EPISODE 66 - “WHEN CLASSIC FILM’S SUPPORTING ACTORS STEAL THE SHOW” - 12/16/2024

There is nothing quite like watching a film when suddenly a supporting character comes in and walks away with the film. (Think THELMA RITTER, S.Z. SAKALL, or GALE SONDERGAARD in almost every one of their films!) This week we are focusing on some of our favorite supporting charters who come in and snatch that scene right about from under the big stars. From JOANNA BARNES’ Gloria Upson declaring, “It was just ghastly!” in “Auntie Mame” to the impassioned monologue about love that BEAH RICHARDS delivers to SPENCER TRACY in “Guess Who’s Coming To Dinner,” we take a fun look at these powerful performances that we’re still talking about today.

SHOW NOTES: 

Sources:

The Life and Death of Peter Sellers (1997) by Roger Lewis;

But Darling, I’m Your Auntie Mame!: The Amazing History of the World’s Favorite Madcap Aunt (1998), by Richard Tyler Jordan;

Tennessee Williams & Company: His Essential Screen Actors (2010), by John DiLeo;

“Judy Holiday, Winner of Oscar, Does of Cancer,” June 8, 1965, Los Angeles Times;

“Mildred Natwick, 89, Actress Who Excelled at Eccentricity,” October 26, 1994, by Peter B. Flint, New York Times;

“Steve Franken, Actor in ‘Dobie Gillis,’ Dies at 80,” August 29, 2012, by Daniel E. Slotnik, New York Times; 

“Madeleine Sherwood, 93, Actress on Stage, Film and ‘Flying Nun,’ Dies,” April 26, 2016, by Sam Roberts, New York Times;

“The Making of ‘TheParty’,” January 13, 2017, by FilMagicians, Youtube.com;

“Beah Richards, 80, Actress in Stalwart Roles,” September 16, 2000, by Mel Gussow, New York Times;

“Joanna Barnes, Actress in ‘The Parent Trap’ and its Sequel. Dies at 87,” May 12, 2022, by Richard Sanomir, New York Times;

TCM.com;

IMDBPro.com;

IBDB.com;

Wikipedia.com;

Roger Ebert.com;

Movies Mentioned: 

Adams’s Rib (1949), starring Katharine Hepburn, Spencer Tracy, Judy Holiday, David Wayne, Hope Emerson, Jean Hagen, and Tom Ewell;

Born Yesterday (1950), starring Judy Holiday, Broderick Crawford, & William Holden;

Auntie Mame (1958), starring Rosalind Russell, Forrest Tucker, Fred Clark, Roger Smith, Jan Handzlik, Corale Brown, Pippa Scott, Lee Patrick, Willard Waterman, Joanna Barnes, Connie Gilchrist, Patric Knowles, and Yuki Shimudo; 

Cat On A Hot Tin Roof (1958), starring Elizabeth Taylor, Paul Newman, Burl Ives, Judith Anderson, Jack Carson, and Madeleine Sherwood;

Spartacus (1960), starring Kirk Douglas, Laurence Olivier, Jean Simmons, Charles Laughton, Tony Curtis, & Joanna Barnes;

The Parent Trap (1961), starring Haley Mills, Maureen O’Hara, Brian Keith, Joanna Barnes, Charles Ruggles, Ana Merkel, Leo G. Carroll, & Cathleen Nesbitt;

The Americanization of Emily (1963), starring Julie Andrews & James Garner;

The Time Traveler (1964), starring Preston Foster;

Goodbye Charlie (1964), starring Tony Curtis, Debbie Reynolds, Ellen Burstyn, Pat Boone, & Joanna Barnes;

Barefoot In The Park (1967), starring Jane Fonda, Robert Redford, Mildred Natwick, Charles Boyer, Herb Edelman, and Mabel Albertson;

Don’t Make Waves (1967) starring Tony Curtis, Claudia Cardinale, Sharon Tate, and Joanna Barnes;

Guess Who’s Coming To Dinner (1967), starring Katharine Hepburn, Spencer Tracy, Sidney Poitier, Katharine Houghton, Beah Richards, Roy E. Glen Sr, Cecil Kellaway, Isabelle Sanford, and Virginia Christine;

The Party (1968), starring Peter Sellers, Claudine Longet, Denny Miller, Carol Wayne, Gavin MacLeod, Faye McKenzie, Marge Champion, Steve Frankel, Jean Carson, Corine Cole, J. Edward McKinley, and Herb Ellis;

The Parent Trap (1998), starring Lindsay Lohan, Dennis Quaid, Natasha Richardson, Elaine Hendrix, & Lisa Ann Walter. 

