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In this episode we explore the classic film in anticipation of the 2026 adaptation of Emily Bronte's Wuthering Heights.   Topics covered include: What are moors anyway?Defining characteristics of gothic storytelling.Behind-the-scenes stories in the making of the 1939 version of Wuthering Heights.Jennifer's rating of this film. Check out Jennifer's Substacks: The Idle Hour Notebook (1,000 Beautiful Things): https://jenniferpassariello.substack.com/ The Vintage Century Idle Hour Companion: https://vcihcompanion.substack.com/  Jennifer's You Tube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@VintageCenturyIdleHour

Joan Crawford vs. Norma Shearer — Old Hollywood rivalry, Oscar glory, and the beauty standards they defied. In this episode, we explore the real-life tension between two MGM legends and their Academy Award–winning performances in The Divorcee (1939) and Mildred Pierce (1944).  We also dive into classic Hollywood beauty ideals — and how Crawford and Shearer challenged the standard definition of beauty. Topics: Classic Hollywood • Joan Crawford • Norma Shearer • Oscar history • Old Hollywood rivalry • The Divorcee • Mildred Pierce • MGM • Film history • Beauty standards in film. Check out Jennifer's Substacks: The Idle Hour Notebook (1,000 Beautiful Things): https://jenniferpassariello.substack.com/ The Vintage Century Idle Hour Companion: https://vcihcompanion.substack.com/  Jennifer's You Tube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@VintageCenturyIdleHour

In this episode, we dive into The Women (1939), one of classic Hollywood’s most unconventional studio-era films. Featuring an entirely all-woman cast, this  comedy-drama pulls back the curtain on marriage, friendship, betrayal, and social power among Manhattan’s elite...but is it any good? We look at why The Women is a classic and also zoom in on the onscreen (and offscreen?) rivalry of two of the studio-era's most iconic stars:  Norma Shearer and Joan Crawford. In other news...we'll talk about why 2026 is THE year to take a road trip to discover old Route 66, and I have a couple of book recommendations that are mind blowers. All of this and the usual goofy banter is on tonight's episode of the Vintage Century Idle Hour.

Happy new year!  Four Daughters is tonight’s featured story, and if it hasn’t been on your radar, you should get it on there!  Jennifer is also going to talk about new year's goals--and an alternative she has come up with.  She attended her first retreat this month, so everyone has to hear about that, and then we take a brief look back in time at the Golden Globe awards.  All of this--and the usual goofy stuff--is on the menu tonight, on the Vintage Century Idle Hour. Check out Jennifer's Substacks: The Idle Hour Notebook: https://jenniferpassariello.substack.com/ The Vintage Century Idle Hour Companion: https://vcihcompanion.substack.com/  Jennifer's You Tube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@VintageCenturyIdleHour

A Star is Born has been remade three times.  It must be the greatest story ever told…right?  We’re going to find out in tonight’s show.  Also, Jennifer has some Disney news from her home town of Kansas City, Missouri.  Then, she ponders what the deal is with hobbies nowadays.  Why is there all this pressure to monetize everything?  She's going to sort it all out.  That signpost up ahead is the Vintage Century Idle Hour.  Jennifer will meet you there. Check out Jennifer's Substacks: The Idle Hour Notebook: https://jenniferpassariello.substack.com/ The Vintage Century Idle Hour Companion: https://vcihcompanion.substack.com/

Tonight Jennifer's talking about two films—both are fun to watch, but one is vastly superior to the other, in her opinion:  I Bury the Living and Village of the Damned.   Then she'll turn her attention to “audience-ology,” the study of how audience reactions shape the films we ultimately see in theaters.  She'll celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Rockettes and learn what it takes to be one. And finally, she'll tell you about a movie out on YouTube right now that is perfect for…introverts. This all sounds too irresistible to miss, doesn’t it?  It’s all coming up dead ahead, on the Vintage Century Idle Hour. Checkout Jennifer's Substacks: The Idle Hour Notebook: https://jenniferpassariello.substack.com/ The Vintage Century Idle Hour Companion: https://vcihcompanion.substack.com/

Our main topic this week is Stage Door, a fun ensemble film from 1937 starring Ginger Rogers, Katherine Hepburn, and Lucille Ball.  That’s our featured film this week, but we have a few other things on the agenda as well: Jennifer is going to introduce you to a show from the 1970s that offers some great stories to fall asleep by.  She then has a tale of two books:  one you should add to your reading list...and one that you shouldn't.  Finally, Jennifer has a little personal announcement.  We get to all of it on this episode of The Vintage Century Idle Hour.  Check out Jennifer's new Substack:  https://jenniferpassariello.substack.com/

Is Top Hat a tolerable musical?   |   Books to read and avoid   |   New Job, new Jennifer For a video version of this episode, check out my YouTube channel, Vintage Century Idle Hour. Variety show podcast with reviews of classic movies. Hi there!  I'm Jennifer, and this is my little variety show.  I talk about old movies, tell stories, and cure insomnia.  Commuters, cleaners, crafters, clock-watchers, and multi-taskers, this one's for you!  Let's keep each other company.  Thanks for listening!

