Yesteryear Ballyhoo Revue

Zach is joined once again by Hope Sears (All of the Classics) to help Jack Benny and Ann Sheridan renovate a historical house as they take a deep dive into William Keighley's 1942 comedy, 'George Washington Slept Here'. Grab your tools and get ready to dig for analytical water wells as the two dive into Jack's own recollections of the film, discuss the genius of Percy Kilbride's performance, break...

Zach is joined this week by internet radio broadcaster John Matthews aka Big John (The Glowing Dial with Big John and Steve, The Glowing Dial LIVE) to step through the creaking door with a rather mysterious host for a Radio Revue of INNER SANCTUM MYSTERIES!!! Settle in for a terrifying tale and then relax with the boys as they shake off the scares by talking about the origin of Inner Sanctum, the...

Zach welcomes back the 3 Time Ballyhoo Champion Adam Jewell (Previous Episodes on 'Double Indemnity', 'The Searchers', and 'The Apartment') for a game of pool as the two dive deep into Robert Rossen's 1961 classic, 'The Hustler'. Rack Up your earbuds and get ready as they break into a discussion that see's the boys diving into the origins of director Rossen and star Paul Newman, have a frank talk...

Zach welcomes podcaster and filmmaker Jay Alan Rickard (Dear Rowan, Sit a Spell) to have a closer look at the subtext, text, and over all representation of LGBTQ persons in Golden Age Hollywood with a dive into Nicholas Ray's 'Rebel Without A Cause' and William Wyler's 'The Children's Hour'. Tune in as the two discuss when and where they first started noticing the subject matter in Golden Age Holl...

Our Wonderful (?) Host, Zach Eastman, takes this week to celebrate the Ballyhoo's first birthday, reveals what is to come, and treats you to TWO Classic Radio Shows guaranteed to make you laugh till your sides ache featuring Groucho, Fenneman, Harpo, George, and Gracie. Shows Presented "You Bet Your Life" - 'Secret Word: Radio' Broadcast: October 26th, 1949. "Maxwell House Coffee Time Starring Geo...

This week, on a very special GIGANTIC SIZED episode of the Ballyhoo that may go on for years, Zach is joined by return guests Tyler and "Andrew" (Pop Culture Brews) to shoot elephants in the Ballyhoo's pajamas... how they got in our pajamas, we dont know. That's right folks, the topic of the day will be THE MARX BROTHERS as the boys dive deep into their first Five Films with Paramount Pictures. Se...

The Bally-BOO! concludes a month of terror with a trip to the wintry north where some THING has been found in the ice. Zach is joined as this expedition by returning guests Anthony Cubba and Brent Ballard (Poptimistic) where they shall all encounter the terror from beyond the stars found in 1951's THE THING FROM ANOTHER WORLD! Gather your flame throwers and be on guard as the boys travail the cont...

The Bally-BOO! presses on with more talk to make the spine tingle and the nerves unsettled! This week Zach welcomes back Ryan Frost (Reel Nerds Podcast) to witness the fear and panic struck upon villagers and scientists by one Dr. Jack Griffin with a breakdown of James Whales' supreme classic, 'The Invisible Man'! Pull up a chair (just make sure no one else is in it) and settle in as the boys go t...

The Bally-BOO! presses on with more terrifying tales unfolding from cinemas past. This week Zach welcomes back Matt Willocks (The Colorado Batcave) for journey among the rugged peaks that crown upon the Borgo Pass to arrive at a double dose of the one and only, DRACULA! Listen to them, podcasters of the night.. what chatter they make as they run through the history of production, learn more about...

The Ballyhoo becomes The Bally-Boo as the show kicks off an entire month of horror chatter. This week, Zach is joined by actress and make up artist Erin Mullane (Gone Daddy Gone, Heavy Hangs the Sky) to piece together the many parts needed to discuss James Whales' terrifying and hilarious 1935 masterpiece, 'BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN'. Journey with us into the world of Gods and Montsers as the two dig...

Zach welcomes actor, voice artist, and film critic Matthew Merback (The Bipolar Critic) to have a jolly holiday through the wonderful world of Disney as they dive way too deep into the 1964 classic, 'Mary Poppins'. Join them outside the steps of Number 17 Cherry Tree Lane, where they will discover more about the origins of the film adaptation, analyze the contention between Walt and P.L. Travers,...

Zach is joined by actress and stand-up comic Abella Bala (Deadly Illusions, Antlers) to take a journey through the streets of New York City through the eyes of Holly Golightly with a chat about Blake Edward's perennial 1961 hit, 'Breakfast at Tiffany's'. Grab your croissants and stolen Halloween masks and settle in as the two learn about the astounding life of Audrey Hepburn, become puzzled at why...