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12/09/2024

EPISODE 65 - "CLASSIC HOLIDAY FILMS: FUN BEHIND THE SCENES FACTS"

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;

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"BOBBY DRISCOLL: CLASSIC CINEMA STAR OF THE MONTH"

EPISODE 64 - “BOBBY DRISCOLL - STAR OF THE MONTH” - 12/02/2024 

BOBBY DRISCOLL's name may not be too familiar anymore, but in his heyday, he was the male equivalent of NATALIE WOOD. He was one of the most talented and prolific child stars of the 1940s and 1950s. His descent into darkness should serve as a cautionary tale to all of the stage mothers out there who think their kids will be the next big thing. Sometimes, there is a price to pay for fame, and it ain't always pretty. Join us as we discuss the tragic life of child star Bobby Driscoll.

SHOW NOTES: 

Sources:

Great Child Stars (1976), by James Robert Parish;

“Bobby Driscoll, Dope Suspect," July 11, 1956, Los Angeles Examiner;

“Bobby Driscoll Arrested in Bean Shooting Row,” August 23, 1956, Los Angeles Times;

“Actor Bob Driscoll Arrested As Addict,” October 29, 1959, Mirror News;

“Actor Freed of Charges on Narcotics,” December 12, 1959, Los Angeles Times;

“Bobby Driscoll Napped After Rift with Gun,” June 18, 1960, The Citizen News;

“New Charge Confronts Former Star,” June 23, 1960, Mirror News;

“Actor Fined For Striking Heckler,” October 14, 1960, Los Angeles Examiner;

“Driscoll Theft Charge Issued,” April 11, 1961, The Citizen News;

“Bobby Driscoll is Arrested Again,” May 2, 1961, Los Angeles Examiner;

“Bobby Driscoll, a Film Star at 6, an Addict at 17, Sent to Chino,” October 19, 1961, by Charles Hillinger, Los Angeles Times;

“Truly, A Lost Boy,” March 4, 2007, by Susan King, Los Angeles Times;

“Oscars Flashback: The Tragic Life and Death of Former Disney Star Bobby Driscoll,” January 22, 2019, by Lynette Rice, Entertainment Weekly;

BobbyDriscoll.com;

Wikipedia.com;

TCM.com;

IMDBPro.com;

Movies Mentioned: 

Lost Angel (1943), starring James Craig, Marsha Hunt, & Margaret O’Brien;

The Fighting Sullivans (1944) starring Thomas Mitchell & Anne Baxter;

Sunday Dinner With A Soldier (1944), starring Anne Baxter, John Hodiak, Charles Winner, & Anne Revere;

The Big Bonanza (1944), starring Richard Arlen;

So Goes My Love (1946), starring Myrna Loy & Don Ameche;

Identity Unknown (1945), starring Richard Arlen;

Miss Susie Slagle's (1946), starring Veronica Lake;

From This Day Forward (1946), starring Joan Fontaine & Mark Stevens;

O.S.S. (1946), starring Alan Ladd & Geraldine Fitzgerald;

Three Wise Fools (1946), starring Margaret o’Brine & Lionel Barrymore;

Song Of The South (1946), starring James Baskett;

If You Knew Susie (1948), starring Eddie Cantor;

So Dear to My Heart (1948), starring Burl Ives & Beulah Bondi;

The Window (1949), starring Barbara Hale, Arthur Kennedy, Ruth Roman, & Paul Stewart;

Treasure Island (1950), starring Robert Newton;

When I Grow Up (1951), starring Robert Preston & Martha Scott;

The Happy Time (1952), starring Charles Boyer, Louis Jordan, & Marsha Hunt;

Peter Pan (1953)

The Scarlett Coat (1955), starring Cornel Wilde & George Sanders;

The Party Crashers (1958), starring Connie Stevens & Frances Farmer;

Dirt (1965), starring Sally Kirkland;

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EPISODE 63 - “NOT EVEN NOMINATED: A DISCUSSION ABOUT CLASSIC CINEMA WITH AUTHOR JOHN DILEO” - 11/25/2024

Author JOHN DILEO, film historian and author, has just published his eighth book, Not Even Nominated: 40 Overlooked Costars of Oscar-Winning Performances. This week, John joins Steve and Nan to discuss his book, as well as his origin story on how he got hooked on classic cinema. Join us for the fun, lively discussion about old Hollywood. And make sure you check out John’s book. 

SHOW NOTES: 

Sources:

100 Great Film Performances You Should Remember — But Probably Don’t (2002), by John DiLeo:

Not Even Nominated: 40 Overlooked Costars of Oscar-Winning Performances (2024), by John DiLeo;

TCM.com;

Wikipedia.com;

IMDBPro.com;

Movies Mentioned: 

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1931); Fredric March & Miriam Hopkins;

Mr. Deeds Goes to Town (1936), starring Gary Cooper & Jean Arthur;

The More the Merrier (1943), starring Jean Arthur , Joel McCrea, and Charles Coburn;

The Best Years of Our Lives (1946), starring Dana Andrews, Fredric March, Myrna Loy, Teresa Wright, Harold Russell, Cathy O’Donnell, Virginia Mayo, and Steve Cochran;

Miracle On 34th Street (1947), starring Maureen O’Hara, John Payne, Edmund Gwynn, and Natalie Wood;

