Classic Movie Recall

Arguably the greatest movie ever made about Hollywood, Billy Wilder's masterpiece SUNSET BOULEVARD is a tremendously entertaining combination of noir, horror and black comedy. An aging silent film queen refuses to accept that her stardom has ended, and she hires a young screenwriter to help set up her movie comeback. The screenwriter believes he can manipulate her, but he soon finds out he is wrong. The screenwriter's ambivalence about their relationship and her unwillingness to let go leads to a situation of violence, madness, and death. One of the coolest thing about this film is how it blurs the lines between truth and fiction, as real-life former silent film stars play themselves, Cecil B. DeMille plays himself, and Gloria Swanson is surrounded by glamour shots from HER silent film career. Join us as we talk about all of this, some of the most memorable lines in all of film history, and how James once tried to find the mansion on Sunset Boulevard. Ready for your close-up?

Made during the Depression, when America desperately needed to feel good, Shirley Temple is a ray of sunshine in her role as the young orphan, Rebecca, who auditions for a spot on a radio show. Today, she still ranks as the greatest child entertainer in history and her films put a smile on our face and warm our jaded hearts. Author, filmmaker, and host of the Dennis Anyone? podcast Dennis Hensley is our Audience of One and joins James and Lara to talk about being the ambassador to the good ship lollipop, Shirley's amazingly AWESOME tap dance number with Bill "Bojangles" Robinson, and the original black-and-white version of the film vs. the modern colorized version.

This is Harold Lloyd’s comic masterpiece, and is the film that gave us the most iconic image of the silent era: Harold dangling from a clock on a skyscraper. Even today, SAFETY LAST(1923) is considered one of the greatest film comedies ever made, and Harold one of the few TRUE masters of cinematic sight gags and humor. He plays a character called “The Boy” who moves to the big city, Los Angeles, to make his fortune so he can marry his small-town sweetheart. And hilarity ensues! Actress and radio host Michelle Briddell is our Audience of One as we talk about how Harold wore glasses because without them he was considered too good-looking, the difficulty of making physical comedy look easy, and how they did that iconic scene with the clock. SAFETY LAST is a delightful film, and a great one to see for someone who has never experienced a silent film before.

New York City it girl Holly Golightly (played by Audrey Hepburn) laughs and parties her way through Manhattan as she searches for a suitable (aka filthy rich) man to marry. Along the way, she meets a not-rich but gorgeous neighbor man who is a writer named Paul, played by George Peppard, who it turns out is "sponsored" by the cougarific Patricia Neal. BREAKFAST AT TIFFANY'S won Oscars for Best Original Score and Best Original Song for “Moon River,” was directed by Blake Edwards, and was based on Truman Capote’s best-selling novella. In our review, James and Lara get into how, if you don't look closely, you might miss some of the darker themes of the film. SHOULD the classic song have gone, "Two prostitutes...off to see the world???" But New York City and everyone that lives there all look so GOOD. Wanda Soileau, a vintage clothing expert and owner of Playclothes in Burbank, is our Audience of One and breaks down Audrey's timeless Givenchy looks. After listening to this, you might be ready to hop the closes

Travel back to the foggy London streets of 1894 for the exciting exploits of the world's most famous private detective. This follow-up to The Hound of the Baskervilles is even better than its predecessor. Basil Rathbone gives a marvelous performance as the iconic, pipe-smoking super-sleuth. James and Lara are joined by Audience of One John Van Camp of Boss Boss Radio to break down the relationship between Sherlock and Watson, the correct pronunciation of "Basil," classic suspense films vs. The Walking Dead, and why someone who is receiving death threats would walk home alone at night in the fog.

Before KING KONG, GODZILLA, or JURASSIC PARK, this ambitious 1925 silent film was the first feature to unleash ‘stop-motion’ animation on an astonished public, with a story adapted from the novel by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. This was the first feature-length film to present model animation as the primary special effect. And the dinosaurs are great fun! James appreciated how the film was pieced together for the restoration, Lara liked that people were making out in caves while wearing crisp linen shirts and khakis in the middle of the Amazon while being chased by strange creatures, and our Audience of One, attorney Tom Gehring, marveled that dinosaurs were real. THE LOST WORLD is a perfect movie for film buffs to see because of its importance in film history, or anyone who loves dinosaurs, although you might find yourself chuckling at the silent film overacting and effects from almost 100 years ago.

Alice Faye was a HUGE star in the 1940s, but is largely unknown today. Did James and Lara succumb to her big blue eyes and honey voice in 1943's HELLO, FRISCO, HELLO? And is John Payne one of the hottest piano-playing businessmen ever? This musical is set in San Francisco's Barbary Coast in the early 1900s, and features the standard, "You'll Never Know," along with a fun number on roller skates that one of us loved. Voiceover superstar Casey Keating is our Audience of One and discusses why the movie should have been called Hello, SAN FRANCISCO, Hello!

TOP HAT is not a movie you watch for the plot so much as to experience the star power and the chemistry of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. In this rapid-fire review that was recorded at the historic Los Angeles Theatre in Downtown Los Angeles, James has issues with music playing throughout the entire film, Lara swoons over Fred Astaire's fabulosity and ponders a solo podcast, and Annamarie Von Firley of Revamp Vintage, our Audience of One, joins us to talk ostrich feather gowns.

Charlie Chaplin, playing his iconic Tramp character, falls in love with a blind flower girl...and hilarity ensues? What happens when one person writes, stars, edits, and directs a movie? And is the ending of this film possibly the GREATEST ending ever? (ALERT: We don't spoil the ending.) If you've never seen a silent film, or thought you hated the genre, CITY LIGHTS is the movie to watch. After you see this and your heart fills with hope, you might be inspired to say, just as The Tramp did (via title card), "Tomorrow the birds will sing."

Is Frederic March just a dirty old man in the original A STAR IS BORN? Can a Hollywood marriage survive when one career is on its way up and the other is in a death spiral? And why is James bitter when it comes to Janet Gaynor's character, a farm girl who wants to be in the "moving pictures?" Join us and this week's Audience of One, Larry Morgan of K-Earth 101 and The Snarkmonkey podcast, as we break down this 1937 classic. See this film and be prepared to scream at anyone who has ever doubted your dreams," Some day you won't laugh at me! I'm going out and have a real life! I'm gonna be somebody" #HoorayForHollywood

Could someone watch CASABLANCA, a film consistently ranked as one of the greatest ever, and think..."meh?" Which part of Southern California stood in for Morocco? And can anyone decipher the plot? It doesn't matter, since CASABLANCA is all about the romance! Join James and Lara as they talk backlighting and the enduring sexiness of Bogie on Classic Movie Recall.