Real Old Reels

Send us Fan Mail It's Friday the 13th, and have we got a cautionary tale for you! The 1976 film *Freaky Friday* is a hilarious family comedy where a mother and daughter magically swap bodies, leading to a wild and fun adventure! Starring Barbara Harris and Jodie Foster, this lighthearted film is packed with laughs, quirky situations, and heartwarming moments as they learn to appreciate each o...

Send us Fan Mail We did it! Happy Anniversary and thank you to all our listeners for getting us here. We've truly enjoyed talking about our favorite films! Please share and comment for us! Take a journey with Captain Sinbad to far-off islands with one-eyed monsters, two-headed birds, shrunken princesses, and a captured genie. In The 7th Voyage of Sinbad,  you'll see the early days of ani...

Send us Fan Mail Robin and Lisa discuss another Western, but this one can't be taken seriously. "Cat Ballou" is a wild Western romp where schoolteacher Cat Ballou turns outlaw to avenge her father's murder. With a drunken gunslinger, Kid Shelleen, by her side, (not to mention, a farm hand, smitten outlaw, and an uncle) they take on a ruthless land baron in a thrilling mix of co...

Send us Fan Mail Welcome to our Season 4 Premiere! Robin and Lisa have a great lineup of movies that you won't want to miss. Starting us off is one of the greatest of Humphrey Bogart's and Katharine Hepburn's careers! You won't want to miss the amazing story of the making of The African Queen. Prepare for a thrilling adventure set during World War I, where a rough-and-tumble Ca...

Send us Fan Mail Two athletes compete for Olympic victories with completely different approaches: one runs with his heart and for the glory of God, the other with a calculated study to shave off any unnecessary movement. Chariots of Fire, based on a true story, follows their paths as they cross at the 1924 Paris Olympics and how they overcome the obstacles thrown in their way. Listen as Robin and...

Send us Fan Mail Before the aliens in The Quiet Place there were Graboids! This creature feature from the not-too-distant past became a mega-cult classic, starring Kevin Bacon. Residents of Perfection, a town of 14, are terrorized by an unseen threat. These monsters live underground and are getting smarter every minute. Val (Bacon) and Earl (Fred Ward), the town's handy-men, lead the resident...

Send us Fan Mail It's Week 2 of our "Not Really Old Reels" in July! All baseball legends go to heaven in what Kevin Costner called, his generation's "It's a Wonderful Life." Field of Dreams is about following the illogical but undeniable urges to follow a dream, a voice, a journey that others can't understand or see. Even Ray Kinsella doesn't know what...

Send us Fan Mail "Jaws," directed by Steven Spielberg and released in 1975, is a suspenseful thriller about a massive great white shark terrorizing a small beach town. As the body count rises, a local sheriff, a marine biologist, and a grizzled fisherman team up to hunt the deadly predator, leading to an epic and terrifying confrontation. Though Jaws is an exciting film, the process lead...

Send us Fan Mail Mr. Smith Goes to Washington is a timeless tale of idealism and integrity. James Stewart shines as Jefferson Smith, a naive yet passionate man who becomes a U.S. Senator. Amidst political corruption, Smith’s unwavering belief in democracy and justice inspires hope, reminding us of the enduring power of one honest voice. Listen to Robin and Lisa discuss Frank Capra and his film tha...

Send us Fan Mail Shadows from Venetian blinds, cigarette smoke, a dangerous woman, and a gullible insurance salesman all combine for one of the most beloved film noirs of all time. Double Indemnity has all the mood, suspense, and personal narration you'd come to expect from the genre, and Robin and Lisa are here to swoon over it!  https://www.instagram.com/realoldreels/

Send us Fan Mail Laugh out loud at the fan-girl drama on full display in the film Bye Bye Birdie! This classic 60's musical pokes fun at the ravenous adoration of teens when mega rockstar Conrad Birdie is about to go into military service. He has one last TV appearance where he'll sing a brand new song and plant a smooch on Kim McAfee as a symbolic goodbye gesture to his fans.  Trouble a...

Send us Fan Mail Another slam dunk from director Billy Wilder, Witness for the Prosecution is the combined genius of humorous Wilder, a brilliant cast, and the world's favorite mystery writer, Agatha Christie.  Witness for the Prosecution may not be the most famous of Agatha Christie's film adaptations, but it was her favorite one! Skillfully interwoven flashbacks, colorful supporting ch...