The Treasure of The Sierra Madre (1948), starring Humphrey Bogart & Walter Huston;

All About Eve (1950), starring Bette Davis, Anne Baxter, Gary Merrill, Celeste Holm, George Sanders, Thelma Ritter, and Marilyn Monroe;

Ace In the Hole (1951), Starring Kirk Douglas & Jan Sterling;

Strangers on a Train (1951), starring Farley Granger, Robert Walker, Ruth Roman, & Pat Hitchcock;

Mr. Blanding Builds His Dream House (1948), starring Cary Grant, Myrna Loy, & Melvyn Douglas;

Rope (1948), starring James Stewart, Farley Granger & John Dahl;

They Live By Night (1948), starring Farley Granger & Cathy O’Donnell;

From Here To Eternity (1953), starring Burt Lancaster, Deborah Kerr, Montgomery Clift, Donna Reed, & Frank Sinatra;

The Bandwagon (1953), Fred Astaire & Cyd Charisse;

Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (1954), starring Howard Keel, Jane Powell, & Russ Tamblyn;

Elmer Gantry (1960), starring Burt Lancaster, Jean Simmons, & Shirley Jones;

Judgement at Nuremberg (1961), starring Spencer Tracy, Maximilian Schell, Burt Lancaster, Marlene Dietrich, Montgomery Clift, Richard Widmark, & Jusy Garland;

To Kill A Mockingbird (1962), starring Gregory Peck, Mary Badham, Philip Allford, Brock Peters;

Whatever Happened to Baby Jane (1963);, starring Bette Davis, Joan Crawford, & Victor Bueno;

Mary Poppins (1964), starring Julie Andrews, Dick Van Dyke & David Tomlinson;

The Trouble With Angels (1966); starring Rosalind Russell, Hayley Mills, Mary Wickes & Binnie Barnes;

The Graduate (1967), starring Dustin Hoffman, Anne Bancroft, and Katharine Ross;

Wiat Until Dark (1968), starring Audrey Hepburn, Alan Arkin, Richard Crenna, Efram Zimberlist, Jr. & Jack Weston;

That’s Entertainment (1974);

The Devil’s Rain (1975), starring Ida Lupino, William Shatner, Ernest Borgnine, Tom Skerritt, Eddie Albert, Keenan Wynn, Joan Prather & John Travolta;

That’s Entertainment II (1976);

Ordinary People (1980), starring Donald Sutherland, Mary Tyler Moore, Timothy Hutton, Judd Hirsh, & Elizabeth McGovern;

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"FORGOTTEN LEADING LADIES FROM THE GOLDEN AGE OF HOLLYWOOD" - 11/18/2024

A friend of mine once said that in Hollywood the toilet flushes every seven years. Meaning after about seven years, no one remembers who you are. Whether that’s true or not, there are many classic film stars who were once popular, who have faded away into obscurity. We covered men a few months ago, and now we are giving the ladies their due. Join us as we talk about four fabulous actresses who deserve to be remembered — LIZABETH SCOTT, MARIE WINDSOR, ELLA RAINES, and GERALDINE FITZGERALD. 

SHOW NOTES: 

Sources:

“Biography of Lizabeth Scott,” August 1951, Paramount Pictures;

“Liz Scott Slaps Libel Suit on Confidential Mag,” July 26, 1955, Variety;

“Cut Actress Lizabeth Scott Out of Texan’s Will,” May 12, 1971, Variety;

"Geraldine’s Long Journey,” June 13, 1971, New York Times;

“Lizabeth Scott,” November 1971, by Don Stanke, Film Fan Magazine;

Merv Griffin Interview with Geraldine Fitzgerald, 1977;

Arlene Francis Interview with Geraldine Fitzgerald, 1985;

Katie Kelly Interview with Geraldine Fitzgerald, 1985;

“The Alluring Lizabeth Scott,” February 1993, by David M. Goodspeed, American Movie Classic magazine;

“In Search of Lisabeth Scott: The Sphinx from Scranton,” Summer 2002, by Max Pierce, Films of the Golden Ages;

“Marie Windsor A Shining Light,” piute.org;

“Marie Windsor Tales of Noir and B Movies,” October 31. 1997, by Jerry Renshaw, The Austin Chronicle;

“Marie Windsor, Femme Fatale And Queen of the B's, Dies at 80,” Dec. 14, 2000, New York 

Times;

“Geraldine Fitzgerald, 91, Star of Stage and Film, Dies,” July 19, 2005, New York Times;

“Lizabeth Scott: Sultry Woman of Film Noir (Obit),” February 8, 2015, Los Angeles Times;

“A Light In the Dark: Ella Raines and Film Noirs Working Girls,” Fall 2015, by Imogen Sara Smith, Noir City magazine;

“A Centenary Celebration of Ella Raines: Radiant Film Stars Daughter Reflects on Her Mother’s Career,” August 6, 2020, by Leticia Magalhães, Cine Suffragette;

TCM.com;

