I'm joined by author Cathy Whitlock to talk about the subject of production design as chronicled in her gorgeous book Designs on Film: A Century of Hollywood Art Direction.  Among the films discussed are Citizen Kane, Top Hat, Things to Come, The Wizard of Oz, Cleopatra, Lawrence of Arabia and You Only Live Twice, to name a few.  A Bill&Debi Production ..read more

Author Gary May joins me to talk about the career of M.K. Jerome, whose songs enhanced many a golden age Hollywood film, especially during his tenure at Warner Bros.  Moe, as he was known, is the subject of Gary's book The Tunesmith, The Musical Journey of M.K. Jerome.  Gary has significant insight into  Moe's life and career, given that Moe was Gary's grandfather.  Listen in as we discuss Moe's contributions to film in a variety of genres, and in support of stars such as Greta Garbo, Bette Davis, Errol Flynn and James Cagney.  Oh, and there's also that movie you might ..read more

Agatha Christie scholar and author Mark Aldridge joins me to discuss movies adapted from the writings of the famed mystery writer, as chronicled in Mark's book Agatha Christie on Screen.  Gather with us in the virtual parlor as we discuss, among other films, Love From a Stranger, And Then There Were None, Witness for the Prosecution and Murder on the Orient Express.  A Bill&Debi Production ..read more

Jim and I are joined by the multi-talented Nick Santa Maria, co-author of The Annotated Abbott and Costello and alphabetically first half of the retro comedy team Biffle and Shooster.  We chat about Bud and Lou, and what made them and their comedy formula so special, then segue into the creation and assemblage of the neo-vintage (seriously?) short comedies produced and compiled into The Misadventures of Biffle and Shooster. A Bill&Debi Production ..read more

As our first guest of 2024, Jim and I are thrilled to welcome the one and only Leonard Maltin, whose tenure as the movie critic for Entertainment Tonight spanned three decades, and whose books are a staple of any respectable movie reference library, in addition to his highly informative and entertaining autobiography.  Join us as we discuss his career, his books, and here and there a specific movie. A Bill&Debi Production ..read more

With the first anniversary of the launch of Movie Nights & Matinees coming this week, co-host Jim Reid and I have a casual conversation that includes reflections on the first year of the podcast, as well as discussions of specific movies we've been watching or that are personal favorites.  Popping up in the discussion are comedians Laurel & Hardy, Wheeler & Woolsey, Edgar Kennedy and Eddie Cantor, in addition to Fred Astaire and film historian David Shepard.  Among the films we chat about are 1916's Sherlock Holmes, the Columbia serial Mandrake the Magician, Champagne for ..read more

Jim and I wind up the year by talking Christmas movies with TCM Library author Jeremy Arnold, whose 2018 book Christmas in the Movies has just been reissued in a revised, expanded edition.   Join us as we talk about old favorites including It's a Wonderful Life, Meet Me in St. Louis and A Christmas Carol; as well as less well-known films such as The Cheaters, Blast of Silence and Cash On Demand.  Then there's the matter of Die Hard... A Bill&Debi Production ..read more

Join me and Jim for a fascinating discussion with documentary filmmaker Peter Flynn regarding the demise of film as a mainstream exhibition medium, as chronicled in his 2015 film The Dying of the Light, in addition to related topics tied to his prior documentary Blazing the Trail (2011) and his forthcoming Film is Dead.  Long Live Film! A Bill&Debi Production ..read more

After a hiatus, Jim Reid returns to join me in discussing silent comedy pioneer Max Linder with Lisa Stein Haven, the author of The Rise and Fall of Max Linder.  Along the way, we chat about Linder's status as the first silent comedy superstar, his unique mashups of stage and film in his early career, touring appearances that he used as opportunities to create comedies in unique locations, his attempts to launch an American career with such films as Seven Years Bad Luck and The Three Must-Get-Theres, and the swift downward spiral that culminated in his tragic and disturbing demise. A Bill ..read more

 Joining me to talk about movie adaptations of works by Edgar Rice Burroughs are prior guests Scott Tracy Griffin and Will Murray.  There's some additional discussion of a few Tarzan films, though that was mostly covered in Episode 2.  This episode will focus more on the non-Tarzan films, from 1917's The Lad and the Lion to the 2012 big-budget adventure John Carter.  NOTE:  The episode length is 1hr, 2 mins.  At the time of publication, podcast host Buzzsprout had a bug that added an extra hour to the length. A Bill&Debi Production ..read more