Directora

The 7th film for our 31-for-31 challenge this month, in which we watch a horror film directed by a woman for every day in October, is 1983's A Night to Dismember directed by Doris Wishman. It's a fascinating, low-budget, indie film for a lot of reasons: there are multiple versions, she did everything herself, and Wishman was best known for directing nudie films.

While some might dismiss Wishman as being just a sexploitation director, she was actually the most prolific female director in the 20th century. There is so much to know about Wishman, so we were very lucky to chat with producer and director Elizabeth Pauker. Pauker is currently working on a documentary about Doris Wishman, so she sat down to tell us more about Wishman's story and her approach to filmmaking.

Listen to this special interview episode. Follow us on social media to watch recaps and reviews of our 31-for-31 films. Directora is brought to you by Stephanie Weber, with artwork by Brock Alter.

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Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What IS horror? How do we define what scares us? That's what we aim to explore this month on the podcast. Welcome to Directora's Women and Horror Mini-Series. Throughout October, we will release episodes every Wednesday about horror themes. And guess what? We'll have special guests! Not only that, but we will do a horror movie challenge: 31 horror films directed by women!

Every day in October, I’ll post recaps, reviews, and fun facts about the film of the day until Halloween. This year’s list offers a wide range of films: gory, slasher, psychological, folk horror, domestic horror, creatures, vampires, ghosts, low budget, indie, remakes, sequels, franchise, anthology, and even a documentary! I’m thrilled to watch these with you.

This is the second time we are doing this here at Directora. Last year was an absolute blast, so please join Directora Podcast this year as we watch a horror film a day directed by a woman. Follow on Instagram and TikTok to watch recaps and reviews of the films. Listen every Wednesday to hear special guest interviews and deep-dives into themes like body horror, lesbian vampires, urban legends, and more!

New episodes every Wednesday.

Get spooky with me this Halloween season. Join us for 31 horror films directed by women.

Directora is researched, written, edited, and hosted by Stephanie Weber. Artwork by Brock Alter.

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This season closes on one of the wildest true Hollywood stories: the life and inventions of Hedy Lamarr. The actress was always smarter than everyone else in the room. Her intelligence is how she escaped Europe during the war, spied for the Allies, and eventually invented the technology that would become the foundation for WiFi.

This episode initially aired on Grab Bag Collab as part of their network. Thank you to Daisy Eagan, Amanda Rossman, and Amber Hunt for their help on this. Thank you to Brock Alter for his art. Directora is researched, written, recorded, and edited by Stephanie Weber. Email [email protected] for questions and suggestions. Follow Directora on Instagram and TikTok.

Sources:

You Must Remember This

Bombshell: The Hedy Lamarr Story

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ghc6uab1EX4

Women in History

https://www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/hedy-lamarr

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It’s easy to take Barbra Streisand for granted because she really is good at everything. From singer and actress to director and producer, Barbra is a perfectionist who fought against discrimination and stereotypes in order to make unapologetic work that made her a star. She has been labeled difficult, while also fighting through a lot to make it to the top. Is she difficult? Does it matter when you're as talented as she is?

This episode initially aired on the Grab Bag Collab network. Thank you to Amber Hunt, Daisy Eagan, and Amanda Rossman. Thank you to Brock Alter for Directora's artwork. Directora is researched, written, recorded, edited, and hosted by Stephanie Weber.

Email [email protected] and follow Directora on Instagram and TikTok.

Sources: 

Mojo 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gzv1DlQU8KU

How Barbra Streisand Fought Hollywood to Make Yentl

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0r1FhIT8efw

A Star is Born - You Must Remember This

Pierson, John. My Battles with Barbra and John. New West Magazine. November 20, 1976.

https://web.archive.org/web/20150716005847/http://barbra-archives.com/bjs_library/70s/new_west_battles_barbra_jon.html

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PoNdQxkI-0w

1991 Barbra Streisand on 60 Minutes

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xw5dQBZavUw

Mann, William J. Hello Gorgeous. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. October 2012.

Streisand, Barbra. My Name is Barbra. Viking. November 7, 2023.

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Debbie Allen wears a thousand hats. The actress and dancer might be best known for starring in Fame, but she has directed and produced incredibly important television shows for nearly 40 years.

This episode initially aired on Grab Bag Collab as part of their network. Thank you to Daisy Eagan, Amanda Rossman, and Amber Hunt for their help on this. Thank you to Brock Alter for his art. Directora is researched, written, recorded, and edited by Stephanie Weber. Email [email protected] for suggestions and questions. Follow Directora on Instagram and TikTok for stills and clips from the episode.

Sources:

Debbie Allen, Maven of the Arts

Debbie Allen and Lena Waithe interview, via Hillman Grad YouTube.

Playbill's My Life in Theater with Debbie Allen

Smith, David. Paying in Sweat! How Debbie Allen Went from Stardom in Fame to Conquer Hollywood. https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2026/may/12/how-debbie-allen-went-from-stardom-in-fame-to-conquer-hollywood

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Penny Marshall and her brother Garry were mainstays of 1970s and 80s sitcoms. Garry's little sister became a big star when she starred in the Happy Days spinoff, Laverne and Shirley. However, Penny observed her brother and all of the other creative writers and directors around her. She realized that she had an eye for directing, and she was especially good with actors. Penny Marshall's films are very underrated for how successful they are. Her second film was Big, which launched Tom Hanks into stardom, and it became the first film directed by a woman to gross over $100 million at the box office. Her follow-up to Big was Awakenings, which was nominated for an Academy Award. Her next film, A League of Their Own, grossed over $100 million again, and it remains popular and quotable to this day. Penny Marshall made legitimate, bona fide hits - and she doesn't get nearly as much credit as she deserves. Let's change that!