IMDBPro.com;

Movies Mentioned: 

LIZABETH SCOTT:

You Came Along (1945);

The Strange Love of Martha Ivers (1946);

Dead Reckoning (1946);

Desert Fury (1947);

I Walk Alone (1947);

Pitfall (1948);

Too Late for Tears (1949);

Paid In Full (1950);

Dark City (1950);

The Company She Keeps (1951);

Red Mountain (1951);

The Racket (1951);

Stolen Face (1952);

Bad For Each Other (1953);

Scared Stiff (1953);

Loving You (1957)

Pulp (1972);

MARIE WINDSOR:

Unexpected Uncle (1941);

Weekend For Three (1941);

All American Co-ed (1941);

The Hucksters (1947);

Song of the Thin Man (1947);

Three Musketeers (1948);

The Kissing Bandit (1948);

Force of Evil (1948); 

Outpost in Morocco (1949);

Beautiful Blonde From Bashful Bend (1949);

Hellfire (1949);

The Fighting Kentuckian (1949);

Dakota Lil (1950);

Little Big Horn (1951);

The Narrow Margin (1952);

Cat Women of the Moon (1953);

Abbott and Costello Meet the Mummy (1955); 

The Killing (1956);

ELLA RAINES:

Corvette K-225 (1943);

Cry Havoc (1943);

The Phantom Lady (1944);

Hail The Conquering Hero (1944);

Tall In The Saddle (1944);

The Suspect (1944); 

The Strange Affair of Uncle Harry (1945);

White Tie and Tails (1945)

Brute Force (1947);

The Senator Was Indiscreet (1947);

The Walking Hills (1949);

Impact (1949);

The Man In The Road (1956);

GERALDINE FITZGERALD:

Blind Justice (1934);

Dark Victory (1939);

Wuthering Heights (1939);

The Gay Sisters (1942);

Watch on the Rhine (1943);

Wilson (1944);

Nobody Lives Forever (1946);

Three Strangers (1946);

Ten North Frederick (1958);

The Pawnbroker (1964);

Rachel, Rachel (1968);

Harry and Tonto (1974);

Arthur (1981);

Do You Remember Love (1985);

Arthur 2: On The Rocks (1988);

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EPISODE 61 - “FAVORITE CLASSIC FILMS OF THE 1960s” - 11/11/2024

The decade of the 1960s was an exciting time in filmmaking. The stodgy studio contract system was starting to give way to a new crop of independent cinematic auteurs, often associated with the "New Hollywood" era, including Stanley Kubrick, Robert Altman, Sam Peckinpah, Arthur Penn, John Cassavetes, Francis Ford Coppola, Martin Scorsese, and Peter Bogdanovich. These edgier films pushed the creative boundaries and social themes to reflect the changing times. In this episode, Steve and Nan discuss some of their favorite films of the decade and why they had such an impact! 

SHOW NOTES: 

Sources:

Some Like It Cool (2002), by Michael Freehand;

Mike Nichols: A Life (2021), by Mark Harris;

Jean Simmons: Her Life and Career (2022), by Michelangelo Capua;

“Veronica Cartwright talks about ‘The Birds’,” February 8, 2008, YouTube;

“Here’s to You, Mr. Nichols: The Making of ‘The Graduate’,” February 25, 2008, by Sam Kashner, Vanity Fair;

“Tippi Hedren On Alfred Hitchcock’s ‘The Birds’,” April 29, 2009, The American FIlm Institute;

“The Revenge of Alfred Hitchcock’s Muse,” October 5, 2012, New York Magazine;

“Tippi Hedren: Hitchcock Ruined My Career,” December 7, 2012, Huffington Post;

“Throwback Thursday: Shirley MacLaine Recalls Filming Lesbian Drama ‘Children’s Hour’ in 1961,” June 4, 2015, Hollywood Reporter; 

“The Underappreciated Genius of ‘Planet of the Apes’,” May 18, 2024, by Janelle Bouie, New York Times;

“The Children’s Hour,” October 16, 2024, Episode 257, Feminist Frequency Podcast;

TCM.com;

IMDBPro.com;

IBDB.com;

Wikipedia.com;

Movies Mentioned: 

The Graduate (1967), starring Dustin Hoffman, Anne Bancroft, Katharine Ross, William Daniels, Elizabeth Wilson, Murray Hamilton, Buck Henry, Marion Lorne, Alice Ghostly, Brian Avery, William Brooke, and Norman Fell;

The Birds (1963), Starring Tippi Hedren, Rod Taylor, Jessica Tandy, Suzanne Pleshette, and Veronica Cartwright, Ethel Griffies, Charles McGraw, Richard Deacon, and Elizabeth Wilson;

Days of Wine and Roses (1962), starring Jack Lemmon, Lee Remick, Charles Bickford, Jack Klugman, Alan Hewitt, Maxine Stuart, Debbie Megowan, and Jack Albertson;

