The Front Row Network

Front Row Classics welcomes content creator and independent filmmaker, Hey Marianne to the podcast. Brandon is always excited to speak with someone who is engaging young people in watching classic film. The two discuss several topics including introducing classic film to millennials, holiday movies and movie musicals. Much of the discussion is spent discussing her favorite film, The Sound of Music.

You can find Hey Marianne's content at linktr.ee/hey_marianne

Merry Christmas from Front Row Classics! We're celebrating the season with a classic holiday farce from Warner Bros. The Man Who Came to Dinner remains one of the greatest adaptations from stage to screen. Ben Burke, from the Hollywood Babylonians, podcast joins Brandon to discuss all of the wacky fun from this 1942 film. Discussion includes topics such as the unusually subtle performance from Bette Davis, the brisk pace set by director William Keighley and Monty Wooley's career defining performance as Sheridan Whiteside.

Front Row Classics is thrilled to welcome actress/producer, Jennifer Grant this week. Jennifer, the daughter of Cary Grant and Dyan Cannon, has co-produced the series Archie for BritBox. The series, starring Jason Isaacs, gives viewers a personal look at the man named Archie Leach. Leach would overcome childhood poverty and abandonment and create the persona of the ultimate movie star, Cary Grant.

Brandon and Jennifer discuss her father's lasting legacy along with her own personal memories. We also dive into the inception of Archie and the process of getting it to the screen.

Jennifer will also be co-hosting a night of her father's films on Turner Classic Movies this Friday at 8pm est/7pm cst. Films featured will include The Bishop's Wife, An Affair to Remember and Room for One More.

Front Row Classics is taking a look at the Best Picture winner of 1944. Leo McCarey's Going My Way is a charming film that lifted the spirits of war weary audiences in 1944. IndieWire's Christian Blauvelt returns to pay tribute to this uplifting film that is perfect holiday viewing. Brandon and Christian discuss the Oscar winning performances from Bing Crosby & Barry Fitzgerald. They also make mention of many of the heartwarming moments and why this film is underrated among Best Picture winners.

Front Row Classics welcomes celebrated author & film historian Donald Bogle. Bea Bonner ,with NPR Illinois' Community Voices, joins Brandon to discuss Bogle's new book, "Lena Horne Goddess Reclaimed". The book tracks Horne's trailblazing life & career which spanned remarkable triumphs and heartbreaking disappointments. Bogle discusses Horne's early life, activism and groundbreaking stardom.

Lena Horne was the Black performer to attain true stardom. She has finally received her due with this invaluable book featuring beautifully curated photographs.

"Lena Horne: Goddess Reclaimed" is available from Running Press and Turner Classic Movies.

Donald Bogle is one of the foremost authorities on Black representation in films and entertainment history. His books include Running Press's Hollywood Black; the groundbreaking Toms, Coons, Mulattoes, Mammies, and Bucks; the award-winning Bright Boulevards, Bold Dreams; the bestselling Dorothy Dandridge: A Biography; and Brown Sugar, which Bogle adapted into a PBS documentary series. He was a special commentator and consultant for Turner Classic Movies' award-winning series Race and Hollywood. Bogle teaches at the University of Pennsylvania and New York University's Tisch School of the Arts. He lives in Manhattan.

Front Row Classics is taking another look at a holiday staplee 1942's Holiday Inn. This joyous musical is perfect for any time of year. But. it's especially fitting to view during the Christmas season. Brandon is joined by Kevin Hart and Jacqueline Keysear. Kevin is currently directing a production of Holiday Inn at the Hoogland Center for the Arts in Springfield, IL. Jacqueline, whom our listeners will know from Like This Pod, is playing the role of Lila. The three discuss the talented cast and remarkable Irving Berlin musical numbers that still resonate over 80 years later.

Feeling like you didn't get enough leftovers from Turkey Day? Well have no fear because we've got the latest episode of #FullDisclosure breaking down the new horror film sensation #Thanksgiving. Ryan Lootens and Steve Sykes return to spoil everything in what many are calling the new horror classic in the vein of the greatest slasher films of all time. SPOILERS FOLLOW! After a Black Friday riot ends in tragedy, a mysterious Thanksgiving-inspired killer terrorizes Plymouth, Massachusetts - the birthplace of the infamous holiday. THANKSGIVING is out now in theaters.

DON'T FORGET TO FOLLOW/REACH US AT: Website: www.nprillinois.org/programs/front-row-network Twitter: @frontrowreviewz Email: [email protected] Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thefrontrown... Instagram: frontrownetwork YouTube: https://bit.ly/2NyawO0

Happy Thanksgiving from Front Row Classics. We're celebrating Noirvember with the Czar of Noir himself, Eddie Muller. Eddie has penned a new children's book, "Kid Noir: Kitty Feral and the Case of the Marshmallow Monkey". The book is a charming introduction to the world of classics film for younger kids. Brandon and Eddie discuss the inspiration behind the book and importance of introducing classic film to the next generation.

The conversation, then, turns to Eddie's favorite film, Nicholas Ray's "In a Lonely Place". The film features what may be Humphrey Bogart's most personal performance and a career-defining portrayal from Gloria Grahame. Eddie also makes a case for why 1950 just may be the greatest year in film.

"Kid Noir: Kitty Feral and the Case of the Marshmallow Monkey" is available wherever books are sold from Running Press Kids and Turner Classic Movies.

Eddie Muller, an authority on film noir, is the author of Dark City Dames as well as two mystery novels. He lives in the San Francisco area. Jessica Schmidt is a writer and film noir-enthusiast living in Philadelphia with her husband Nathan and very own crime-fighting canine, Loki. Forrest Burdett is an illustrator from New Jersey with a passion for vibrant colors and fairytales. His days are filled with drawings of faraway places and fantastical adventures. He studied illustration at FIT in Manhattan and now lives in Portland, Oregon.

November 22 will be the 60th anniversary of one of the darkest days in American History. President John F. Kennedy's assassination has long been the subject of discussion and debate. Brandon Davis (Front Row Classics) and Lou Hare (Guilty Pleasures) are marking this anniversary by discussing one of the most talked about movies of the last generation, Oliver Stone's JFK. This 1991 film boasts one of the finest all star casts ever assembled for a movie. Brandon and Lou discuss the performances, expert pacing and pure entertainment this film brings. They also discuss how the film may have opened a pandora's box of conspiracy theories that have permeated the American zeitgeist over the last 30 years.

Front Row Classics is taking a look at one of the great film epics, George Stevens' Giant. This 1956 film still resonates with its themes of family, changing times and race relations. Tristan Tapscott joins Brandon to discuss the legendary production. The two take a look at the fine performances from Elizabeth Taylor, Rock Hudson and James Dean. The film would mark Dean's final screen appearance before his untimely death. Ivan Moffat's screenplay and Dimitri Tiomkin's score are also discussed.