Hi, everyone!  I hope you're having a great summer.  In anticipation of Season 2 of the Idle Hour podcast, I'm revealing the list of films I'm going to be exploring when we start up again in August.  This was produced as a video on my YouTube channel (The Vintage Century Idle Hour), so if you want to see me and my Notion page, you can check it all out there.  When you are looking for something to watch this summer, why not check out one or more of the films on my list?  That way, when we cover the film on the show, you'll know all about the plot and will have your own opinions.  Movies are more fun when they are watched--and talked about--together! The Season 2 Films: Top Hat Stage Door A Star is Born Four Daughters The Women How Green Was My Valley The Magnificent Ambersons Laura Double Indemnity Going My Way Brief Encounter The Lost Weekend Rope A Letter to Three Wives Shane In a Lonely Place  A Place in the Sun War of the Worlds On the Waterfront The Country Girl Vertigo The Goddess I Bury the Living Village of the Damned The Shop Around the Corner Miracle on 34th Street

It’s episode 20 of the Vintage Century Idle Hour!  That’s right, we’ve circled the track 20 times, explored 19 films, broken in three announcers, and tried out—how many pretend sponsors?  Jennifer can't remember how many.  Several.  And now it’s time to wrap up our first season.  Let’s take a short stroll down memory lane–tonight, on the Vintage Century Idle Hour.

At long last Jennifer is exploring a science fiction film.  Some of the best science fiction films, in her opinion, are from the 1950s—the atomic age, when the future looked bright and scary at the same time.  Well, tonight she's diving into a seminal atomic age science fiction film, The Day the Earth Stood Still.  She got so invested—and so distracted—by this story, that she was actually late to an appointment and caused a lot of inconvenience for everyone involved.  Was The Day the Earth Stood Still worth it?  She says yes—but not in the way you might think. Then, on a completely unrelated note…Jennifer's dog Olive’s birthday is this month, so in her honor, she thought we’d spend some time with famous canine actors from Hollywood’s Golden Age.  Those dogs made their owners wealthy.  Maybe that will give Olive some ideas. Klaatu Barada Nikto—tonight, on the Vintage Century Idle Hour.

Tonight on the Idle Hour we have another case of Hollywood telling its own story.  A few episodes back we explored another such tale when we featured the 1950 film All About Eve. That movie is about show business—mostly the stage—and the biting and clawing and scheming that goes into the making of a star.  Well, now we’re giving some love and attention to the “not so happily ever after” story of stardom in Sunset Boulevard.  Sunset Boulevard and All About Eve were both contenders for the 1950 Academy Award for Best Picture;  All About Eve came out on top.  Did the Academy get that right?  We’ll come to our own conclusions.  Then, after tonight’s trivia question Jennifer wants to talk about planning and planners.  Her personal planning cycle follows the academic calendar, so she's gathering her planning stuff to start fresh again in July.  But when did personal planning systems become a thing?  Jennifer's not sure if she's ready for the year ahead…but you know what she IS ready for, Mr. DeMille?  Her closeup--tonight, on the Vintage Century Idle Hour.

When did the word “gaslight” change from a noun to a verb?  There for a while, it seemed everyone was trying to “gaslight” someone else–at least according to all the chatter on social media.  Jennifer's not entirely sure people really knew what that meant–and she's extremely sure a lot of people didn’t know where the term came from.  Well, guess what?  It’s a reference to tonight’s featured film from 1944, Gaslight.  She'll set the record straight on gaslighting tonight—and more importantly, she’ll walk through the story told through this famous film.   Then, on a completely unrelated note, Jennifer will give an informative report on her garage sale.  It’s over now.  How did she do? What sold? What didn’t even get a second look?  And now that she's cleared her house of a lot of stuff, should Jennifer start filling it up again with a new collection?  Help Jennifer talk herself out of that, will you?  Tonight on the Vintage Century Idle Hour.

Jennifer has spent the majority of her career working in corporations, and while the industries, services, policies, systems, technologies, and even the names and faces of the colleagues, change over time, there’s one truth that remains eternal:  work brings out the worst in people!  Organizational life has a way of changing us, making us—sad.  Rod Serling, the writer of tonight’s featured film, Patterns, must have felt the same way, because he dealt with this theme multiple times–not just in Patterns, as we’ll see tonight, but in some of his Twilight Zone episodes as well.  Jennifer offers no solutions to this problem, but Patterns provides a case study, and perhaps we can learn a few lessons, in tonight’s episode of the Vintage Century Idle Hour.

Well, we have a melodrama this week–a bit of a downer, to be honest.  Our featured film, Dark Victory, is about a young woman in the prime of life who is dying.  Not a lot of laughs, this one.  But more than that, this is a profile in fear, and that’s why Jennifer finds this film interesting.  Our main character is—understandably—afraid.  She’s on a personal journey to find her courage–and she doesn’t have long.  As a person who’s been very anxious about all sorts of things her whole life, this one speaks to Jennifer directly.  If you’ve already “died a thousand deaths,” Dark Victory might be for you, too.  It’s dead ahead, on the Vintage Century Idle Hour. Link: Thomas Flight:  Why Does Acting Feel so Different Now? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TVvHTbqip5M&t=2285s