Planet of the Apes (1968), starring Charlton Heston, Kim Hunter, Roddy McDowell, Maurice Evans, Linda Harrison, James Whitmore, and James Daly;

The Happy Ending (1969), starring Jean Simmons, John Forsyth, Shirley Jones, Lloyd Bridges, Teresa Wright, Bobby Darin, Kathy Fields, Dick Shawn, Nanette Fabray, and Tina Louise;

The Children’s Hour (1961), starring Audrey Hepburn, Shirley MacLaine, James Garner, Miriam Hopkins, Faye Bainter, Karen Balkin, Veronica Cartwright, and Hope Summers;

In The Heat Of the Night (1967), starring Rod Steiger, Sidney Poitier, Lee Grant, Warren Oats, Beah Richards, William Schallert, and Larry Gates;

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EPISODE 60 - "THELMA RITTER: CLASSIC CINEMA STAR OF THE MONTH" - 11/04/2024

There's a scene in the classic 1950 film All About Eve where Eve Harrington (ANNE BAXTER), a star-struck fan who has infiltrated the life of Broadway star Margo Channing (BETTE DAVIS), is telling the tragic story of her past to Margo and her friends. While Margo and company are drawn into the sad circumstances of Eve's life, Margo's acerbic dresser Birdie, played to perfection by the great THELMA RITTER, is not buying her sob story. After Eve finishes, Birdie mutters, "What a story! Everything but the bloodhounds snappin' at her rear end." This is probably the moment I fell in love with Ritter. With her heavy New York accent, diminutive size, working-class charm, and sarcastic zingers, she made a career of stealing scenes from big stars and making the most of her time on screen. She played characters wiser than most, and her characters certainly didn’t suffer fools gladly. She is a cinematic treasure, and we celebrate her as our Star of the Month.

SHOW NOTES: 

Sources:

All About Eve: The Complete Behind-The-Scenes Story of the Bitchiest Film Ever Made (2001), by Sam Staggs;

All About Thelma and Eve: Sidekicks and Third Wheels (2002), by Judith Roof;

Actresses of a Certain Character (2007) by Axel Nissen;

“Thelma Ritter, Versatile Actress with Raspy Voice Dies at 63,” February 5, 1969, New York Times;

“Ten Women that Changed the Face of Film Forever,” March 8, 2019, by Harry Fletcher, The Standard;

TCM.com;

IMDBPro.com;

IBDB.com;

Wikipedia.com;

Movies Mentioned: 

Miracle on 34th Street (1947), starring Maureen O’Hara, Edmund Gwenn, John Payne, and Natalie Wood;

Call Northside 777 (1948), starring James Stewart, Richard Conte, and Helen Walker;

A Letter To Three Wives (1949), starring Jeanne Crain, Linda Darnell, Ann Sothern, Kirk Douglas, Paul Douglas, Jeffrey Lynn, Connie Gilchrist, and Barbara Lawrence;

Father Was a Fullback (1949), starring Fred MacMurray and Maureen O’Hara;

All About Eve (1950), starring Bette Davis, Ann Baxter, Gary Merrill, Celeste Holm, Hugh Marlowe, George Sanders, Marilyn Monroe, Gregory Ratoff, and Barbara Bates;

The Mating Season (1951), starring John Lund and Gene Tierney;

The Model and the Marriage Broker (1951), starring Jean Peters and Scott Brady;

With a Song in My Heart (1952), starring Susan Hayward, Rory Calhoun, David Wayne, Robert Wagner, and Helen Westcott;

Titanic (1953), starring Barbara Stanwyck, Clifton Webb, Robert Wagner, and Brian Aherne;

Pick Up On South Street (1953), starring Richard Widmark, Jean Peters, and Richard Kiley;

As Young As You Feel (1951), starring Monty Woolley, David Wayne, Jean Peters, Constance Bennett, Marilyn Monroe, Allen Joslyn, and Albert Dekker;

Rear Window (1954), starring James Stewart, Grace Kelly, Wendel Corey, and Raymond Burr;

Daddy Long Legs (1955), starring Fred Astaire and Leslie Caron;

The Proud and Profane (1956), starring William Holden and Deborah Kerr;

A Hole In The Head (1959), starring Frank Sinatra, Edward G. Robinson, and Eleanor Parker;

Pillow Talk (1959), starring Doris Day and Rock Hudson

The Misfits (1961), starring Clark Gable, Marilyn Monroe, Montgomery Clift, and Eli Wallach;

Birdman of Alcatraz (1962), starring Burt Lancaster, Karl Malden, Neville Brand, Betty Field, Telly Savalas, Edmond O’Brien, and Hugh Marlowe;

How The West Was Won (1962), starring James Stewart, Gregory Peck, John Wayne, Debbie Reynolds, Henry Fonda, Carroll Baker, Lee J. Cobb, Karl Malden, and Richard Widmark;

Move Over Darling (1963), starring Doris Day, James Garner, and Polly Bergen;

Boeing, Boeing (1965), starring Tony Curtis and Jerry Lewis;

What's So Bad About Feeling Good? (1968), starring George Peppard and Mary Tyler Moore;

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EPISODE 59 - "POLITICS: THROUGH THE LENS OF CLASSIC CINEMA" - 10/28/2024

As we all get ready to go to the polls and vote in what might be the most important election of our lives, we wanted to take a look at politics in the films of old Hollywood. This week, we explore the movies that reflected the politics and the issues of the day and left an indelible mark on cinema. From labor wars in New Mexico to a mayor’s race in New England to the early years of Abraham Lincoln, join us as we take a look at some great political movies. 

