opera, dirigida por Sam Wood en 1935. Una obra maestra de la comedia, más necesaria y más viva que nunca. Los Hermanos Marx habían terminado su etapa con la Paramount, con algún éxito pero no demasiado convencidos del paso siguiente. Sus experiencias con el celuloide habían sido dispares, prácticamente adaptaron sus obras de Vodevil a la gran pantalla, pero la formula parecía agotada. Una partida de Bridge y un tal Irving Thalberg, cambiaron el sino de estos cómicos geniales. Thalberg era el niño prodigio de la Metro Golding Meyer, con apenas 30 años dirigía el estudio más grande y distinguido de Hollywood. Con la simpleza de los genios tuvo una idea brillante, encauzar la locura de los Marx sobre una trama amorosa. El Caos no se puede controlar, pero tal vez si se pueda dirigir… Un proyecto sustentado en los reputados guionistas de Broadway, George S. Kaufman y Morrie Ryskind, con los que los Marx habían triunfado en los teatros americanos, y con toda la maquinaria del Estudio al servicio de estos tres genios locos, el resultado fue simplemente brillante, Una Noche en la Opera, el resto…..es historia. Las escenas más grandes de la comedia clásica corresponden a esta union maravillosa entre Thalberg y los Marx, desgraciadamente el productor murió muy joven, en 1936, con solo 37 años, cuando ya estaba terminando Un día en las Carreras, pero no hay momento en el que no agradezcamos su genio y su talento. Una noche en la opera mezcla el deseo y la representación, un par de chicos enamorados al que la autoridad y el poder humillan, son la excusa perfecta para que Chico, Harpo y Groucho hagan saltar todo por los aires. Es Brillante que la acción sea en un lugar sagrado y elitista, La Opera, un espacio vedado para el pueblo llano, para los espectadores corrientes. Los que se agolpan en los teatros riendo a carcajadas y comiendo palomitas. Los Hermanos Marx sacan todo el partido a esta premisa y llevan la comedia a otro nivel. Con números que no han perdido ni un ápice de frescura. De hecho los habían pulido en una gira por los teatros de todo el país, otra gran idea de Thalberg, para trasladar esa espontaneidad e improvisación, de las tablas a las salas de Cine. Para la memoria colectiva nos quedan escenas imperecederas: El dialogo de la Parte Contratante, El baile de las Camas, la Fiesta en la cubierta, el climax final con Harpo trepando por los decorados del Trovador de Verdi, y quizás la escena mas grande jamás rodada en comedia, El Camarote. Una pieza maestra que se inicia, desarrolla y concluye por sí sola. No hay mucho más que decir, sólo hay que dejarse llevar por la contagiosa locura de Chico, Harpo y Groucho, los hermanos Marx. Esta noche, compartimos risas y emoción, apretujados en el camarote del cine: José Miguel Moreno, Raúl Gallego, Gervi Navío y Zacarias Cotán. Gervi Navío.

No, it’s not a sequel to “1917”, but something even better! This month we discuss the year that the Marx Brothers didn’t do anything besides lose Zeppo. After finishing “Duck Soup” in late 1933, the team was without a studio contract, and in no hurry to make another film…in fact, they weren’t certain they wanted to remain in Hollywood at all. We examine the internal and external forces which led them to MGM and Irving Thalberg. We’ll also talk about Groucho’s heretofore unknown solo project, “A Night at the Brothel”. Name-checked in this episode: Mickey Rooney, Katherine Hepburn, Hitler, Alec Baldwin.

