EPISODE # 57: Elia Kazan’s Oscar-winning 1951 film, A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE, is based on a Pulitzer Prize-winning play by Tennessee Williams. Kazan directed the Broadway play, and brought all of the leads — except one — for the movie. James and Lara discuss …
academy award
The Wizard of Oz (1939)
EPISODE # 56: THE WIZARD OF OZ is a 1939 classic film beloved by children everywhere, but how does it hold up when you watch it as a grownup? For starters, the Wicked Witch of the West seems even MORE terrifying! James and Lara …
Giant (1956)
EPISODE # 55: Film production designer Scott Chambliss (TOMORROWLAND, STAR TREK: INTO DARKNESS) joins James and Lara to discuss this GIANT of a film. Director George Stevens took on some serious themes in this 1956 Classic that are still relevant today, and the performances …
Splendor in the Grass (1961)
EPISODE # 54: Elia Kazan’s SPLENDOR IN THE GRASS features two of Hollywood’s most beautiful stars: Natalie Wood and Warren Beatty. Lara and James are joined by Dennis Hensley to unravel the many themes explored in this 1961 classic based on William Inge’s novel …
Witness for the Prosecution (1957)
EPISODE # 53: A monocle, an eggbeater…and ONE of Marlene Dietrich’s famous legs! James and Lara settle into the jury box to discuss Billy Wilder’s WITNESS FOR THE PROSECUTION (1957), which was based on an Agatha Christie play. In this episode, James admits to …
The Best Years of Our Lives (1946)
EPISODE # 52: When it was released in 1946, THE BEST YEARS OF OUR LIVES became the most successful film since GONE WITH THE WIND. The movie connected deeply with a country that was recovering from World War II as it told the story …
The Philadelphia Story (1940)
EPISODE # 51: THE PHILADELPHIA STORY, one of Hollywood’s CLASS-iest films, not only marked a triumphant return to the screen for Katharine Hepburn but was also the movie that solidified Jimmy Stewart’s star status before he went off to World War II. But wait—why …
Miracle on 34th Street (1947)
EPISODE # 50: What did the film CHICKEN EVERY SUNDAY have to do with the making of MIRACLE ON 34TH STREET? Did Santa actually play himself? And why was Maureen O’Hara so mad when she got the call to head to New York to …
Laura (1944)
Episode # 48: “I shall never forget the weekend Laura died.” Clifton Webb’s infamous dialogue opens LAURA (1944) with the revelation that the main character is dead, and it is the perfect beginning to a perfect film noir. James and Lara dive into director …
The Heiress (1949)
EPISODE # 46: THE HEIRESS (1949) brought Olivia de Havilland her second Best Actress Oscar for her portrayal of Catherine Sloper, a single, dowdy young woman who just happens to be loaded. In this episode, James and Lara are joined by vintage fashion expert …