SHOW NOTES: 

Sources:

Hearst Over Hollywood (2002), by Louis Pizzitola;

Pictures at A Revolution: Five Movies and the Birth of a New Hollywood (2008), by Mark Harris; 

Hollywood’s White House (2010), by Peter C. Rollins and John E. O’Connor;

The Great Depression on Film (2022), by David Luhrssen;

“The Best Man Took On Cutthroat Campaigning,” August 21, 2024, The Hollywood Reporter;

“How Blacklisted Hollywood Artists Joined Forces to Make a Truly Subversive film,” June 6, 2024, forward.com;

“Subversives: Salt of the Earth,” UCTV

TCM.com;

IMDBPro.com;

IBDB.com;

Wikipedia.com;

Movies Mentioned: 

Gabriel Over the White House (1933), starring Walter Huston, Karen Morely, Franchot Tone, Dickie Moore, David Landau, Arthur Byron, Jean Parker, and C. Henry Gordon;

Salt of the Earth (1954), starring Juan Chacón, Rosaura Revueltas, Mervin Williams, Henrietta Williams, and Virginia Jencks;

The Great McGinty (1940), starring Brian Donlevy, Muriel Angelus, Akim Tamiroff, William Demarest, Allyn Joslyn, Louis Jean Heydt, Thurston Hall, Jimmy Conlin, and Arthur Hoyt;

The Best Man (1964), starring Henry Fonda, Cliff Robertson, Edie Adams, Margaret Leighton, Ann Sothern, Lee Tracy, Shelley Berman, Kevin McCarthy, and Gene Raymond;

The Last Hurrah (1958), starring Spencer Tracy, Jeffery Hunter, Dianne Foster, Pat O’Brien, Basil Rathbone, Donald Crisp, James Gleason, John Carradine, Willis Bouchey, Ricardo Cortez, Ken Curtis, Frank Albertson, Anna Lee, and Jane Darwell;

The Parallax View (1974), starring Warren Beatty, Paula Prentiss, William Daniels, Walter McGinn, and Hume Cronyn;

Three Days of the Condor (1975), starring Robert Redford, Faye Dunaway, Cliff Robertson, Max von Sydow, John Houseman, Addison Powell, Tina Chen, Walter McGinn, Michael Kane, Carlin Glynn, and Hank Garrett;

Abe Lincoln in Illinois (1940), starring Raymond Massey, Ruth Gordon, Gene Lockhart, Mary Howard, Minor Watson, Howard Da Silva, and Alan Baxter;

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EPISODE 58 - "CLASSIC CINEMA'S HORROR HEROES: BELA LUGOSI & BORIS KARLOFF" - 10/21/2024

When you think of the classic Universal Studios monster movies of the 1930s and 1940s, the two names that come to mind are always BORIS KARLOFF and BELA LUGOSI. These two titans of the horror film genre gave us endless hours of chills and thrills in their portrayal of such iconic movie monsters as Dracula, Frankenstein’s Monster, and The Mummy. This week’s Halloween episode pays tribute to the films and lives of these two incredible actors. 

SHOW NOTES: 

Sources:

Karloff: The Life of Boris Karloff (1972), by Peter Underwood;

The Films of Boris Karloff (1974), by Richard Bojarski;

Lugosi: The Forgotten King (1986), Documentary;

Boris Karloff: More Than a Monster (2011), by Stephen Jacobs;

No Traveler Returns: The Lost Years of Bela Lugosi (2916), by Gary D. Rhodes & Bill Kaffenberger;

Bela Lugosi and Boris Karloff (2017), by Gregory William Mank;

Boris Karloff: A Gentleman’s Life (2018), by Scott Allen Nollen;

Lugosi: The Rise and Fall of Hollywood’s Dracula (2023), by Koren Shami;

“Actor Bela Lugosi, Dracula of Screen, Succumbs After Heart Attack at 73, August 17, 1956, Los Angeles Times;

“Boris Karloff Dead: Horror-Movie Star,” February 4. 1969, New York Times;

“Boris Karloff Dies In London Hospital at 81,” February 4, 1969, Los Angeles Times;

“In ‘The Black Cat,’ the Titans of Terror, Karloff and Lugosi, Face Off,” Oct. 26, 2018, New York Times;

BelaLugosi.com

RogerEbert.com

TCM.com;

IMDBPro.com;

IBDB.com;

Wikipedia.com;

