Published by Olympia Kiriakou
Celebrating classical Hollywood's daffiest genre. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Listen on Apple Podcasts37 min
On the season two finale, I discuss The Thin Man , William Powell, and Myrna Loy with Rob Kozlowski, author of Becoming Nick and Nora: The Thin Man and the Films of William Powell and Myrna Loy (New York: Applause Books, 2023). Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
30 min
On this episode I discuss the sleuth comedy, There's Always a Woman (Alexander Hall, 1938) co-starring Melvyn Douglas and Joan Blondell. Resources : James Bawden and Ron Miller, Conversations With Classic Film Stars: Interviews from Hollywood's Golden Age (Lexington, KY: University Press of Kentucky, 2016). Bernard F. Dick, The Merchant Prince of Poverty Row: Harry Cohn of Columbia Pictures (Lexington, KY: University Press of Kentucky, 2009). Kathrine Glitre, Hollywood Romantic Comedy: States of the Union, 1934-1965 (Manchester, UK: Manchester University Press, 2006). Matthew Kennedy, Joan Blondell: A Life Between Takes (Jackson, MS: University of Mississippi, 2014). Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
45 min
On this episode I discuss Fred MacMurray's life and career with film historian, Charles Tranberg, author of Fred MacMurray: A Biography (Albany, GA: BearManor Media, 2007). Charles's book is available for purchase from all major book retailers and also directly from BearManor Media. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
33 min
On this episode I discuss the romantic comedy, The Egg and I (Erskine, 1947), based on the book of the same name by Betty MacDonald. Resources : Christopher Beach, Class, Language, and American Film Comedy (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2002). Paula Becker, Looking For Betty MacDonald (Seattle: University of Washington Press, 2019). Boze Hadleigh, Hollywood Lesbians: From Garbo to Foster (Riverdale, NY: Riverdale Avenue Books, 2016). Jennifer Reese, "The Plucky Author Behind The Classic Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle books.” The Washington Post. October 17, 2016. Available at: https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/books/behind-her-classic-mrs-piggle-wiggle-books-the-dark-life-of-betty-macdonald/2016/10/14/23005c46-9071-11e6-9c85-ac42097b8cc0_story.html Charles Tranberg, Fred MacMurray: A Biography (Albany, GA: BearManor Media, 2007). Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
39 min
On this episode I'm joined by Cait Liberati to discuss the Barbara Stanwyck-Henry Fonda comedy, The Mad Miss Manton (1938). You can follow Cait on Twitter @caitmarielle or on Bluesky @caitl.bsky.social For more on the resources mentioned in this episode, please check out: Thomas Renzi, Screwball Comedy and Film Noir: Unexpected Connections (Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Co., 2012). Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
31 min
On this episode I discuss the 1970s screwball classic, What's Up, Doc? Resources : Roger Ebert, " What's Up, Doc? Review," RogerEbert.com, originally published January 1, 1972. Available at: https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/whats-up-doc-1972 Brian Kellow, Can I Go Now? The Life of Sue Mengers, Hollywood's First Superagent (New York: Penguin Books, 2015). Gregg Kilday, “Peter Bogdanovich on Barbra Streisand: ‘Funny, Cute and Kind of a Wiseass’ The Hollywood Reporter, April 19, 2023. Available at: https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/peter-bogdanovich-barbra-streisand-funny-434860/ Karina Longworth, "Polly Platt: The Invisible Woman." You Must Remember This (2020). Available at: http://www.youmustrememberthispodcast.com/episodes/2020/7/pollyplattarchive28 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
24 min
On this episode I discuss my favorite Carole Lombard screwball comedy, Nothing Sacred (1937). Resources : Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
1 hr 29 min
On this episode, I am joined by film programmer Chris Cassingham to discuss screwball women in Howard Hawks films. You can find Chris on Twitter @CCassingham. Resources: Joseph McBride, Hawks on Hawks (Los Angeles: University of California Press, 1982). Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
54 min
On this episode I am joined by film historian and critic Raquel Stecher to discuss Bachelor Mother (1939). You can read more of Raquel's work here: https://www.outofthepastblog.com/ and https://quellemovies.com/, and follower her on Twitter @RaquelStecher Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
30 min
On this episode, I discuss Easy Living (1937). Resources : Stanley Cavell, Pursuits of Happiness (Boston: Harvard University Press, 1981) David Chierichetti, Mitchell Leisen: Hollywood Director (New York: Photoventure Press, 1995) Ida Jeter, “The Collapse of the Federated Motion Picture Crafts: A Case Study of Collaboration in the Motion Picture Industry,” in Journal of the University Film Association, Vol. 31, No. 2 (Spring 1979): 37-45. James McKay, The Films of Ray Milland, 1929-1984 (Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Co. Inc., 2020) ReFocus: The Films of Preston Sturges, eds. Jeff Jaeckle and Sarah Kozloff (Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 2015) Preston Sturges, Preston Sturges by Preston Sturges: His Life in His Own Words (Chicago: Touchstone, 1991) Jerry Vermilye, Jean Arthur: A Biofilmography (Bloomington, ID: Authorhouse, 2012 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
1 hr 2 min
In the season one finale, I discuss the "Queen" of screwball comedy, Carole Lombard, with This Was Hollywood author, Carla Valderrama. You can follow Carla on Instagram and Tiktok @thiswashollywood To purchase Carla's book, please follow the links on her website: https://thiswashollywood.com/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
28 min
On this episode I discuss Hands Across the Table (Mitchell Leisen, 1935) starring Carole Lombard, Fred MacMurray, and Ralph Bellamy. Works Cited : David Chierichetti, Mitchell Leisen: Hollywood Director (Los Angeles: Photoventures Press, 1995). John A. Gallagher, "Ralph Bellamy Interview" (1983). Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WkKvMGHDM1A Charles Tranberg, Fred MacMurray: A Biography (Albany, GA: BearManor Media, 2007). Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
56 min
On this episode I discuss Barbara Stanwyck's performances in The Lady Eve (Sturges, 1941) and Ball of Fire (Hawks, 1941) with Cait Liberati. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
32 min
On this episode I discuss The Miracle of Morgan's Creek (Preston Sturges, 1944) starring Betty Hutton, Eddie Bracken, William Demarest, and Diana Lynn. Works Cited : Matthew Bernstein, "'The Edge of Unacceptability': Preston Sturges and the PCA," in ReFocus: The Films of Preston Sturges , ed. Jeff Jaeckle (Edinburgh, UK: Edinburgh University Press, 2015), pp. 83-106. Diane Jacobs, Christmas in July: The Life and Art of Preston Sturges (Berkeley: The University of California Press, 1992). Brian Kellow, Ethel Merman: A Life (New York: Penguin Books, 2008). Otto Friedrich, City of Nets: A Portrait of Hollywood in the 1940s (New York: Harper Perennial, 2014). Michael Slowik, "On Deadline and Reviewed in Pieces: The Miracle of Morgan's Creek and the Production Code Administration," Film History , Vol. 29, No. 4 (Winter 2017), pp. 32-58. Preston Sturges, Preston Sturges by Preston Sturges: His Life in his Words (New York: Touchstone, 1991). Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
1 hr 22 min
On this episode I chat with film programmer Chris Cassingham about the comedy genius, Ernst Lubitsch. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
40 min
On this episode I discuss the quintessential Depression-era screwball comedy, My Man Godfrey (Gregory La Cava, 1936), starring Carole Lombard, William Powell, Gail Patrick, Alice Brady, Mischa Auer, and Eugene Pallette. Works Cited : Christopher Beach, Class, Language, and American Film Comedy (Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 2002). Roger Bryant, William Powell: The Life and Films (New York: McFarland & Co., Inc., 2006). Bernard F. Dick, City of Dreams: the Making and Remaking of Universal Pictures (Lexington: The University Press of Kentucky, 2021). Lea Jacobs, Film Rhythm and Sound: Technology, Music, and Performance (Berkeley: University of California Press, 2014). Olympia Kiriakou, Becoming Carole Lombard: Stardom, Comedy, and Legacy (New York: Bloomsbury Academic, 2020). Thomas Schatz, The Genius of the System: Hollywood Filmmaking in the Studio Era (Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 2010). Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
24 min
On this episode I discuss Theodora Goes Wild (Richard Boleslawski, 1936) starring Irene Dunne and Melvyn Douglas. Works Cited : James Bawden and Ron Miller, Conversations with Classic Film Stars: Interviews from Hollywood's Golden Era (Lexington: The University Press of Kentucky, 2017). Emily Carman, Independent Stardom: Freelance Women in the Hollywood Studio System (Austin: University of Texas Press, 2016). Benjamin Dreyer, "Irene Goes Wild," Criterion , December 12, 2022. Available at: https://www.criterion.com/current/posts/8013-irene-goes-wild. Hollywood and the Great Depression: American Film, Politics, and Society in the 1930s , eds. Iwan Morgan and Philip John Davies (Edinburgh, UK: Edinburgh University Press, 2016). Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
31 min
On this episode I discuss Libeled Lady (Jack Conway, 1936) starring Jean Harlow, Myrna Loy, William Powell, and Spencer Tracy. Works Cited : Vincent Canby, "How a 1936 Screwball Comedy Illuminates Movie History," The New York Times (February 1, 1981), section 2, pg. 15. The Dick Cavett Show , "Myrna Loy," (1980), season 12, episode 36. Kathrina Glitre, Hollywood Romantic Comedy: States of the Union, 1934-1965 (Manchester, UK: Manchester University Press, 2013). Grégoire Halbout, Hollywood Screwball Comedy, 1934-1945: Sex, Love, and Democratic Ideals (New York: Bloomsbury Academic, 2023). Emily Leider, Myrna Loy: The Only Good Girl in Hollywood (Berkeley: University of California Press, 2011). Myrna Loy and James Kotsilibas-Davis, Myrna Loy: Being and Becoming (New York: Donald I Fine, 1988). David Stenn, Bombshell: The Life and Death of Jean Harlow (New York: Doubleday, 1993). James Curtis, Spencer Tracy: A Biography (New York: Knopf, 2011). Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
49 min
On this episode I discuss all things Jean Harlow with historian, Sophia D'Aurelio. You can find Sophia at: Website: https://harlowheaven.wordpress.com/ Instagram: @harlowheaven Twitter: @harlowheaven and @vitaphonezone Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
39 min
On this episode, I discuss Twentieth Century (Howard Hawks, 1934) starring John Barrymore and Carole Lombard. Works Cited : Elizabeth Kendall, Runaway Bride: Hollywood Romantic Comedy of the 1930s (New York: Cooper Square Press, 2002). Olympia Kiriakou, Becoming Carole Lombard: Stardom, Comedy, and Legacy (New York: Bloomsbury Academic, 2020). Howard Hawks: A Hell of a Good Life , dir. Hans-Christoph Blumenberg (Germany: Sunset Mark Productions, 1978). Joseph McBride, Hawks on Hawks (Berkeley: University of California Press, 1982). Todd McCarthy, Howard Hawks: The Grey Fox of Hollywood (New York: Grove Press, 2000). Andrew Sarris, "The Sex Comedy Without Sex," American Film 3 (March 1978), 12-13. Larry Swindell, Screwball: The Life of Carole Lombard (New York: William Morrow & Co., Inc., 1975). Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.