“Todo el mundo pensaba al verme en el escenario o en el cine que era desgraciado en mi vida personal. Nada más lejos de la verdad. Hasta donde recuerdo, siempre me consideré afortunado”. Buster Keaton El gag físico continuo busca las carcajadas del respetable, el hombrecillo impertérrito, el cara de palo se levanta después del batacazo. El pionero Buster Keaton se patea las calles detrás de una cámara de ferrotipos, ya en desuso en los locos años 20, camina al ritmo del tintineo de un piano, del latido de jazz sincopado por una secretaria dulce con la que se prenda nuestro escuálido amigo, y peleará por ella hasta el final. A partir de ahí todo serán obstáculos para su torpe cortejo: el policía cretino, el fornido pretendiente, y la multitud urbana que se apiña al subir al bus, demasiada gente estorbando y alejando al pamplinas de su princesa. El hombre de la cámara de Vertov en torpe , el cine sobre el propio artefacto, el individuo contra su entorno, el gimnasta adorado por Buñuel y Dalí renuncia a sentimentalismos baratos. La inexpresividad lo dice todo, acciones espontáneas y secuencias memorables. El mequetrefe pierde el bañador en la piscina, un salto ridículo desde el trampolín, el saludo a su sirena antes de robarle la prenda de baño a una oronda señora, el fotógrafo rompe los cristales con el trípode, y sus rasgos de payaso triste siempre reviven. Keaton escribió en sus memorias que entrar en la MGM, el mayor estudio de Hollywood, fue el mayor error de su vida, allí coartaron su libertad a la hora de trabajar. El cameraman fue dirigida por Edward Sedgwick y el propio Keaton. Aún conserva el frenesí de sus primeras obras, la imaginación desbordante del artista, si embargo el joven productor Irving Thalberg se propuso controlar su forma de rodar y manipuló todo lo que pudo, después llegaría el sonoro. Nada ya que ver con sus inicios en el cine, cuando comenzó haciendo cortos con Fatty Arbucke, el gordito cómico después caído en la ignominia y el escándalo, de él Keaton aprendería muchos gags y trucos, sin embargo era su inverso, el pamplinas no esbozaba ni un asomo de sonrisa, con eso conseguía que se le tomara en serio, el excéntrico e impasible luchador en busca de fortuna provocará la hilaridad del personal desde la seriedad. Raúl Gallego Esta noche filmamos la batalla de Chinatown con el mono dándole a la manivela... José Miguel Moreno, Zacarías Cotán, Gervi Navío y Raúl Gallego.

¡Hola de nuevo, oyentes impenitentes! Tratando de retomar una cierta periodicidad, o algo vagamente parecido, retomamos en este episodio nuestro formato primigenio, el del podcast con contenidos variados y basado en múltiples secciones, aunque tratando de darle un toque un poco más flexible. Así que nos ha salido un podcast principalmente televisivo, con un punto de reivindicación de alguna obra maldita que puso a algunos verdes de rabia, y sacando a colación algunos temas del mundillo que han sido objeto de debate y hasta de bronca en las redes sociales durante el pasado verano. Así, Virginia y Luis F. han repasado algunas de las serpientes de verano (y alguna del reciente otoño) sobre el mundo de la ciencia ficción cinematográfica: La posible marcha de Chris Pine, el capitán Kirk, de las películas recientes de Star Trek; el despido de Marvel Studios de James Gunn, el director de las dos películas de Guardianes de la Galaxia; y el reciente premio Irving Thalberg a KAthleen Kennedy, la actual responsable de Lucasfilm, por su labor de toda la vida como productora. Todos ellos temas que nos han dado para una jugosa y animada tertulia. Guillermo nos habla de Voltron, el Defensor Legendario, la serie animada de Dreamworks que retoma la serie animada de los 80, que retoma un tema clásico en la animación de ciencia ficción: Los héroes que se enfrentan a una invasión extraterrestre, oponiendose a ella pilotando robots gigantes. Un tema clásico, pero que sin embargo ha calado mucho gracias al desarrollo de sus personajes y la capacidad de imprimir emoción y epicidad a la historia. Marisa rememora y reivindica una de las primeras películas de superheroes de la década de los 2010, que sin embargo cosechó un rechazo considerable de crítica y público. Hablamos de Green Lantern (2012), una película de Martin Campbell, protagonizada por Ryan Reynolds, que a pesar de sus problemas de guión y producción, refleja con bastante acierto la mitología de uno de los personajes más importantes del universo de DC Comics. Luis F. recomienda la reciente serie de ciencia ficción Colony (2016-2018), una producción de USA Network, que aquí se ha pasado por el SyFy Channel, y que retoma el tema de la invasión alienígena, dandole un tono bastante oscuro y urbano, y transformandolo en una alegoría de la supervivencia en un regimen dictatorial. Virginia nos habla de Happy (2018), una reciente serie de Netflix donde un antiguo policía USA, actualmente un asesino a sueldo alcoholizado y nihilista, comienza a ver a un pequeño unicornio de color azul, que le apremia a acudir al rescate de una niña, Hailey, secuestrada por un desquiciado homeless disfrazado de Santa Claus. Basada en el comic de Grant Morrison y Darick Robertson, de Happy se puede esperar violencia desproporcionada y una atmósfera sórdida, lleno de personajes amorales y viciosos. Y mucha guasa, debajo de toda esta sangre. (Y además de todo esto, aprovecharemos para repasar algunos de los mensajes que nos habéis ido mandando en los últimos meses, vía Twitter, blogs o Ivoox. Que ya iba siendo hora, e intentamos ser educaos) Esperamos que disfrutéis el podcast como nosotros grabándolo, y que os ayude a sobrellevar la semana del Puente de Octubre. Y os recomentamos que, como las películas Marvel, os quedéis después de los créditos y la música, que aún tendréis más material esperando. Si, así somos, copiando a los grandes...

