The Screwball Story

The Thin Man, William Powell & Myrna Loy: an interview with Rob Kozlowski Nov 04, 2023

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).

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There's Always a Woman (Alexander Hall, 1938) Oct 28, 2023

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).

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Fred MacMurray: an interview with Charles Tranberg Oct 21, 2023

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.

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The Egg and I (Chester Erskine, 1947) Oct 14, 2023

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).

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The Mad Miss Manton (Leigh Jason, 1938): an interview with Cait Liberati Oct 07, 2023

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).

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What's Up, Doc? (Peter Bogdanovich, 1972) Sep 30, 2023

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

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Nothing Sacred (William Wellman, 1937) Sep 23, 2023

On this episode I discuss my favorite Carole Lombard screwball comedy, Nothing Sacred (1937).

Resources:

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Fast-talking Dames & Hawks Women: an interview with Chris Cassingham Sep 16, 2023

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).

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Bachelor Mother (Garson Kanin, 1939): an interview with Raquel Stecher Sep 09, 2023

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

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Easy Living (Mitchell Leisen, 1937) Sep 02, 2023

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

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Carole Lombard - Interview with Carla Valderrama Mar 25, 2023

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/

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Hands Across the Table (Mitchell Leisen, 1935) Mar 18, 2023

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).

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Barbara Stanwyck - Interview with Cait Liberati Mar 11, 2023

On this episode I discuss Barbara Stanwyck's performances in The Lady Eve (Sturges, 1941) and Ball of Fire (Hawks, 1941) with Cait Liberati.

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The Miracle of Morgan's Creek (Preston Sturges, 1944) Mar 04, 2023

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).

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Ernst Lubitsch - Interview with Chris Cassingham Feb 25, 2023

On this episode I chat with film programmer Chris Cassingham about the comedy genius, Ernst Lubitsch.

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My Man Godfrey (Gregory La Cava, 1936) Feb 18, 2023

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).

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Theodora Goes Wild (Richard Boleslawski, 1936) Feb 11, 2023

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).

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Libeled Lady (Jack Conway, 1936) Feb 04, 2023

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).

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Jean Harlow - Interview with Sophia D'Aurelio Jan 21, 2023

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

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Twentieth Century (Howard Hawks, 1934) Jan 14, 2023

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).

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It Happened One Night (Frank Capra, 1934) Jan 07, 2023

For the inaugural episode, I dive into Frank Capra's populist classic, It Happened One Night (1934), starring Clark Gable and Claudette Colbert.

Works Cited:

Elizabeth Kendall, The Runaway Bride: Hollywood Romantic Comedy of the 1930s (New York: Cooper Square Press, 2002).

Richard Maltby, "It Happened One Night: The Recreation of the Patriarch," in Frank Capra: Authorship and the Studio System, eds. Robert Sklar and Vito Zagarrio (Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 1998), 130-63.

Joseph McBride, Frank Capra: The Catastrophe of Success (Jackson: University Press of Mississippi, 2011).

Linda Mizejewski, It Happened One Night (New York: Wiley-Blackwell, 2009).

Giuliana Muscio, "Roosevelt, Arnold, and Capra (or) the Federalist-Populist Paradox," in Frank Capra: Authorship and the Studio System, eds. Robert Sklar and Vito Zagarrio (Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 1998), 164-89.

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