Episodes
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In this episode we wrap up the 5th Academy Awards, giving a quick rundown of all 8 films nominated for the top award, Outstanding Production.
Patterns we noticed this seasonFavorite Top Song of the DayMovie Event Statistics over 5 Academy Awards (weddings, deaths, etc.)Bimbo AwardSara asks Dad questions to reflect on relating to doing this project
Walt Disney's Parade of the Award Nominees short:
https://youtu.be/6PoSjUf1j7k?si=cWueX5ngKIiGbW58
Including our bonus film, we give our personal favorites and personal worsts. We also view the nominees as Oscar Bridesmaids, and bestow runner-up awards.
Alternate Ending review of Grand Hotel:
https://www.alternateending.com/2015/05/people-come-people-go-nothing-ever-happens.html
Additional insights:You don't want to miss it!
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This is our last film review of the season, and we cover Outstanding Production winner, Grand Hotel. This movie is unique in that, while it did win the top prize at the 5th Academy Awards, it did not receive a nomination in any other category, a feat that has never been repeated. This is our most star-studded cast to date, featuring Greta Garbo, Joan Crawford, John AND Lionel Barrymore, Wallace Beery, and Lewis Stone. Oh, and it also features an adorable dog named Adolphus.
Tune in to find out how Grand Hotel might have a connection to outer space, a deep dive into the Lindbergh kidnapping, and top song of the day.
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Welcome to our episode on One Hour With You, our fourth Ernst Lubitsch film for the project, and our THIRD Lubitsch musical...which also means our third Maurice Chevalier vehicle. Chevalier is joined once again by Jeanette MacDonald. How is this film any different from the others we have reviewed? Well, this one doesn't feature fantasy royalty, and is grounded quite firmly in hoity-toity French upper-crust 1930s society. It's a frivolous little romp through the ups and downs of one happily married couple as they grapple with infidelity.
As always we have our history timeline and top song of the day!
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Today we go over director Josef von Sternberg's Shanghai Express, starring Marlene Dietrich, Clive Brook, Anna May Wong, and Werner Oland. Based on a real-life incident of train passengers taken hostage in China, the story vacillates between a dramatic action film and a searing love story. Rife with plenty of intrigue (prostitution, drug smuggling, civil war, rape, murder), Shanghai Express is a feast for the eyes. It also grapples with racial tension/prejudice, some of it unintentional, as Werner Oland, a Swedish actor, plays a half-Chinese villain.
Our history timeline features a bizarre and unsettling platonic love triangle between the Pope, Gandhi, and Mussolini, but top song of the day is an absolute bop!
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In our fifth regular film review of the season, we cover director John Ford's Arrowsmith, adapted from Sinclair Lewis's Pulitzer Prize winning novel. No, this is not the origin story of a 20th Century rock band, but it is the story of a young doctor who is determined to follow the scientific method no matter the cost. The story also has some unsettling implications for us now in the 21st century, as it grapples with an outbreak of plague and the uncertainty of using an untested vaccine. The film stars Ronald Colman and Helen Hayes.
Of course we have our history timeline (it takes a dark turn in this episode), and top song of the day!
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That's right! It's a BONUS EPISODE, and today we are covering 1931's Frankenstein. Everyone thinks they know this classic monster movie whether they've seen it or not, and we take a deep dive as it falls right on our regular timeline. We covered Dracula last season, and we thought it would be unforgivable if we didn't cover this Universal Pictures horror film too. Joining us again for our final thoughts is Kid Keely, weighing in with her own fantastic insights.
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THIS IS OUR FORTIETH EPISODE!!
This third film review of the season covers Five Star Final, starring Edward G. Robinson in a non-gangster role. This tale of yellow journalism gone horribly wrong showcases the horrifying consequences when a newspaper decides to resurrect a long-forgotten murder case, and then does the unthinkable in order to make it happen. This screenplay has several literary allusions, and a stellar cast.
Of course we have our history timeline, top song of the day, and, as always, baseball!
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Here is our second film review for the season! Frank Borzage, who won Best Director at the first Academy Awards for Seventh Heaven, is back, with ANOTHER win for Best Director of this film, Bad Girl. Newcomer James Dunn dominates the screen in this Academy Award-winning adaptation of the novel of the same name. That's right, this pre-code gem won two out of three nominations, losing out only on Outstanding Production. We try to figure out why. Give a listen as we dive into sexual harassment, walks of shame, marriage, and tenement living during the Great Depression.
Of course we have our history timeline, top song of the day, and, as always, baseball!
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In our first film review for the season, we cover The Smiling Lieutenant, another Ernst Lubitsch musical comedy. Starring Maurice Chevalier, Claudette Colbert, and newcomer Miriam Hopkins, this jaunty, suggestive film focuses on a love triangle between a lieutenant, his violin virtuoso girlfriend, and a naïve princess. There is lots of innuendo, lots of sexual banter, and ridiculous songs comparing sex to jazz and, yes, breakfast foods.
We cover several months on our history timeline, top song of the day, and, as much baseball as we can manage.
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Welcome to our Season 5 Premiere! Sara and Dad cover the 5th Academy Awards ceremony (honoring the best in films - screened in Los Angeles - between August 1, 1931 and July 31, 1932). We discuss (again) the context of these films being made during the pre-code era, and what the implications are for filmmaking moving forward. This season ups the ante with eight nominees instead of five, and we consider the possibilities of doing some more bonus episodes (movies that were not nominated for Outstanding Production but still fall on our historical timeline). Oddly enough, this season has some funky components to the competition--including a tie for Best Actor, and a director with two Best Picture nominees.
The Smiling Lieutenant (1931)Bad Girl (1931)Five Star Final (1931)The Champ (1931)Arrowsmith (1931)Shanghai Express (1932)One Hour With You (1932)Grand Hotel (1932)
Of course, we give an overview of the eight films nominated for the top honor, and speculate on our interests.
The Movies:Please leave us a review wherever you are listening!
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In this episode we wrap up the 4th Academy Awards, giving a quick rundown of all 5 films nominated for the top award, Outstanding Production.
Including our two bonus films, we give our personal favorites and personal worsts. And finally, we view the nominees as Oscar Bridesmaids, and bestow runner-up awards. You don't want to miss it!
Please leave us a review wherever you are listening!
Email us rants as well as raves: [email protected]
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After a quick one week hiatus, we are back with our final review of the season, covering the controversial film Trader Horn.
The first non-documentary movie filmed on location in Africa, Trader Horn is based on the memoirs of Aloysius Horn. While there are many amazing real sequences featuring the diverse wildlife to be found in Africa, most of the plot is contrived and over-the-top (read: absolutely fictional).
As always, we follow our history context timeline, including top song of the day, and day-of headlines.Please leave us a review wherever you are listening!
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Please leave us a review wherever you are listening!
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That’s right! Today we have ANOTHER special BONUS episode, covering William Wellman's The Public Enemy. This "gangster" classic was released on April 23, 1931, so it fits right in with our regular Oscar timeline, but this movie wasn’t nominated for Outstanding Production (but it was nominated for Best Original Story--although it didn't win). So why are we discussing it? Because, once again, a film made at the same time as our nominees this season has managed to grapple its way into our collective consciousness, especially regarding criminals.
This is a “full-length” episode. We still have: history timeline, top song of the day, day-of headlines, plot examination, personal reactions, and contemporary and modern reviews.
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Today we are covering Skippy, which was adapted from a hugely popular comic strip. This is our first "kids' movie," and features Jackie Cooper in the title role. His performance in this film (at nine years old) garnered him a nomination for Best Actor. What might seem like a frivolous premise actually carries some significant emotional weight.
Sir Lawrence OlivierTreasure IslandSupermanBatmanStar Trekwomen in baseballsongs referencing drug use/addiction
Unexpected connections we make during our examination of this Outstanding Production nominee:But the most important question we explore is...Does Skippy deserve to be on THE LIST?
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It's another (Lewis) Milestone milestone film! In this episode we take a look at Outstanding Production nominee The Front Page, which was famously adapted into the screwball comedy classic His Girl Friday.
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In our second film review for Season 4, we take a look at Outstanding Production nominee East Lynne, based on Ellen Wood's best-selling 1861 novel. This is nearly a lost film, since the single copy in existence is only available for viewing via appointment at UCLA. We had to resort to watching a low-quality pirated version on YouTube. You're going to have to listen to find out what we think!
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That’s right! Today we have a special BONUS episode, covering Tod Browning’s Dracula. This horror classic actually had its general release on Valentine’s Day, February 14, 1931…93 years ago today! It fits right in with our regular Oscar timeline, but this movie is different…it wasn’t nominated for Outstanding Production, and, in fact, wasn’t nominated for any Academy Awards at all. So why are we discussing it? Because Dracula, made at the same time as our nominees this season, has managed to outshine all of them in the annals of history, and has a staying power in our cultural consciousness that defies subjective awards shows.
We had intended this to be a “mini-episode”--but the movie is so good it blossomed into a regular “full-length” episode. We have all of our usuals: history timeline, top song of the day, day-of headlines, plot examination, personal reactions, and contemporary and modern reviews (shout out to Roger Ebert). We also have a special guest star: Sara’s daughter Keely is back to offer her thoughts–who knew you wanted to know what an 11-year-old thinks about a super old movie? (And you do, her insights might be rather unexpected.)
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In our first film review for Season 4, we take a look at Outstanding Production winner Cimarron, based on Edna Ferber’s best-selling novel. For modern audiences, this polarizing film often jockeys for position with other notorious Best Oscar winner The Broadway Melody as potentially the worst awarded movie. What do Sara and Dad think? You’ll have to listen to find out!
Our history timeline introduces a new episode feature: Top Song on the day of the film’s release. We also have a special announcement at the end of the episode about what is coming next week: a special surprise!Please leave us a review wherever you are listening!
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Welcome to our Season 4 Premiere! Sara and Dad cover the 4th Academy Awards ceremony (honoring the best in films between August 1, 1930 and July 31, 1931). Although the eligibility timeline covers 12 months, all five nominees are from the first half of 1931, and we speculate on some iconic films that were skipped over. Indeed, we discuss the possibility of doing some bonus episodes this season in order to acknowledge these movies that we wouldn't otherwise have an opportunity to discuss. What do you think? Is this a good idea?
Cimarron (1931)East Lynne (1931)The Front Page (1931)Skippy (1931)Trader Horn (1931)
Our day-of-(awards show)-history gives an interesting insight into global politics and mounting tensions in the Pacific (a full decade before the US is pulled into WWII).
Of course, we give an overview of the five films nominated for the top honor, and accessibility issues (some severe) for several of them.
The Movies:Books mentioned by Dad:
Seventy Years of the Oscars by Robert OsborneJames Cagney: A Celebration by Richard SchickelPlease leave us a review wherever you are listening!
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