Watching Classic Movies podcast returns on April 12 and this one’s going to be special.   I wrote a travel guide for classic movie fans, full of destinations sure to delight lovers of vintage Hollywood.   At the heart of The Classic Film Fan USA Travel Guide: Over 500 Attractions for Road Trips and Online Exploration are good people running fascinating places that bring the movies to life.   This season I’m going to talk to several of them and shine a light on some of the most...

When I saw that a social media filter featuring the dancing ghost of Koko the Clown had gone viral, I had to know the story behind it. What I found was a great team that is working to preserve the timeless ‘toons of Max Fleischer, which featured Betty Boop, Popeye, Koko the Clown, and consisted of hundreds of fascinating animated shorts. This is my first dual interview on the show. Ray Pointer has been a Fleischer scholar for decades. He is the author of the essential Fleischer Studios tome...

My guest, Lara Gabrielle is the author of Captain of Her Soul: The Life of Marion Davies. We talked about Davies career, which was more successful than rumor would have it, her unique and mysterious long-term relationship with William Randolph Hearst, the enormous good she did for friends, family, and the community, and how unraveling the myths about her is a crucial part of telling her story.  You can learn more about Lara’s book and how to buy it at University of California Press.  Films...

My guest, Paula Yoo is a screenwriter, producer, violinist and author of several books for young readers including the gorgeous picture book Shining Star: The Anna May Wong Story, with illustrations by Lin Wang. We talked about the significance of the new quarter featuring Wong, the first Asian American to be on US currency, her difficult, but fruitful career as a movie actress and how her story relates to the challenges we face as a society today.  Learn more about Paula Yoo’s books on...

My guest, Tom Zimmerman is the author of The Queen of Technicolor: Maria Montez in Hollywood.  Montez was a unique star, imperious, but warm, not known for her acting ability, but skilled in committing completely to a role, whether in a skimpy costume for the six legendary Neverland films she made for Universal, or in a grittier setting, such as for her more noirish European roles.  We talked about the magnetism, determination, and integrity of this remarkable woman.  The Queen of...

My guest, Luis Reyes, is the author of Viva Hollywood: The Legacy of Latin and Hispanic Artists in American Film. We talked about the changing representation of this varied and vibrant group in Hollywood, and artists from the popular to the underseen, while celebrating the fact that Latin and Hispanic people in film have long been an integral part of the industry with many towering accomplishments and innovations to offer.  Viva Hollywood: The Legacy of Latin and Hispanic Artists in American...

I was honored to spend time with my guest, director, writer, producer, and playwright George Stevens Jr., founder of the American Film Institute, creator of the AFI Life Achievement Award and the Kennedy Center Honors, and winner of honors including the Emmy, Oscar, Peabody Award, and Writers Guild Award.  He began his career helping his father, Hollywood director George Stevens make films and later moved to Washington D.C. to make films for Edward R. Murrow, where in addition to his...

My guest, Lora Stocker is a graphic designer, artist , and illustrator who has worked with Turner Classic Movies social media. She’s also a board member of and social media strategist for the Ava Gardner Museum in Smithfield, North Carolina. We talked about the different phases of Gardner’s five decade career, how she went from an untrained discovery to an accomplished actress, and both her popular films and some lesser known suggested picks.  Films featured in this episode:  Ghosts on...

My guest is Millie De Chirico, programmer for Turner Classic Movies, including TCM Underground, and co-host of the essential movie podcast I Saw What You Did.  While it is a period in her career that many find lacking, Millie and I are big fans of the movies Elizabeth Taylor made from the mid-sixties through the seventies. We had a talk about the unique magic of Taylor in middle-age, still beautiful and outrageously famous, but making bolder choices in her performances and choice of...

My guest, Rachel Boyce is an expert on 1960s and 18th Century fashion and the films that feature these styles. She shares that knowledge on her fascinating Instagram account, where I learn new things all the time.  Rachel also collects vintage fashion. We talked about her most treasured acquisition: a dress owned by Sharon Tate, in addition the care of and ethics around vintage fashion, finding your true self through personal style, and how the 60s and 18th century are more closely linked in...

My guest, John DiLeo, has written seven books about film. His latest is There are No Small Parts: 100 Outstanding Film Performances with Screen Time of 10 Minutes or Less. We talked about the special characteristics of a brief, but potent screen performances and the many stars who made a lasting impression in a short appearance.  To learn more about John DiLeo and his books, go to his official website. The show is available on Spotify, PocketCasts, Breaker, Stitcher, Anchor, Google, Radio...

YouTube channel. Transcript: I attended the TCM Classic Film Festival for the first time in 2014 and almost immediately I knew I would return. And I have for every festival since. My first year had some bumps. It took a bit of time and a lot of trial and error to learn how to enjoy this event to the fullest. With so many options, I found it was easy to burn out. But I did learn. This is how I navigate the TCM Classic Film Festival. Since it’s a festival made specifically for classic film...

In 1973, filmmaker Bill Gunn’s vampire/addiction movie Ganja & Hess was a sensation at the Cannes Film Festival. Starring Duane Jones, Marlene Clark, musician Sam Waymon, and Gunn himself, this mysterious, fascinating film should have been an arthouse sensation in the States. Instead it played a single New York theater for two weeks, before it was pulled and eventually re-edited in a more conventional manner for the exploitation market. I talked with Christopher Sieving, author of...

