When Movies Were Good

This was a fun episode to make discussing one of classic Hollywood’s most iconic members. Audrey Hepburn was not only an incredible actress but a force for humanity. Even before becoming an ambassador for UNICEF Hepburn was known as a generous and kind personality on and off set. In this episode we discuss two of her most iconic films. The first, Roman Holiday (1953), introduced Audrey to the world as the runaway princess riding a Vespa with Gregory Peck down the streets of Rome. The second, Sabrina (1954), is as fresh today as it ever was with powerful performances as well as two of Hollywood’s greatest actors Humphrey Bogart and William Holden. Thank you for listening and please subscribe to our channel and social media to hear about future content.

Jimmy Stewart was an incredible legend of the big screen and it was a delight to discuss two of his greatest works. The first film Mr Smith Goes to Washington (1939) helped to truly make Stewart into a star and consolidated his image as the loveable strong principled all American boy who is thrust into politics overnight and must deal with its worst elements. There is strong evidence of the force of the noble individual that Stewart would again portray in Its a Wonderful Life. The second movie we discuss is the 1950 movie Harvey. A masterpiece of comedic acting, Stewart gives full flesh and blood on the screen to a six foot white rabbit that only he can see.

Some like it hot at the movies. Sorry couldn’t resist. Marilyn Monroe is one of cinema’s greatest icons and we were very excited to discuss two of her greatest movies, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes and The Seven Year Itch (also known as the movie with the dress). Enjoy the show!

Happy New Year everyone! What better way to start off 2021 than a tribute episode to Gene Kelly with what are arguably two of Hollywood’s greatest musicals, An American in Paris and Singin’ in the Rain. We hope you enjoy our toe tapping intro to the new year.

Happy Christmas to all! It has been a very challenging year for all of us but we are excited to finish the year with a Christmas special featuring two very special films. First we discuss the legendary 1946 movie It’s a Wonderful Life starring Jimmy Stewart. And then no Christmas would be complete without Bing Crosby and he will bring you some fantastic Yuletide joy in the 1954 movie White Christmas. Wishing everyone a happy 2021!

Mr President, tear down this ticket stub! It is not anywhere near the shock that it used to be for an actor or media figure to run for President of the United States but it was definitely history made when the former Hollywood actor Ronald Reagan became President. In this episode we compare and discuss two of Reagan's films. The first one we look at is the 1940 western Santa Fe Trail which Reagan co-starred in alongside Errol Flynn and Olivia de Havilland. We then look at the 1950 comedy Louisa where Reagan plays a father and son dealing with situation that many audiences even now would find relatable. We hope you enjoy the program and thank you for listening.

Alas another legend of the silver screen recently passed away. Scottish actor Sir Sean Connery was a colossal presence in movies particularly from the 1960s when he became the first actor to portray Ian Fleming's secret agent James Bond. So impressed was the author by Connery's performance that he retrospectivley gave the character a Scottish background in his final publications. This is something that would have presumably made Connery very proud because he was first and foremost a proud Scot. Most know Connery for his portrayal of Bond and some of his notable later roles in the 1980s and 90s in films such as Entrapment and The Hunt for Red October but he had already begun a career as an actor several years back in the 1950s. We will be discussing two of those earlier Connery movies in this episode. The first film discussed is the 1958 movie Another Time, Another Place, a romantic melodrama in which Connery acted alongside the legendary blonde bombshell of the 1940s Lana Turner. This is followed by the 1959 Disney fantasy movie Darby O'Gill and The Little People, a funny and colourful exploration of Irish folk culture set among the romantic and financial entanglements and rivalries in a small village. We hope you enjoy this episode. RIP Sir Sean Connery.

The episode you’ve all been waiting for! The theme for this episode is the beautiful and iconic actress Ingrid Bergman. We will be looking first at what is definitely her best known film, Casablanca. Besides Bergman the movie also stars Humphrey Bogart together with Peter Lorre, Paul Henreid and Claude Rains. We then discuss the landmark mystery thriller Gaslight in which Bergman acts alongside Charles Boyer and Joseph Cotten as well as a very young Angela Lansbury.

Burt Lancaster is the star of this show. The films chosen for this episode are well known for their style and drama and they are From Here to Eternity and The Sweet Smell of Success. This is an episode that will satisfy not only Lancaster fans but those who love the work of Frank Sinatra, Deborah Kerr, Tony Curtis and many others who all make appearances.

For this episode we take on two films starring the legendary Gary Cooper. First we discuss the 1952 movie High Noon, which also stars a young Grace Kelly. We then go on to talk about the 1956 movie Friendly Persuasion which was also a breakout role for the young Anthony Perkins. Both are films that critics regard as being on the fringe of the Western genre in terms of style and content. If you like the program please give us a thumbs up and we also invite you to subscribe to our channel to hear more good movie discussion 👍