Forgotten Hollywood

In this epiosde I spoke with Jacqueline T. Lynch about her book "Christmas in Classic Films". The average person, unlike devoted classic film fans, may not recognize images of Clark Gable or know who James Wong Howe was, or be able to tell you why 1939 was such a spectacular year for films. But when yuletide rolls around, they rejoice with Miracle on 34th Street, It’s a Wonderful Life, and of course, White Christmas.

In this episode, I spoke with Esther Zuckerman about her latest book "Falling In Love at the Movies: Rom-Coms from the Screwball Era to Today.  Romantic comedies have had an incredible influence on popular culture, shaping everything from how we think of relationships to fashion. Often swept aside in film history, these movies are thought of as pure comfort viewing.

In this episode, I spoke with author Joseph McBride about his 25th book he has written "George Cukor's People: Acting for a Master Director". "The director of classic films such as Sylvia Scarlett, The Philadelphia Story, Gaslight, Adam’s Rib, A Star Is Born, and My Fair Lady, George Cukor is widely admired but often misunderstood. Reductively stereotyped in his time as a “woman’s director”―a thinly veiled, disparaging code for “gay”―he brilliantly directed a wide range of iconic actors and actresses, including Cary Grant, Greta Garbo, Spencer Tracy, Joan Crawford, Marilyn Monroe, and Maggie Smith. As Katharine Hepburn, the star of ten Cukor films, told the director, “All the people in your pictures are as goddamned good as they can possibly be, and that’s your stamp.”"

In this episode, I interview Herbie J, Pilato about his latest book "Christmas TV Memories: Nostalgic Holiday Favorites of the Small Screen. For most of us, fond memories of the Christmas season are inseparable from TV’s holiday presentations.

In this episode, I spoke with author Jason Colavito regarding his book "Jimmy, The Secret Life of James Dean". Although he died at a heartbreakingly young age and appeared in only a handful of movies, James Dean revolutionized American manhood. As a celebrity and icon, he melded vulnerability with determination, sensitivity with strength, in a way that offered a bracing and—for some—threatening new vision of masculinity.

In this episode, I spoke with Nightmare on Film Street co-hosts Kimberley Elizabeth and Jonathan DeHaan about their book "Cocktails From The Crypt". 
Curate the ultimate horror movie night with 60 chilling cocktails that are sure to sate even the most bloodthirsty killers. Nightmare on Film Street co-hosts Kimberley Elizabeth and Jonathan DeHaan have carefully crafted each hair-raising recipe to pair with the most iconic movies the genre has to offer. 

In this episode, I spoke with Joel Brokaw about his book "Driving Marilyn: The Life and Times of Legendary Hollywood Agent Norman Brokaw".
Norman Brokaw was CEO and Chairman of the William Morris Agency from 1989 to 1997, but his legacy may lie in his ascent from mail room clerk to Marilyn Monroe’s personal driver to agent for some of Hollywood’s most iconic figures of the late 20th Century: Marilyn Monroe, Kim Novak, Elvis (and Colonel Parker), Natalie Wood, Loretta Young, Clint Eastwood, Danny Thomas, Dick Van Dyke, Berry Gordy, Bill Cosby, Donna Summer, Brooke Shields plus many more. 

In this epiosde, I spoke with author Julie Gilbert about her book "Giant Love: Edna Ferber, Her Best-selling Novel of Texas, and the Making of a Classic American Film". A book that explores the great American novelist and playwright Edna Ferber, winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Ficton, whose work was made into many Academy Award-winning movies; the writing of her controversial, international best-selling novel about Texas, and the making of George Stevens’ Academy Award winning epic film of the same name, Giant.

In this epiosde I spoke with Kyle Bandujo and Rick Bryson about their book "Movies With Balls: The Greatest Sports Films of All Time, Analyzed and Illustrated". Movies with Balls celebrates and analyzes more than two dozen of the greatest sports films of all time, with expert play-by-play and color commentary on the movies themselves and the athleticism they portray. You’ll be transported into fictional arenas, stadiums, gyms, fields, and golf courses to relive the climactic moments.

In this episode I spoke with author Joseph Dougherty about his book "Rod Serling at 100: One Writer's Acknowledgement.  The year 2024 marks the centenary of Rod Serling, creator of The Twilight Zone and Night Gallery. Emmy-winning writer Joseph Dougherty (thirtysomething, Pretty Little Liars) picked this special anniversary to reflect on Serling and his contributions to television drama.