My guest, Alicia Malone is a TCM host and the author of Backwards in Heels: The Past, Present, and Future of Women Working in Film, The Female Gaze: Essential Movies Made by Women and her latest Girls on Film: Lessons from a Life of Watching Women in Movies. We talked about her journey to embrace her authentic self, what she’s focusing on next in her remarkable career, and how her perspective on film has grown and changed over years of movie fandom.  To learn more about Alicia's latest book...

My guest Brian Sauer writes the review site Rupert Pupkin Speaks, hosts the podcast and YouTube channel Just the Discs, and is co-host of the official New Beverly Cinema podcast Pure Cinema.  As the complete Thin Man mystery series has been released on Blu-ray for the first time, we celebrated by talking about the many fascinating and amusing elements of these six movies and the legendary pairing of series stars Myrna Loy and William Powell.  Keep up with Brian: Pure Cinema Podcast, Just...

Kristen Lopez of Ticklish Business is one of my favorite classic film bloggers and podcasters. She's long had an interest in classic film biopics. We talked about the hits and misses in this most fascinating genre.  Keep up with Kristen:  Ticklish Business Blog  Ticklish Business Podcast  Instagram  Twitter The show is available on Spotify, PocketCasts, Breaker, Stitcher, Anchor, Google and Radio Public. Watching Classic Movies podcast is also available on Apple Podcasts! If you...

Martin Turnbull is the author of several novels, including the nine book Garden of Allah series and his latest, All the Gin Joints. We talked about the history of the Garden of Allah Hotel and how it has influenced his writing.  Learn more about Martin’s novels here.  For loads of great Hollywood history and photos, follow Martin on Twitter. The show is available on Spotify, PocketCasts, Breaker, Stitcher, Anchor, Google and Radio Public. Watching Classic Movies podcast is also now...

Love all the classic film GIFs online? That is thanks in part to my guest, GIPHY Editor Tiffany Vazquez, who has made a career of bringing brief, but potent moving images to millions of users. While Tiffany loves sharing movie history and fun clips with the masses, there’s so much more to her work, from ways to make life easier to highlighting vibrant moments from the past. We had a great talk about the magnificent power and variety of GIFs. You can follow Tiffany on Twitter and...

My guest Paula Guthat is the co-founder of Cinema Detroit and the popular TCM Party hashtag. She came to me with a dilemma, how do you react when you learn that one of your cinematic favs has done something horrific? The answer is personal, often not definitive, and complicated, especially when you are a film programmer as Paula is. We talked about the issue as it relates to our past, present, and future. For show notes, go to watchingclassicmovies.com --- Support this podcast:...

This episode I went into a classic horror deep dive with my guest Miguel Rodriguez, founder and director of the Horrible Imaginings Film Festival. While talking about some great films, we discussed when the style of horror as we know it emerged, when it transitioned from the classic era to the modern age, how what scares us is so personal and how what makes a monster has changed with the times. We had a quick visit from Miguel’s daughter Scarlett, a budding film festival director, I hope you...

I’ve been fascinated by silent film accompanists ever since I saw an organist playing jaunty tunes for Charlie Chaplin shorts at a local pizza parlor as a kid.  Accompanist, composer and film historian Ben Model has accompanied silent films since his college years. His career has taken him around the world. In pandemic time, he’s found a new international audience from his living room, streaming comedy shorts and live accompaniment via The Silent Comedy Watch Party with his co-host, film...

Joan Harrison was one of only three women producing films during the studio age. Also a talented screenwriter, she was instrumental in helping Alfred Hitchcock develop his style on films including Rebecca and Foreign Correspondent, in addition to his long-running television shows. She was key in molding the film noir genre with movies like the edgy for their time The Phantom Lady and They Won’t Believe Me, and she also pushed boundaries with several television dramas. I talked about this...

From his beloved film guides, books, and tenure on Entertainment Tonight to his podcast Maltin on Movies, Leonard Maltin has been a part of my movie-watching life for as long as I can remember. He tells all in the fascinating new memoir Starstruck: My Unlikely Road to Hollywood. We talked about his life, career, and most treasured achievement. You can read my review of Mr. Maltin’s book here. For a signed, personalized copy of the book, while supplies last, go to Larry Edmunds...

There’s no star quite like the glittering, charismatic, and forever modern Josephine Baker. In the book Josephine Baker’s Cinematic Prism my guest Terri Simone Francis explains why Baker’s movies, while a small part of a phenomenal career are an important and enduring part of her legacy. Dr. Francis has also recently introduced a collection of four restored Josephine Baker films currently streaming on The Criterion Channel. We talked about the remarkable screen presence, agency, and appeal of...

When the movies were new, Vitagraph was the most successful film studio in the world. This was a time where as much as 85% of the population was seeing movies on a regular basis; that number is now less than 10%. Vitagraph’s innovations are numerous and influential to the present day, but the impact of the company has been overlooked in accounts of the time, until now. I spoke with Andrew Erish, author of Col. William N. Selig: The Man Who Invented Hollywood, about his new book Vitagraph:...