Animal Farm by George Orwell was just remade into an animated film by Angel Studios. In this episode I give a little background info about Orwell, his life and the world around him to help understand Animal Farm.

This is one of the earliest and most important -and most enduring- works of the Cold War. I know most of us have either read it or seen the 1951 (CIA sponsored) cartoon, so I’m mostly reaching out to people encountering it for the first time now…but maybe it’s been a while for you! Enjoy. This one is short and more off the cuff than usual.

Today we’re talking about one of the key films of the Cold War, The Day The Earth Stood still.

In the film a humanoid alien, Klaatu, delivers a message to Earth - live peacefully or else. Through Klaatu’s interactions with humans we look at our society through a mile high (or 200 million “earth miles”?) lens. It’s a good snapshot of Cold War America and fears for the future - utopia or destruction…and it’s up to us (which isn’t promising, as we’ll see).

On some levels it seems like beauty pageant tier politics, but digging a little deeper it brings up questions of the use of force in order to shape the world as you want it.

This is one of the best sci-fi films ever made. Enjoy.

Chuck Norris was a hero of American cinema forged in the Cold War. Today we’re going to honor his life from a Cold War perspective.

His character begins with real life service in the Air Force in Korea. He would go on to work in the military industrial complex, lose a brother in Vietnam and take on America’s enemies, both foreign and domestic on the silver screen.

We’ll discuss Missing in Action, Invasion USA, Delta Force, Good Guys Wear Black and more.

Today we’re talking about the last Tomcats (you might remember them from “Top Gun”) on Earth - In Iran. This is a story of Iran and the United States aligned by the Cold War, then after the Islamic Revolution in 1979 the circumstances changed.

Iran was left without American support for spare parts and maintenance. They kept the Tomcats flying by hook or crook through the war with Iraq and into the present day (well, maybe).

This is a story of aviation history, Cold War politics, middle eastern conflict and one isolated nation defying the world. Enjoy!

Today we’re talking about the last Tomcats on Earth - Iran’s F-14s. Iran acquired them during a period of the Cold War when the US and Iran were aligned against the Soviet Union.

After the Islamic Revolution American support was withdrawn and Iran was on her own to keep the planes flying without spare parts and tech support.

This is a story of aviation history, espionage, Iran’s military and middle eastern conflict all in one.

The USS Iowa was built in anticipation of clashes with Japanese battleships in the Pacific. Although World War 2 ended without a mega showdown between battleships, the Iowa went on to write her story during the Cold War, coming in clutch during Anerica’s time of need.

We’ll discuss the history of the ship, her impressive stats, her Cold War service and the future of battleships

What’s scarier, aliens or commies? Today we’re talking about a period during the tense, paranoid and uncertain early Cold War where Americans saw a rash of UFO sightings, setting off a panic. It wasn’t the prospect of little green men that put the country on edge, it was the idea that these objects could be Russians with secret technology…and we would be defenseless.

I use the 1950 B-film “The Flying Saucer” as a good illustration of where America’s mind was at around 1947-50.

I’ll also discuss the origin of the “flying saucer” term and the famous Kenneth Arnold UFO sighting that kicked it all off.

As always, go to Red Dragon Herbs to get yourself some tea to support this podcast

Today we are talking about Kim Jong Un, the current (dear) leader of North Korea. We’ve been discussing current heads of state and how the Cold War has shaped them. Kim Jong Un really is a relic from the Cold War and in many ways still continues that history. We talk about his murky beginnings and his role in the current state, which is a throwback to the days of Mao and Stalin, with some homespun touches

For Xi Jinping the Cold War never really ended. What we saw as a victory of democracy was a failure of weak men and a cautionary tale for Xi and the Chinese Communist Party.

In this episode we talk about the chaos and suffering Xi endured in his young life to make him into the man he is today. The Cold War was a visceral experience for him that made him wary of chaos and disorder.

I think looking at his Cold War experience helps explain this leader who is elusive to the outside world.

Nicolas Maduro is in the news right now. When we look at his history and ideology, we find that he’s pretty much a guy that showed up late to the Cold War. We discuss his humble origins, training in Cuba and the current state of affairs.