The Ballyhoo returns to Film Breakdowns! This week, Zach welcomes Sterling J. Cook (Filmmaker & CFVA Board Member) as the two take a comedic bicycle ride through the world of Jacques Tati with a look at his 1949 debut feature, 'Jour de fête' (The Big Day). Settle in as the boys go international to unlock the early history of Tati, look into how his career as a mime cultivated his future talents wi...

On this very special 39th episode of the Ballyhoo, Zach pays tribute to the man who never aged past 39... Mr. Jack Benny. Settle in this evening for 4 episodes of 'The Jack Benny Program', with commentary surrounding the context and stories behind the episodes. You will also be treated to stories about Jack Benny the violinist and Jack Benny... the special effects enthusiast? Yes, all that and mor...

This week on the Ballyhoo, The Two Zach(k)'s (Eastman and Beins) bring the legendary Lloyd Kaufman of Troma Entertainment onto the program for an unforgettable discussion. Listen in as the boys listen to Lloyd express his love for folks like Sam Fuller and Preston Sturges, learn about how Mizoguchi Chaplin have influenced choices in his films, and listen to him express his love for Ernst Lubitsch'...

Zach is joined this week by podcaster Jamie Dyer (Old Time Review, A Brit Talks Vintage TV, The Hudsons) to take a hilarity fueled dive into old time radio as they unravel an episode of the short lived comedy series, 'The Mel Blanc Show'. First: Get ready to laugh at the hijinks that ensue when Mel tries to fix Mr. Colby's radio in an episode from 'The Mel Blanc Show' from November 5th, 1947. Then...

Zach welcomes back filmmaker Ryan Francis Johnson (Writer's Workshop, Such a Nice Car (We Have)) to at long last cover the spiritual sequel to 'The Bad and the Beautiful' as they take trip through Vincente Minnelli's 1962 film, 'Two Weeks in Another Town'. Buckle up for a wild international filmmaking journey as the boys catch up with how the creative combo of Minnelli, Douglas, Schnee, and Housem...

Zach is joined this week by Author and Film Historian Pam Munter (Fading Fame: Women of a Certain Age in Hollywood) to unpack the trunks and get ready for a debut on the Vaudeville stage as they dive into Eddie Cantor and his 1944 film, 'Show Business.' Listen as the two discuss Pams work in researching the subjects that formed her short stories in the book, discuss the origins of Eddie Cantor and...

Zach is joined by Podcaster extraordinaire Jon Ekstrom (Jon of All Trades) to give proper tribute to the one and only W.C. Fields with a deep dive into 1934's 'It's A Gift'. Pack up the jalopy and watch out for the molasses as the guys get into the origins of how William Claude Dunkenfield became the W.C. Fields we know and love, learn a bit more about director Norman McLeod, break down the plot a...

Zach is joined by Film Critic and Podcaster Jack Hanley (The Superlatives Podcast, A History of You In 5 Films) to tackle the enduring and ever powerful hand of Charles Laughton as a director as they take a dive into the world of a Mother Goose Nightmare with 1955's, THE NIGHT OF THE HUNTER (Cue Sideshow Bob Theme) Be entranced by the sermons of two film fans as they breakdown in detail the unique...

Zach welcomes back the one and only Adam Jewell to return to the Wild World of Wilder with a look inside the goings on in 1960's 'The Apartment'. Listen in as the boys discuss the origin of the films creation and its connection to real life events, breakdown and analyze each performance within the context of its era and where that falls into today's understanding, revel in the superb production de...

Zach welcomes back Podcaster and Musician Cev Moore (Film Guff, Here Lies Amicus, House of Hammer) to help him survive the dread that will unfold from Vorvolaka's and Quarantine's with a look at the chilling Val Lewton produced and Mark Robson directed classic, 'Isle of the Dead'! Pass the Cerebus at the shore to enter a place filled with Terror and Timeliness as the guys sift through the laughs a...

This week, Zach takes a moment to remember the life of Joan Benny: author, film history lecturer, mother, grandmother, and the daughter of Jack Benny. Broadcast Information: 'The Jack Benny Program' Original Airdate 10/15/1950 Starring: Joan Benny Jack Benny Mary Livingstone Eddie 'Rochester' Anderson Dennis Day Joe Kearns Blanche Stewart and yours truly Don Wilson

This week Zach welcomes back filmmaker and podcaster Henry Jarvis (Reel Nerds Podcast) and he brings along The Arkansas Traveler as the boys dive into Elia Kazan's prescient and audacious 1957 , 'A Face in the Crowd'. Tune in to engage in the spiraling madness as the boys learn more about the complicated histories of Kazan and screenwriter Budd Schulberg, how the films unsettling narrative draws a...

Zach is joined once again by filmmaker John Strelec ('Antlers: The Web Series', 'Gunther') to engage in a podcast of the Archers as they take a long and thorough look at Powell and Pressburger's 1946 masterpiece, 'A Matter of Life and Death'. Listen in as the boys find about the origins of Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger, learn more about the state of the British film industry upon their arr...