The People vs. Oscar

To be or not to be, that is the question all of us (especially Olivia De Havilland) have asked ourselves at one point or another.

1948 pits two very different pictures about madness against one another. Sir Laurence Olivier's "Hamlet" remains one of the most prestigious adaptations of the Shakespearian classic. Meanwhile, Olivia De Havilland headlines the blockbuster "The Snake Pit," a film about a woman committed to an insane asylum.

What qualifies a prestige picture?

This week features a modern drama versus a classical romance.

"Gentleman's Agreement" works with a potentially problematic plot and turns in a moving, nuanced look at anti-Semitism at the time. In the wake of "Gone with the Wind," audiences flocked to "Forever Amber," an old-fashioned English romance that is light on originality.

Two of our most prevalent genres are war films and Disney. This year they collide.

"The Best Years of Our Lives" takes a beautiful, hard look at returning soldiers, while also working as an effective romantic drama. The controversial Disney cartoon "Song of the South" may not live up to Splash Mountain, but sure lives up to the controversy. Zip a Dee Do Dah indeed.

Buckle up, kids. It's time to learn about sex and alcohol.

1945 brought us the educational juggernaut "Mom & Dad," which paired a family morality tale with sex ed class, complete with a live birth. While that rocked the nation and packed seats, the Oscars went with the more straightforward narrative "The Lost Weekend." Being a traditional film didn't make the tale of an alcoholic's weekend-long bender any less terrifying though. Which film walked away with our top prize?

Welcome the friendly Bing Crosby priest into your community!

1944 really loved "Going My Way," making it the highest grossing film of the year and handing it the Best Picture trophy. However, how does the exceedingly wholesome film hold up? Listen to find out.

Not all war films are cut from the same cloth, or genre.

Guest star Cody Pestana returns to People vs. Oscar to talk about two very different war films. The people chose "This is the Army," a feature length G-rated musical performance involving a very young Ronald Reagan. Oscar went with the classic romance "Casablanca" that continues to hold up as time goes by. Take a listen and let us know your thoughts.

Who would win in a garden party: Flower or Lady Beldon?

We are joined yet again by guest star Brandon Cudequest to talk all things Disney and British war wives. "Bambi" is Disney's lush portrait of the forest and the forces that threaten it. "Mrs. Miniver" shows how World War II really hurt a local town's flower show. Let us know what you think of both films!

It's a tale of trial and tribulation for working class communities. We welcome back guest Anna Delman to talk about two films which deal with poor communities dealing with hardships inflicted by current events. Both of these films contended for Best Picture at the Oscars. "Sergeant York" examined the draft upon rural mountain homes in America. "How Green Was My Valley" looked at Welsh miners slowly losing their jobs. Which saga won our votes?

Joan Fontain just wants to be a real wife to Laurence Olivier.

We welcome new guest, Brandon Cudequest, to talk all things puppets and dead wives. "Rebecca" became the only Alfred Hitchcock film to win Best Picture, but does it hold up to the greats of his filmography? Meanwhile, "Pinocchio" is the second Disney animated film to grace the screens. How does the film stack up against the competitive canon of Disney films?

We've come to the end of the 30s!!

After 12 episodes, we'd thought it would be fun to take a look back and choose our favorite films and performances so far.

Listen to our first minisode and hear our picks for Best Picture, Director, Writing, Lead Performance, Supporting Performance and Craft of the 20s/30s out of the films we've covered. We will do a minisode like this at the end of each decade!

Thanks again for all the support!