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There is no period in film history quite like theso-called pre-Code era, where the new production code put in place to keep thefilm industry in line didn’t quite do what it was intended to do for a few years. Kim Luperi of I See a Dark Theater and the Pre-Code Instagram account and Danny Reid of Pre-Code.com have studied and written about this cinematicperiod for several years. We talked about their new book from TCM, Pre-Code Essentials: Must-See Cinema from Hollywood's Untamed Era, 1930-1934, unpacked some of the most intriguing films from their selections, and mulled over why Pre-Codes are endlessly fascinating and popular with classic film fans   Buy a signed book from Larry Edmunds: https://www.larryedmunds.com/product-page/pre-code-essentials-must-see-cinemafrom-hollywood-s-untamed-era-1930-1934   Book event information: https://linktr.ee/precodehollywood   Keep up with Kim: https://www.iseeadarktheater.com/ https://www.instagram.com/precodedotcom/   Keep up with Danny: https://pre-code.com/

My guest is Esther Bley, creator of the beautifully-curated Queer Animation database and writer for Cartoon Research. We talked about queer images in animation from the pre-Code era to the present day, how cartoon representation differs from live action, and the animation they find most interesting from each era.   Queer Animation https://queeranimation.omeka.net/   Esther’s Work at Cartoon Research https://cartoonresearch.com/index.php/category/the-cartoon-closet/   More links for Esther: Patreon https://www.patreon.com/queeranimation   Instagram https://www.instagram.com/queeranimation/   Tiktok https://www.tiktok.com/@queeranimation   Tumblr https://queeranimations.tumblr.com/ Queer Animation Playlist (includes titles discussed in this episode) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OUZBEz-FrZM&list=PLj3-hIKmvt6Xnqq3XbNA7HOtmvKJZlyan

The six films that Humphrey Bogart and director John Huston made together are some of the best of Hollywood’s golden age. These men are also complex and endlessly fascinating. I spoke with author Nat Segaloffabout their shared legacy and his new book, Bogart and Huston: Their Lives,Their Adventures, and the Classic Movies They Made Together.   Check out Nat Segaloff’s many books, and see a cute pic of his Italian Greyhound Louie at his official site: http://www.natsegaloff.com/    

Lately I’ve been fascinated by the roles Hayley Mills played in her early adult years. The parts she picked in an effort to shake off the Disney child-star image are a mixed bag, but through it all Mills was always mesmerizing. I could think of no one better to discuss this with thanKate Gabrielle, artist and author of the Scathingly Brilliant blog.   Kate’s official site: https://kategabrielle.com/   Kate’s Hayley Mills pin sets for sale: https://kategabrielle.com/search?type=product&q=hayley+mills   Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/kategabrielle   Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kategabrielle   Linktree https://linktr.ee/kategabrielle

From the first rebellious strains of the title tune by the Red Crayola, I knew Born In Flames (1983) was going to be a special movie. It was anhonor to talk about this timeless film with Director Lizzie Borden. She was deeply involved with the production of a new Blu-ray release of the film from Criterion Collection and we had a great talk about how Born in Flames was made,its evolving influence over the years, and how it felt to look back on it all in the production of this remarkable release.   Born in Flames Soundtrack Playlist https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLj3-hIKmvt6VrjorUn01M3ub4_W6C7J94&si=BYys5Gqfy3765vlD   The Official Born in Flames Website https://www.borninflamesmovie.com/   Kathleen Hanna discusses Born in Flames https://thedissolve.com/features/mad-love/298-kathleen-hanna-on-the-film-thats-inspired-her-for-/   Criterion Collection Release of Born in Flames https://www.criterion.com/films/30707-born-in-flames