Best Pick with John Dorney, Jessica Regan and Tom Salinsky Episode 14: Grand Hotel (1932) Released 1 August 2018. For this episode, we watched Grand Hotel, written by William A. Drake from his play, adapted from the German production Menschen im Hotel, written by Vicki Baum. The director was Edmund Goulding, the producer was Irving Thalberg and the all-star cast included Greta Garbo (who wants to be alone), John Barrymore, Joan Crawford, Wallace Beery, Lionel Barrymore, Lewis Stone and Jean Hersholt. Grand Hotel won Best Picture, which was the only Academy Award it was nominated for. Book your tickets now for our first-ever live show, where we’ll be watching Annie Hall. It’s at Kings Place in London at 4:00pm on Sunday 9 September. Click here for tickets. Next time we will be discussing Patton. If you want to watch it before listening to the next episode you can buy the DVD or Blu-Ray on Amazon.co.uk, or Amazon.com, or you can download it via iTunes (UK) or iTunes (USA). To send in your questions, comments, thoughts and ideas, you can join our Facebook group, Tweet us on @bestpickpod or email us on bestpickpod@gmail.com. You can also Tweet us individually, @MrJohnDorney, @ItsJessRegan or @TomSalinsky. You should also sign up to our mailing list to get notified as soon as a new episode is released. Just follow this link: http://eepurl.com/dbHO3n

Best Pick with John Dorney, Jessica Regan and Tom Salinsky Episode 14: Grand Hotel (1932) Released 1 August 2018. For this episode, we watched Grand Hotel, written by William A. Drake from his play, adapted from the German production Menschen im Hotel, written by Vicki Baum. The director was Edmund Goulding, the producer was Irving Thalberg and the all-star cast included Greta Garbo (who wants to be alone), John Barrymore, Joan Crawford, Wallace Beery, Lionel Barrymore, Lewis Stone and Jean Hersholt. Grand Hotel won Best Picture, which was the only Academy Award it was nominated for. Book your tickets now for our first-ever live show, where we'll be watching Annie Hall. It's at Kings Place in London at 4:00pm on Sunday 9 September. Click here for tickets. Next time we will be discussing Patton. If you want to watch it before listening to the next episode you can buy the DVD or Blu-Ray on Amazon.co.uk, or Amazon.com, or you can download it via iTunes (UK) or iTunes (USA). To send in your questions, comments, thoughts and ideas, you can join our Facebook group, Tweet us on @bestpickpod or email us on bestpickpod@gmail.com. You can also Tweet us individually, @MrJohnDorney, @ItsJessRegan or @TomSalinsky. You should also sign up to our mailing list to get notified as soon as a new episode is released. Just follow this link: http://eepurl.com/dbHO3n

This week: Zeppo opts out! Groucho holds a grudge! Woody Allen offers advice! And the "genius" of Irving Thalberg!  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In 1930, after putting in time at MGM and RKO, Paramount executive David O. Selznick married Irene Mayer, the daughter of L.B. Mayer. Irene’s father would soon thereafter bring Selznick to MGM to fill in for an ailing Irving Thalberg, but MGM was too small for Selznick’s dreams. He started his own independent studio, through which he created the original A Star is Born, the only Hitchcock movie to win Best Picture, and the biggest hit in the history of Hollywood, Gone with the Wind. This episode is brought to you by MUBI. To try MUBI for free for an entire month, go to mubi.com/rememberthis. This episode is also brought to you by Casper mattresses. Get $50 toward any mattress purchase by visiting www.casper.com/remember and using promo code REMEMBER. Terms and Conditions Apply. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This season we're going to tell 15 stories about different people who worked at the same movie studio over the course of five decades, as the movie industry transitioned from silents to sound, into its Golden Era and finally into its television and counter-culture-hastened decline. Established in 1924, MGM was the product of a merger of three early Hollywood entities, but the only person working there who got to have his name in the title was studio chief Louis B. Mayer. For the first dozen years of its existence, Mayer’s influence over the company would be at least matched by that of producer Irving Thalberg, who was perceived as the creative genius to Mayer’s bureaucrat. This episode will trace the rise of MGM through the 1920s and early-mid 30s, covering Mayer’s long-evolving working relationship with Thalberg, the creation of the MGM “star factory” identity and unique power within the community of Hollywood, and the in-fighting which would end with Mayer poised to seize his crown as the most powerful man in Hollywood. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices