Jim and I are joined by filmfest master Bill Shaffer to talk about Japan's biggest movie star and now Oscar-winner, Godzilla (or Gojira, depending on your preference).  Listen in as we discuss the various eras, his many monstrous foes, and his appearances in Legendary's Monsterverse, as well as his recent prestige picture Godzilla Minus One, which brought the big guy his first Academy Award.

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Film historian Dan Van Neste joins me to discuss one of Hollywood's unjustifiably forgotten leading men as chronicled in Dan's latest book, The Accidental Star: The Life and Films of Warner Baxter.  Listen in as we chat about Baxter's life, personal struggles, and roles in such pictures as 42nd Street, the Crime Doctor series, and Baxter's first, Oscar-winning outing as the big screen's Cisco Kid in In Old Arizona.

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Jim and I chat with radio host and author Jennifer Churchill about her book Movies are Magic, as well as her other media appearances activities designed to foster of love of classic films across new generations.

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Author Michael F. Blake returns to chat with me and Jim about his latest book, The Cavalry Trilogy:  John Ford, John Wayne, and the Making of Three Classic Westerns.  Ride along as we talk about the men and the movies; spotlighting Fort Apache, She Wore a Yellow Ribbon and Rio Grande, with a few others getting mentions along the way.

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I'm joined by author Cathy Whitlock to talk about the subject of production design as chronicled in her gorgeous book Designs on Film: A Century of Hollywood Art Direction.  Among the films discussed are Citizen Kane, Top Hat, Things to Come, The Wizard of Oz, Cleopatra, Lawrence of Arabia and You Only Live Twice, to name a few. 

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Author Gary May joins me to talk about the career of M.K. Jerome, whose songs enhanced many a golden age Hollywood film, especially during his tenure at Warner Bros.  Moe, as he was known to friends, family and colleagues, is the subject of Gary's book The Tunesmith, The Musical Journey of M.K. Jerome.  Gary has significant insight into  Moe's life and career, given that Moe was Gary's grandfather.  Listen in as we discuss Moe's contributions to film in a variety of genres, and in support of stars such as Greta Garbo, Bette Davis, Errol Flynn and James Cagney.  Oh, and there's also that movie you might have heard mentioned once or twice called Casablanca.

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Agatha Christie scholar and author Mark Aldridge joins me to discuss movies adapted from the writings of the famed mystery writer, as chronicled in Mark's book Agatha Christie on Screen.  Gather with us in the virtual parlor as we discuss, among other films, Love From a Stranger, And Then There Were None, Witness for the Prosecution and Murder on the Orient Express. 

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Jim and I are joined by the multi-talented Nick Santa Maria, co-author of The Annotated Abbott and Costello and the alphabetically first half of the retro comedy team Biffle and Shooster.  We chat about Bud and Lou, and what made them and their comedy formula so special, then segue into the creation and assemblage of the neo-vintage (seriously?) short comedies produced and compiled into The Misadventures of Biffle and Shooster.

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As our first guest of 2024, Jim and I are thrilled to welcome the one and only Leonard Maltin, whose tenure as the movie critic for Entertainment Tonight spanned three decades, and whose books are a staple of any respectable movie reference library, in addition to his highly informative and entertaining autobiography.  Join us as we discuss his career, his books, and here and there a specific movie.

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With the first anniversary of the launch of Movie Nights & Matinees coming this week, co-host Jim Reid and I have a casual conversation that includes reflections on the first year of the podcast, as well as discussions of specific movies we've been watching or that are personal favorites.  Popping up in the discussion are comedians Laurel & Hardy, Wheeler & Woolsey, Edgar Kennedy and Eddie Cantor, in addition to Fred Astaire and film historian David Shepard.  Among the films we chat about are 1916's Sherlock Holmes, the Columbia serial Mandrake the Magician, Champagne for Caesar, the Crime Doctor mystery series, and even Gertie the Dinosaur.  Jim also recounts the formation of his Dallas Classic Film Group.

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