My guest is Kristina Dijan, writer of the longtime blog Speakeasy and a senior writer at the Dark Pages film noir newsletter. Kristina and I met at the TCM Classic Film Festival over a decade ago, where we quickly discovered a shared lovefor cult and genre films. In the years since we have shared hundreds of film suggestions with each other. This episode we decided to put down our phones and discuss our favorite underseen Giallos face-to-face.   We had so many ideas for follow-up episodes, that Kristina suggested we start our own podcast, where we could share ourconversation with fans of cult and genre films. Get ready for Psychotronic Sisters coming soon wherever you subscribe to podcasts. Stay tuned at the end of the show to learn more!   More about Kristina: https://hqofk.wordpress.com/ https://www.allthatnoir.com/newsletter/    Films Discussed: Short Night of Glass Dolls (1971) Possessed (1965) The Strangler (1970) In The Eye of the Hurricane/Fox with a Velvet Tail (1971) Queens of Evil (1970) Blazing Magnum/Shadows in an Empty Room (1976) The Red Queen Kills Seven Times (1972)  

My guest is Caroline Young, author of Single & Psycho: How Pop Culture Created the Unstable Single Woman. We talked about the many ways unmarried women are represented in movies and television and how they are often vilified. From Fatal Attraction and its fascinating inspiration Diversion to Gone Girl and the singletons of Bridget Jones and Sex and the City, we covered a lot of ground.   More about Caroline:   Instagram https://www.instagram.com/carolinejillyoung/   Official Site www.carolinejyoung.com   Titles discussed: Diversion (1979) Fatal Attraction (1987) Thelma and Louise (1991) Basic Instinct (1992) The Hand That Rocks the Cradle (1992) Sex and the City (TV, 1998) Obsession (2023) Fatal Attraction (TV, 2023) The Girl on the Train (2016) Gone Girl (2014) Promising Young Woman (2020) The Boy Next Door (2015) The Real Fatal Attraction (2025) Baby Reindeer (2024)

Though he has appeared in over two hundred films and television shows for generations of fans, Cesar Romero will always be theJoker. While his series of guest appearances in the 1960s Batman show is undeniably memorable, there’s a lot more to both Romero the man and the actor. My guest is SamuelGarza Bernstein, author of Cesar Romero: The Joker Is Wild. We discussed themost fascinating performances of this elegant, underrated talent who always maintainedthe heights of his stardom and lived life to the fullest with remarkable kindness and positivity.   More about Samuel: https://samuelgarzabernstein.com/SAM-Work.html https://www.instagram.com/starringsamuelgarzabernstein/   Samuel’s Recommendations: Deep Waters (1948) Oceans Eleven (1966) The Little Princess (1939) Wee Willie Winkie (1937)   Other Films Discussed: The Devil is a Woman (1935) Two on a Guillotine (1965) Batman (1966) The Haunted Mouth (1977) Latitude Zero (1969) The Timber Tramps (1973) Simple Justice (1989) Midas Run (1969)

One of the best decisions I ever made was to attend the TCM Classic Film Festival and I’ve done that for several years. There are thousandsof movie fans who feel the same way. This one-of-a-kind event is as much about the community it draws as it is its films, panels, guests, and welcoming TCM hosts. I have spent many hours at the festival with my guests Aurora Bugallo,who writes the Once Upon A Screen blog  and who is active on social media as CitizenScreen and Karen Burroughs Hannsberry who writes the Shadows and Satin blog, iseditor of the bi-monthly film noir publication the Dark Pages Newsletter and is author of Femme Noir: Bad Girls of Film and Bad Boys: The Actors of Film Noir. We had a lot of laughs and even got a bit emotional reminiscing about the manyways our days together in Hollywood were memorable, heartwarming, and even lifechanging. More about Aurora: https://citizenscreen.tumblr.com/ https://www.instagram.com/citizenscreen https://aurorasginjoint.com/(Once Upon a Screen)    More about Karen: https://shadowsandsatin.wordpress.com/ https://www.allthatnoir.com/     Maureen O’Hara at TCMFF 2014: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3b30uO1dHjo&list=PLA2C9D52AB7280FC5&index=15  