Movies Mentioned: 

BELA LUGOSI:

The Silent Command (1923);

The Thirteenth Chair (1929);

Dracula (1931); 

Freaks (1932);

Mark of the Vampire (1935);

Murder In the Rue Morgue (1932);

Island of Lost Souls (1932);

The Black Cat (1934);

The Raven (1935);

Ninotchka (1939), starring Greta Garbo;

Son of Frankenstein (1939), starring Boris Karloff and Bela Lugosi;

Black Friday (1940);

You’ll Find Out (1940);

The Devil Bat (1940);

The Saint’s Double Trouble (1940);

The Wolf Man (1942);

The Ghost of Frankenstein (1942);

The Corpse Vanishes (1942);

Bowery At Midnight (1942);

Ghosts on the Loose (1943);

Zombie’s on Broadway (1945);

The Body Snatcher (1945);

Genius At Work (1946);

Abbott & Costello Meet Frankenstein (1948);

Plan 9 From Outer Space (1957);

BORIS KARLOFF:

The Lightning Raider (1919);

The Hope Diamond Mystery  (1920);

The Deadlier Sex (1920);

The Hellion (1923);

Omar The Tentmaker (1922); 

Dynamite Dan (1924);

Tarzan and the Golden Lion (1927);

The Criminal Code (1930);

Frankenstein (1931);

Scarface (1932);

The Mask of Fu Manchu (1932);

The Mummy (1932);

The Ghoul (1933);

Gift of Gab (1934);

The Invisible Ray (1935);

The Raven (1935);

The Bride of Frankenstein (1935);

The Son of Frankenstein (1939);

Mr. Wong, Detective (1938);

Black Friday (1940);

You’ll Find Out (1940);

House of Frankenstein (1944);

The Body Snatcher (1945);

Isle of the Dead (1945);

Bedlam (1946);

The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (1947);

Abbott and Costello Meet the Killer, Boris Karloff (1948);

The Strange Door (1951);

The Black Castle (1952);

The Island Monster (1954);

The Raven (1963);

The Terror (1963);

Die, Monster, Die! (1965);

Caldron of Blood (1968);

How The Grinch Stole Christmas (1966);

Targets (1968);

The Crimson Cult (1968);

Fear Chamber (1968);

House of Evil (1968);

Isle of the Snake People (1971);

The Incredible Invasion (1971);

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EPISODE 57 - “Old Hollywood’s Unlikely Casanova: Gene Markey” - 10/14/2024

GENE MARKEY was an interesting character. He was a Hollywood writer and producer who had a decent, but not spectacular career. But what makes him so fascinating is the company he keeps. This man was once married to three of the most beautiful and fascinating women in the world: JOAN BENNETT, HEDY LAMARR, and MYRNA LOY. He later left Hollywood behind and married a wealthy Kentucky horsewoman and lived happily ever after. This week we explore the life, career, and loves of this most unlikely Casanova.

SHOW NOTES: 

Sources:

Ecstasy and Me (1966), by Hedy Lamarr

Myrna Loy: Being and Becoming (1987), by James Kotsilibas & Myrna Loy

The Bennetts: An Acting Family (2004), by Brian Kellow;

Hollywood at the Races: Film's Love Affair With The Turf (2019), by Alan Shuck;

Hedy Lamarr: The Most Beautiful Woman in Film (2021), by Ruth Barton;

“Gene Markey, Author, Screenwriter, Producer, and Breeder of Horses Dies,” May 2, 1980, New York Times;

TCM.com;

IMDBPro.com;

IBDB.com;

Wikipedia.com;

Movies Mentioned: 

The Floradora Girl (1930), starring Marion Davies;

The Great Lover (1931), starring Adolphe Menjou & Irene Dunne;

She Wanted A Millionaire (1932), starring Joan Bennett & Spencer Tracy;

As You Desire Me (1932), starring Greta Garbo;

Baby Face (1933), starring Barbara Stanwyck;

Little Women (1933), starring Katharine Hepburn, Frances Dee, Joan Bennett, & Jean Parker;

Midnight Mary (1934), starring Loretta Young;

Fashions of 1934 (1934), starring Bette Davis;

Champagne Charlie (1936), starring Paul Cavanaugh;

Private Number (1936), starring Loretta Young & Robert Taylor;

Girl's Dormitory (1936), starring Ruth Chatterton;

Wee Willie Winkie (1937), starring Shirley Temple;

On The Avenue (1937), starring Dick Powell, Madeleine Carroll & Alice Faye;

Suez (1938), starring Tyrone Power & Loretta Young; 

Kentucky (1938), starring Loretta Young, Richard Greene, & Walter Brennan;

The Little Princess (1939), starring Shirley Temple;

The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (1939), starring Basil Rathbone;

Lillian Russell (1940), staring Alice Faye;

Algiers (1938), starring Charles Boyer & Hedy Lamarr;

Lady of The Tropics (1939)

Boom Town (1940), starring Clark Cable, Spencer Tracy, Hedy Lamarr & Claudette Colbert;