This episode originally aired on Grab Bag Collab. Brock Alter does the artwork for Directora. Directora is researched, written, recorded, and edited by Stephanie Weber.

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Lucille Ball is everyone's favorite funny redhead! Decades after her hit sitcom I Love Lucy, there are still references to the gags she performed on her hit show. People might not realize how influential I Love Lucy was to American sitcoms - and how much she and Desi Arnaz did for television as a whole. From an actress and dancer in New York City to a bit player in Hollywood, Lucille Ball learned how to stand out, and she quickly learned that making a fool of herself was a good way to do it. She cultivated her physical comedy skills, while never once thinking of herself as a comedian. She and her husband worked very hard throughout their lives to entertain American audiences for years, overcoming substance abuse, divorce, and Communist accusations. Listen to this episode to hear all that and more!

This episode originally aired on Grab Bag Collab. Thank you to Daisy Eagan, Amber Hunt, and Amanda Rossman for their hard work. Thank you to Brock Alter for the art. Directora is researched, written, recorded, and edited by Stephanie Weber.

SOURCES:

Arnaz, Desi. A Book. William Morrow and Company. 1976.

Kanfer, Stefan. Ball of Fire: The Tumultuous Life and Comic Art of Lucille Ball. Knopf. January 1, 2003.

American Masters: Finding Lucy.

The Plot Thickens, by Turner Classic Movies. Lucille Ball podcast series.

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The musical Waitress is a modern success, a smash hit that has people around the world singing along to its soundtrack. Fans of the musical might not realize that it was based on a hit 2007 indie film written and directed by Adrienne Shelly. Sadly, Shelly never saw her own film's success. Shelly wrote and directed three original feature films and was director Hal Hartley's muse early in her career. She had big plans for more, but her life was cut tragically short when she was murdered. Hear about her inspiring life, amazing films, and the legacy she has left behind.

This episode initially aired on Grab Bag Collab as part of their network. Thank you to Daisy Eagan, Amanda Rossman, and Amber Hunt for their help on this. Thank you to Brock Alter for his art. Directora is researched, written, recorded, and edited by Stephanie Weber.

Click here to learn more about the Adrienne Shelly Foundation.

SOURCES:

Horton, Adrian. “The Life and Death of Filmmaker Adrienne Shelly.” The Guardian. December 1, 2021. 

Ostoy, Andy. Adrienne (2021). 

Special features on the DVD’s for Sudden Manhattan and Waitress. Director’s Commentary on Sudden Manhattan. 

Zimmer, Vanessa. “Who Was…Adrienne Shelly?”. Sundance.com. November 11, 2022.

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“The devastating thing about Elaine is that she’s better at everything - writing, directing, acting - than anyone else I know.” That quote comes from director Clive Donner regarding the one and only Elaine May.

Elaine May is the woman behind so many pivotal comedic moments you know and love. From the Second City and Nichols & May, to A New Leaf and Mikey and Nicky, to directing the massive flop that was Ishtar and coming back with the script for The Birdcage, Elaine May has always been relentlessly talented. She still is! She also has a reputation for being a difficult director. The dreaded D word. Is she difficult? Is that a fair assessment? We talk all about it! Listen to hear about her inspiring life, her many creative endeavors, triumphs, and everything in between.

This episode originally aired on Grab Bag Collab earlier in 2026. Directora was created by Stephanie Weber, who researches, writes, records, edits, and hosts every episode. Artwork by Brock Alter.

Check out film clips and stills from these movies on our Instagram and TikTok. Follow along! Email questions, concerns, press opps to [email protected]. Rate and review as kindly as possible!

Sources:

Coleman, Janet. The Compass Players: The Improvisational Theater that Revolutionized American Comedy. University of Chicago Press. November 1, 1991.

Couregan, Carrie. Miss May Does Not Exist: The Life and Work of Elaine May, Hollywood's Hidden Genius. St. Martin's Press. 2024.

Griggs, Jeff. Guru: My Days with Del Close. Ivan R. Dee. April 25, 2005.

"Ishtar". What Went Wrong. Bassett, Lizzie and Winterbauer, Chris. February 1, 2021.

May, Elaine. Power Plays. Samuel French.

May, Elaine. Not Enough Rope: A Play in One Act. Samuel French.

May, Elaine. Mikey & Nicky. Criterion Collection DVD Special Features.

McGrath, Douglas. Becoming Mike Nichols. 2016.

Mikey & Nicky Restoration Documentary. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4bZVWLwQvbw

Nichols and May: Take Two. American Masters. PBS. May 1996.

Elaine May at Mike Nichols AFI Achievement Awards. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AgjBxiDmJyU

Elaine May and Mike Nichols in Conversation. 2006. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ShLPGHoXJFY

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