My guest is Christopher S. Connelly, author of Helen Morgan: The Original Torch Singer and Ziegfeld’s Last Star. Morgan was a hugely popular singer and actress who set the template for musical theater performance style. We talked about Morgan’s big heart, her deeply emotional connection with audiences, and how her approach to life was more Auntie Mame than as the downtrodden songstress she has been typically rumored to be.   Learn more about the book and where to buy it here: https://www.kentuckypress.com/9781985900592/helen-morgan/   The show is available on— Apple, Spotify, Amazon Music, PocketCasts, Google, and Radio Public   Like the podcast? Subscriptions are as low as 99 cents a month: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/k-cruver/support   You can also support my work on ko-fi: https://ko-fi.com/watchingclassicmovies

Robert Bellissimo has had me as his guest on his excellent Robert Bellissimo at the Movies video podcast two times: once to discuss the sci-fi/film noir Repeat Performance (1947) and recently to talk about Joan Crawford in Autumn Leaves (1956). In this episode we discuss Sudden Fear (1952) which has the noir and theater world characteristics of that first film and the star of the second. We talked in detail about the look, sound, plotting, and stars of this fascinating independent production that served as a perfectly noirish backdrop for one of Crawford’s best performances.   Robert Bellissimo at the Movies YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@RobertBellissimoAtTheMovies   Follow Robert--   Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/robertbellissimoatthemovies/   Facebook https://www.facebook.com/RobertBellissimoAtTheMovies/   Our conversation about the film noir Repeat Performance (1947): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=emz7yABM4kU   Our conversation about another Joan Crawford film, Autumn Leaves (1956): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qq9jzs2dqOU   Robert interviews Joan Crawford: Ferocious Ambition author Robert Dance: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fd00zZdaUIA   Kendahl interviews Joan Crawford: Ferocious Ambition author Robert Dance: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QE3iiOsCwM8   The show is available on— Apple, Spotify, Amazon Music, PocketCasts, Google, and Radio Public   Like the podcast? Subscriptions are as low as 99 cents a month: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/k-cruver/support   You can also support my work on ko-fi: https://ko-fi.com/watchingclassicmovies

It is rare to find a new film book that is destined to be a classic, but Corpses, Fools and Monsters: The History and Future of Transness in Cinema is just that. Co-written by Willow Catelyn Maclay and Caden Mark Gardner this well-curated mix of films, criticism, and history covers the highs and lows of trans representation both in front of and behind the camera and celebrates the wealth of trans talent now making films. I spoke with Willow about some of the stand-out films from the book, what it was like to write and research such a complex project, and what trans filmmakers need to thrive as they expand their presence in the movies.   Buy Corpses, Fools and Monsters: The History and Future of Transness in Cinema-- https://bookshop.org/p/books/corpses-fools-and-monsters-an-examination-of-trans-film-images-in-cinema-willow-maclay/                                                                              Follow Willow Catelyn Maclay: https://www.instagram.com/willowcatelyn/ https://www.patreon.com/willowcatelynmaclay   Follow Caden Mark Gardner: https://www.instagram.com/corpsesfoolsandmonsters   Follow a trans film maker. Buy a DVD/Bluray/VHS/streaming access! Buy some merch! Louise Weard: https://louiseweard.bigcartel.com/ https://linktr.ee/LCWJ   Vera Drew: https://tv.apple.com/us/movie/the-peoples-joker/umc.cmc.7h7jov9x5534llwd5a3bu5kf9 https://diabolikdvd.com/product/le-slipcover-peoples-joker-altered-innocence-blu-ray-all-region-preorder/ https://diabolikdvd.com/product/vhs-peoples-joker-altered-innocence-ntsc-vhs-preorder https://www.patreon.com/veradrew22   Jane Schoenbrun https://www.janeschoenbrun.com/ https://www.instagram.com/janedoesnotknow   Alice Maio Mackay https://www.instagram.com/alice_maiomackay/   Isabel Sandoval https://www.instagram.com/isabelvsandoval/?hl=en https://www.criterion.com/current/top-10-lists/377-isabel-sandoval-s-top-10   The show is available on— Apple, Spotify, Amazon Music, PocketCasts, Google, and Radio Public   Like the podcast? Subscriptions are as low as 99 cents a month: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/k-cruver/support   You can also support my work on ko-fi: https://ko-fi.com/watchingclassicmovies