The Best Years Of Our Lives (1946), starring Fredric March, Myrna Loy, Dana Andrews & Teresa Wright;

Moss Rose (1947), starring Victor Mature & Peggy Cummins;

The Bachelor and The Bobby-Soxer (1947), withCary Grant, Myrna Loy, & Shirley Temple;

The Song Of The Thin Man (1947), starring William Powell & Myrna Loy;

Mr. Blanding Builds His Dream House (1948), starring Cary Grant & Myrna Loy;

Cheaper By The Dozen (1950), starring Clifton Webb, Myrna Loy, & Jeanne Crain;

Glory (1955) starring Margaret O’Brien;

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EPISODE 56 - “MARJORIE REYNOLDS: CLASSIC CINEMA STAR OF THE MONTH” - 10/07/2024

Most film fanatics agree that after the Paramount Picture’s holiday classic “Holiday Inn” (1942), actress MARJORIE REYNOLDS, who gave a star-turn as struggling actress Linda Mason who gets a break singing and dancing in the seasonal nightclub run by BING CROSBY, should have been a big star. However, for reasons not quite clear, she didn’t rise into the stratosphere. While she had a very respectable and long career, she just didn’t soar to the top, as expected. As our Star of the Month, we will take a look into Marjorie Reynolds’ life and career and explore our theories on why “Holiday Inn” did not make her a major star. 

SHOW NOTES: 

Sources:

Christmas In the Movies (2023), by Jeremy Arnold;

Whatever Became of…10th Series (1986), by Richard Lamparski;

My Heart Belongs (1976), by Mary Martin;

Scarlet Fever (1977), by William Pratt (including the collection of Herb Bridges);

The Film Lovers Companion (1997), by David Quinlan;

Biography of Marjorie Reynolds, July 25, 1942, Paramount Pictures; 

“Super Cinderella,” November 1942, by William Lynch value, Silver Screen magazine;

“Marjorie’s Horse Comes In,” November 7, 1942, by Kyle Crichton, Collier’s Magazine;

Versatility Pays Off for Marjorie Reynolds,” March 10, 1944, by Hedda Hopper, Los Angeles, Times;

“Divorce Plans Discussed by Miss Reynolds,” July 23, 1951, by Hedda Hopper, Los Angeles, Times;

“Marjorie Reynolds to Be Wed to Film Editor,” May 16, 1952, Los Angeles, Times;

“Marjorie Reynolds Weds Film Editor,” May 18, 1953, The Sedalia Democrat (Missouri);

“Marjorie Reynolds: Sixty Years in the Film Business,” April 1984, by Colin Briggs, Hollywood Studio Magazine;

“Marjorie Reynolds, 79, Actress, In Classic Films and on Television,” February 16, 1997, The New York Times;

TCM.com;

IMDBPro.com;

IBDB.com;

Wikipedia.com;

Movies Mentioned: 

Holiday Inn (1942), starring Bing Crosby, Fred Astaire, Marjorie Reynolds, & Virginia Dale;

Wine, Women, and Song (1933), starring Lilyan Tashman;

Murder In Greenwich Village (1937), starring Richard Arlen & Fay Wray;

Tex Rides With The Boy Scouts (1937), starring Tex Ritter;

The Overland Express (1938), starring Buck Jones;

Western Trails (1938), starring Bob Baker;

Six Shootin’ Sheriff (1938), starring Ken Maynard;

Star Spangled Rhythm (1942), starring Bob Hope, Bing Crosby, Dorothy Lamour, Veronica Lake, & Alan Ladd;

Dixie (1943), starring Bing Crosby & Dorothy Lamour;

Up In Mabel's Room (1944), starring Dennis O’Keefe & Gail Patrick;

Ministry of Fear (1944), starring Ray Milland;

Three Is A Family (1944), starring Charles Ruggles & Fay Bainter;

Bring On The Girls (1945), starring Veronica Lake & Eddie Bracken;

Monsieur Beaucaire (1946), starring Bob Hope & Joan Caulfield;

The Time Of Their Lives (1946), starring Bud Abbott & Lou Costello;

Meet Me On Broadway (1946), starring Fred Brady & Spring Byington;

Heaven Only Knows (1947), Bob Cummings & Brian Donlevy;

Badmen of Tombstone (1949), starring Barry Sullivan & Broderick Crawford;

That Midnight Kiss (1949), starring Mario Lanza & Kathryn Grayson;

The Great Jewel Robber (1950), starring David Brian;

Home Town Story (1951), starring Jeffry Lynn, Alan Hale Jr, & Marilyn Monroe;

Models, Inc (1952), starring Howard Duff & Coleen Gray;

His Kind of Woman (1951), starring Robert Mitchum, Jane Russell, & Vincent Price;

The Silent Witness (1962), starring Tristram Coffin & George Kennedy;

Pearl (1978), starring Angie Dickinson, Dennis Weaver, & Robert Wagner;

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