Pulling Focus

I'm very pleased to be joined by film historian and preservationist Lou DiCrescenzo, who has been collecting original 35 millimeter films and production equipment since the late 50s. Through his efforts and generosity, many rare and formerly lost films have been saved and donated to the Library of Congress and the Smithsonian Institute, where they have been copied and are now available for public viewing and study. Lou's projection equipment occupies a floor of the Museum of the Moving Image in Astoria. Queens. He is a technical consultant providing his expertise to theaters dealing with silent era projection in film, a long term member of the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers and for many years was the Technical Supervisor for the Ritz Theater circuit here in Philadelphia. He is also an accomplished musician having performed with many regional orchestras including the Philadelphia Orchestra under Eugene Ormandy, and the Trenton State Symphony, and he hosts a daily radio program sunshine music memories with smiling Lou Powers on WBCB 1490 am in Montgomery County. Films from Lou's vast collection aare shown regularly as intended, projected on the big screen at local theaters, notably the Ambler Theater where he was part of their inaugural 35 Millimeter Film Festival in 2018.

note: Lou passed away on January 12th, 2024.

THE PICTURE TAKER is a tale from in front of, and behind the camera. Ernest Withers lived a complicated and extraordinary life, magnified by a legacy of developing nearly two million images that came to define the American civil rights movement. A photo-journalist, soldier, police officer, and civil rights activist in his lifetime, The Picture Taker illuminates Withers lesser-known work as a secret FBI informant, a double-life uncovered only after his death.

Tiffany Naiman, is a scholar of popular music, temporality, and disability studies with a specialization as a David Bowie scholar. She comes to Pulling Focus during Philly Loves Bowie week to talk about David Bowie in film.  She also discusses her work at the Director of The UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music’s Music Industry Program as well as a lecturer in the Musicology department.  She is a DJ and electronic musician performing under the moniker NeonGray; the experimental film and music programmer for Outfest Los Angeles; creator of a multiplicity of club nights and one-off musical events in Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Philadelphia; and an award-winning documentary film producer. 

In this episode John Petitt, Assistant Archivist with Temple University  Libraries' Special Collections Research Center (SCRC) discusses the  Archives' 50th Anniversary, "digital rot" and International Home Movie  Day.  John share some of his favorite soundtrack music by Brian Eno,  Harold Melvin and the Bluenotes, Raymond Scott and Al Ham's Move Closer  to Your World aka Action News Theme.  Also we pay tribute to Harry Dean  Stanton and Tom Petty.

In this episode Sam Adams, longtime Philadelphia City Paper writer and  now Senior Editor at Slate.com joins me in the studio to discuss the  changing role of the film/media critic, the 2017 Emmy Awards, and his  recent trips to the Toronto International Film Festival and the Camden  International Film Festival in Maine.  Featured are some great  soundtracks from the current “Golden Age” of television shows Master of  None, I Love Dick, Fargo, Empire, This is Us and Broad City plus such  classic opening TV themes from Rockford Files, Miami Vice and Peter Gunn.

This episode is dedicated to all the students in the Philadelphia Public  School System headed back to school on their first day.  Featured here  are some great soundtracks from Fame, To Sir with Love, Cooley High,  Rushmore, Clueless, Breakfast Club and more.  This show also celebrates  the incredible resources of the Philadelphia Free Library with a set of  music pulled from CDs from their music collection.

This episode was compiled for my summer road trip to head to South  Carolina to see the eclipse. It features selections from some of the  most iconic road movies --Badlands, Thelma and Louise, Easy Rider, Two  Lane Blacktop and a few less obvious ones, including music from Wim  Wenders Road Movie Trilogy. Featured artists include Kris Kristopherson,  Roger Miller, Canned Heat, Improved Sound Limited, Eddy Arnold and the  Village People.

This episode offers a sneak preview of the upcoming BlackStar Film Festival  opening on Thursday, August 3. Senior Program Manager, Nehad Khader discusses this year's festival theme of Resistance. And BlackStar’s Artistic Director Maori Karmael Holmes talks about the genesis of the  festival and how it has become a kind of family reunion for independent  filmmakers of color.  Featured tracks in this episode include Nina  Simone’s Four Woman, Sweet Honey in the Rock’s Echo and Horance Tapscott’s The Giant Has Awakened.

This episode includes a lively conversation with Sarah Mueller,  co-organizer of Cinespeak: Alternative Cinema talking about their  #Boycott the Oscars summer film series in the Brewerytown neighborhood  of Philadelphia. Featured soundtracks include films from Claudine, Sweet Love Bitter, and Spike Lee joints including Do the Right Things, Crooklyn and Bamboozled.

For this special 2-hour WPPM FUNd Drive show Keith Brand, longtime radio  host of WXPN Sleepy Hollow and Soundtrack Sunday Morning shares some of  his favorite soundtrack and sound scores. Featured artists include  Harry Neilson, Elton John, Jay Farrar, Judy Garland, Gustavo  Santaolalla.  Hear music from Breakfast at Tiffany’s, Brazil, Diva,  Harlan County USA, Mary Poppins and Singing in the Rain.   It’s a FUNd  Drive show but we went easy on the pitching.  Episode is chockful of  great info about WPPM and PhillyCAM!