Silver Screeners

Mike Davis, host of the Star Wars-themed podcast Now This Is Podcasting, joins me for a look back at the original Star Wars trilogy. We put aside the prequels, the sequels, the stand-alone films, the TV movies and series, and the 1978 Holiday Special and instead focus on where it all began. Plus, the usual behind-the-scenes fun facts, poll results, new trivia, and more shout-outs to listeners ... and as an added bonus, a brief reading of an excerpt from George Lucas's own 1976 novelization!

Two adrenaline-pumping car chase sequences, two morally ambiguous lead characters, two Best Editing Academy Award wins - two crime thrillers from the era known as the "New Hollywood" deliver the action-filled goods! Take a look back at a time period when the Hollywood film industry finally began to put out movies that reflected the drastic changes in culture and society. The usual behind-the-scenes fun facts, poll results, new trivia, and more shout-outs to listeners!

Equally adept at comedy and drama, show business has rarely seen the likes of the multi-talented Robin Williams. A brief background of how he got his start in stand-up and then global TV and movie fame, followed by a closer look at two top-notch performances, one a drama (Penny Marshall's Awakenings) and the other a comedy (Chris Columbus's Mrs. Doubtfire)! The usual behind-the-scenes fun facts, poll results, new trivia, and lots of shout-outs to listeners!

Two pitch-perfect ensemble casts, two murders inside a mansion, two groups of hysterically eccentric suspects: Jonathan Lynn's farcical whodunnit Clue: The Movie and Rian Johnson's sardonic comedy-thriller Knives Out! Come for the usual helping of behind-the-scenes facts and stories, get the poll results for which flick you prefer, and stay to hear about both new and returning listeners who scored at the trivia! Next time could be you! All of this and more once you click that "download" button...

Two dramatic thrillers, two strong leading lady performances, two disturbing tales of affairs gone wrong: Clint Eastwood's Play Misty for Me and Adrian Lyne's Fatal Attraction! Get the usual helping of behind-the-scenes facts and stories, find out if Jessica Walter or Glenn Close topped the poll, and not one, but TWO return trivia winners! All of this and more once you click that "download" button...

The summer of 1999 saw two supernatural horror movies explode onto theater screens and set new box office records: The Blair Witch Project and The Sixth Sense! Find out some behind-the-scenes facts, hear which you voted for as your favorite ... and have they aged well? (And those Blair Witch sequels...) All of this and more!

The Bruce Willis flick is top-tier holiday entertainment, and the Gary Cooper/Grace Kelly morality tale that is cleverly disguised as a Western delivers suspense in its own way. Fun behind-the-scenes facts about both films, along with a look at how they reflect and connect to each other! (For the record, yes: Die Hard most definitely is a Christmas season movie...)

My first guest - lawyer, judge, and published author R. Marc Kantrowitz - and I discuss his book Old Whiskey and Young Women: American True Crime Tales of Murder, Sex, and Scandal! You'll hear about the alleged crimes and subsequent trials of both swashbuckling action star Errol Flynn and Cheryl Crane, the daughter of Oscar nominee Lana Turner. https://www.amazon.com/Old-Whiskey-Young-Women-American-ebook/dp/B01AOPWVFC/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=kantrowitz+old+whiskey+and+young+women&qid=1626492024&s=books&sr=1-1

In this mostly spoiler-free episode, we pay tribute to director Richard Donner by revisiting the one and only Superman: The Movie! Behind-the-scenes fun facts, a look at the origins of the character ... and an admission of a years-long personal fear that is actually in the movie and created a lot of nightmare fuel!

In this spoiler-free episode, we go back to the summer of 1994 to revisit two box office behemoths that roared their way through the box office! Behind-the-scenes fun facts, plus the reveal of which one you voted for as your top choice!