Gotham Variety

LBJ speaks out against extremism; Communist atrocities in Vietnam; Barry Goldwater wins the Illinois primary; history is made at the Oscars; Shea Stadium opens for business. Newscaster: Joe Rubenstein.  Support this project on Patreon!

In this episode, we review our top-ranked film of 1963, “Hud,” directed by Martin Ritt and featuring an Oscar-nominated performance by Paul Newman and Oscar-winning performances by Patricia Neal and Melvyn Douglas. Support this project on Patreon!

Six Americans are killed in Vietnam; Mississippi Freedom Summer is announced; two Senators want U.S. out of Vietnam; Jack Ruby is doomed; Malcolm X speaks out; Cassius Clay has a new name and is rejected by the Army. Newscaster: Joe Rubenstein.  Support this project on Patreon!

Robert McNamara briefs LBJ on Vietnam; Barry Goldwater speaks out; Robert Kennedy goes on the Jack Paar Show; Malcolm X defects from the Nation of Islam; the Celtics set another record. Newscaster: Joe Rubenstein.  Support this project on Patreon!

In this episode, we review our second-ranked film of 1963, Louis Malle’s haunting drama, "The Fire Within,” starring Maurice Ronet. Support this project on Patreon!

President Johnson speaks out on Vietnam; the Presidential primary campaign heats up; Malcolm X at odds with Elijah Muhammad; the Tax Bill is signed; the Beatles go home; Cassius Clay shocks the world. Newscaster: Joe Rubenstein.  Support this project on Patreon!

LBJ holds his first televised news conference; MLK visits Milwaukee; another coup d’état in South Vietnam; Sen. Margaret Chase Smith announces a Presidential run; “Louie Louie” is called “pornographic”; Cassius Clay creates chaos. Newscaster: Joe Rubenstein.  Support this project on Patreon!

In this episode, we move on to our fourth and third-ranked films of 1963, Akira Kurosawa’s “High and Low” and Stanley Donen’s “Charade,” starring Cary Grant and Audrey Hepburn. Support this project on Patreon!

The long-awaited Federal report on smoking is released; RFK sent on troubleshooting mission; Lieut. Gen. Westmoreland will replace Gen. Harkins in South Vietnam; LBJ gives his State of the Union — Goldwater responds; Mrs. Kennedy thanks the public; the NBA All-Stars almost go on strike. Newscaster: Joe Rubenstein.  Support this project on Patreon!

President Johnson meets with Chancellor Erhard; Harry Truman speaks out; Nikita Khrushchev predicts U.S. defeat in Vietnam; Martin Luther King is Time’s Man of the Year; Roy Campanella brings Christmas cheer to a paralyzed jockey; the Chicago Bears are champions of the NFL. Newscaster: Joe Rubenstein.  Support this project on Patreon!

In this episode, we move on to our fifth-ranked film of 1963, Alfred Hitchcock's “The Birds.” At the end, we reveal our ranked list of the Top 10 films of Hitchcock’s entire career. Support this project on Patreon!

President Johnson announces the formation of the Warren Commission; Governor Connally speaks out; Jack Ruby is indicted; Cape Canaveral is renamed; Staubach wins the Heisman Trophy. Newscaster: Joe Rubenstein.  Support this project on Patreon!

This report covers the murder of Lee Harvey Oswald as well as memorial ceremonies for President Kennedy. Included are clips of Lee Harvey Oswald issuing his last public denial of guilt; Ike Pappas of WNEW-AM describing the shooting as it happened; Police Detective Jim Leavelle, who stood next to Oswald when he was shot; Steve Landregan, Parkland Hospital administrator; Dr. Tom Shires, chief of surgery at Parkland; Joy Dale, a dancer at Jack Ruby’s nightclub; Richard Nixon commenting on the murder of Oswald; and Chief Justice Earl Warren eulogizing President Kennedy. Newscaster: Joe Rubenstein.  Support this project on Patreon!

This report covers the assassination of President Kennedy from all angles. Included are clips of the President at various events just prior to his death; Walter Cronkite of CBS News; Acting White House Press Secretary Malcolm Kilduff; UPI Reporter Bill Hampton; Lyndon Johnson as he takes the oath and then delivers remarks at Andrews Air Force Base; Lee Harvey Oswald; Ted Callaway, who witnessed the shooting of Officer J.D. Tippit and picked Oswald out of a police lineup; two Dallas police officers who helped arrest Oswald; Dallas Police Sergeant Gerald Hill, who describes what was found on the 6th floor of the Texas Schoolbook Depository; Dwight D. Eisenhower; Martin Luther King; everyday citizens in Chicago and New York, including a policeman in Times Square; Dallas Police Chief Jesse Curry; and Dallas Judge David Johnston. Newscaster: Joe Rubenstein.  Support this project on Patreon!

President Kennedy defends his foreign aid program; a changing of the guard in South Vietnam; the pushbutton telephone arrives; the nation honors its war veterans; George C. Scott solicits feedback; Cassius Clay hears from the military draft board. Newscaster: Joe Rubenstein.  Support this project on Patreon!

In Indianapolis, an explosion kills at least 62 people; in Philadelphia, President Kennedy is met by protestors; in South Vietnam, three Americans are captured; demonstrators assault Chief Justice Warren; Madame Nhu is snubbed in Los Angeles; Sandy Koufax wins another big award. Newscaster: Joe Rubenstein.  Support this project on Patreon!

In this episode, we move on to our sixth-ranked film of 1963, "The Organizer," an Italian strike drama directed by Mario Monicelli and starring the great Marcello Mastroianni (“8½”). Support this project on Patreon!

The South Vietnamese crisis deepens; state troopers go on the attack at a voter registration drive in Alabama; President Kennedy talks 1964; the nuclear test ban treaty is signed; the Valachi Hearings are criticized; the Dodgers are set for a big payday.  Newscaster: Joe Rubenstein.  Support this project on Patreon!

Twenty-two U.S. Senators speak out on Vietnam; in the Deep South, schools in four states are integrated; a serial strangler terrorizes Boston; Robert Kennedy speaks to American Indians; Frank Sinatra is linked to a mobster; the Yankees clinch their 28th pennant. Newscaster: Joe Rubenstein.  Support this project on Patreon!

In this episode, we move on to our seventh-ranked film of 1963, "The Great Escape," which marked career turning points for Steve McQueen, James Garner, and James Coburn.  In this episode: - Background on director John Sturges [2:07] - Difficulties with Steve McQueen [5:58] - How Sturges helped viewers remember so many characters [8:31] - Where the filmmakers deviated from the facts of the 1944 escape [11:44] - Placing the film in the context of 1963 [15:15] - Scenes deleted from the final cut [18:38] - Facts on casting, storytelling structure, musical soundtrack [22:30] For an additional podcast on McQueen's role in this film and in two others, click here. Support this project on Patreon.