With a collection of nearly 150,000 titles, Scarecrow Video in Seattle, Washington is one of the largest, if not the largest publicly available archives of film in the world. US customers can rent in the store or by mail and anyone can purchase all sorts of amazing items from its official website. Open since 1988, and a not-for-profit run by its employees since 2014, it had never been easy to keep the store going, but this collective has set a goal to raise 1.8 million dollars in order to keep its doors open and to build a sustainable structure so that its employees can focus on what they do best: sharing the amazing world of movies with its loyal customers.   I spoke with Scarecrow Social Media Manager and Development Assistant Malakie Peters about the progress the not-for-profit has made in its fundraising efforts, how anyone can benefit from and support Scarecrow, and what her current favorite flicks are in a collection so massive that even as an employee she finds new treasures all the time.   Direct donation link: https://scarecrow.app.neoncrm.com/forms/sos   Scarecrow Video Official Site: https://scarecrowvideo.org/   The Scarecrow Video Shop: https://sv-archive.square.site/   The show is available on— Apple, Spotify, Amazon Music, PocketCasts, Google, and Radio Public   Like the podcast? Subscriptions are as low as 99 cents a month: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/k-cruver/support   You can also support my work on ko-fi: https://ko-fi.com/watchingclassicmovies

My guest is John DiLeo, author of eight film books, including his latest, Not Even Nominated: 40 Overlooked Costars of Oscar-Winning Performances. We talked about the common characteristics of great performances that nevertheless get overlooked for awards attention, some of our favorite deserving performances, and the way perception makes a movie a unique experience for each viewer.   Learn more about John DiLeo’s many film books, including Not Even Nominated: 40 Overlooked Costars of Oscar-Winning Performances here: https://www.johndileo.com/works.htm   Follow John on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/john.dileo.12/   Listen to our previous chat about his book There Are No Small Parts: 100 Outstanding Film Performances with Screen Time of 10 Minutes or Less: http://www.watchingclassicmovies.com/2022/07/watching-classic-movies-podcast-john.html   The show is available on— Apple, Spotify, Amazon Music, PocketCasts, Google, and Radio Public   Like the podcast? Subscriptions are as low as 99 cents a month: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/k-cruver/support   You can also support my work on ko-fi: https://ko-fi.com/watchingclassicmovies  

My guest is Nat Segaloff, author of The Exorcist Legacy: 50 Years of Fear. Nat is uniquely qualified to write about this controversial classic. As a publicist working for the film, he was standing guard outside the auditorium doors for the first press screening . He knew director William Friedkin, and wrote his authorized biography and spent time with Exorcist novelist/screenwriter William Peter Blatty. We talked about the many versions and sequels of the Exorcist, the women who were integral to the creation and execution of the story, and how while nothing can match the original film, the movies it inspired have a lot to offer.   More about the books we discussed:   The Exorcist Legacy: 50 Years of Fear https://www.kensingtonbooks.com/9780806541945/the-exorcist-legacy/   Breaking the Code: Otto Preminger vs. Hollywood’s Censors https://www.amazon.com/Breaking-Code-Preminger-Hollywoods-Censors/dp/1493074881   The Naughty Bits: What The Censors Wouldn't Let You See in Hollywood's Most Famous Movies https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-naughty-bits-nat-segaloff/1145630555   A previous episode where we discuss Nat’s book about Scarface: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/nat-segaloff-author-of-say-hello-to-my-little-friend/id1595631474?i=1000644783035   More about Nat Segaloff: http://www.natsegaloff.com/   The show is available on— Apple, Spotify, Amazon Music, PocketCasts, Google, and Radio Public   Like the podcast? Subscriptions are as low as 99 cents a month: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/k-cruver/support   You can also support my work on ko-fi: https://ko-fi.com/watchingclassicmovies