Send us Fan Mail Heaven's above! Jack Benny is an angel sent on a mission to end the world by playing his trumpet on the top of a hotel at midnight, and if he fails he can't come back to play in the celestial orchestra. Despite his purest intentions, he's met with distractions and obstacles along they way: a pretty woman in trouble, delicious food, and fallen angels who want to rema...

Send us Fan Mail Known for scaring the socks of countless Baby Boomers during the 1950s, Invaders From Mars tells the story of starstruck David MacLean, the young sole witness of aliens noisily landing in his backyard in the wee hours of the morning. His father goes to investigate but is dragged beneath the sand, only to reemerge as a stiff, cold-hearted version of his father he's never met....

Send us Fan Mail In the heart of the American Midwest, "Oklahoma!" unfolds with romance, rivalry, and the promise of a new frontier. Set in the early 1900s, the musical follows the love story between cowboy Curly and farm girl Laurey, amidst a backdrop of community tension and the challenges of the Oklahoma Territory. Rogers and Hammerstein hit the nail on the head for a series of upbeat...

Send us Fan Mail Scheming husband, Tony Wendice plots the murder of his adulterous wife, Margot, to free himself of their unhappy marriage but keep her money.  In "Strangers on a Train" fashion, he lures an old acquaintance to his apartment to blackmail him into doing the job for him. Things go awry for Tony when Margot survives, and he must hurry to sweep up any breadcrumbs leading to h...

Send us Fan Mail Dark and unsettling, Sunset Boulevard casts a shadow over Hollywood's regard for past idols and what happens when the sun goes down on an actress' career and the price of fame.  Real-life Gloria Swanson plays an aging silent film star whose despair and desperation to become relevant again entrench her in a pitiful delusion. Even her snarky companion, Joe, only halfway un...

Send us Fan Mail Cary Grant and Katharine Hepburn team up for a hilarious comedy involving dinosaur bones, leopards, and constant wardrobe changes! Robin and Jenn discuss how Grant and Hepburn became the dream team for four legendary films, the amazing characterization of the Bringing Up Baby characters, and perhaps an argument for the Manic Pixie Dream Girl. You don't want to miss this screw...

Send us Fan Mail Well, shoot. Here it is 2024 and Pan Am isn't booking commercial flights to space and I can't tour the moon after spending the night at a Hilton Hotel in the sky! However, Stanley Kubrick was considered to make some of the most cutting-edge films in more ways than one. 2001: A Space Odyssey is a mesmerizing sci-fi masterpiece, spanning the dawn of man to a mysterious jou...

Send us Fan Mail Starring father-daughter duo Ryan and Tatum O'Neal, Paper Moon is a captivating Great Depression Era film that follows a con man and Addie, who may or may not be his daughter. Filled with laughs and heart, Robin and Jenn discuss all their favorite scenes and the heart-breaking story behind the movie. https://www.instagram.com/realoldreels/

Send us Fan Mail Robin and our next guest host for this month, Jenn, talk about one of Paul Newman's greatest films from the 1960s,  Cool Hand Luke.   The gut-wrenching story of indomitable inmate, Luke, who creates a loyal following within a prison work camp. The other prisoners look to Luke for hope as he refuses to break under the strict rules and punishments of the camp, but soon the boss...

Send us Fan Mail Along with Charlie Chaplin's  The Great Dictator , To Be or Not To Be is one of the greatest WWII films to mock Hitler during the war. Made by German director, Ernst Lubitsch and starring Jack Benny and Carole Lombard, this dark comedy tells the story of a Polish theater troupe on a mission to stop a spy with intel that would spell disaster and death for dozens of fellow Pole...

Send us Fan Mail Robin and guest host Chris discuss  All About Eve,  a historical landmark of a film with a meticulous screenplay, matchless performances by all the cast, and hand-wringing tension! There's plenty to unpack behind the scenes of this one: Bette Davis' temperamental reputation, spotting tons of our favorite stars, and knowing that the cycle of power grabs among actresses wi...

Send us Fan Mail This episode features Lisa's favorite comedy of all time, It Happened One Night with the dashing Clark Gable and darling Claudette Colbert. FINALLY, the moment we've been waiting for. We love lots of old movies, clearly, but this is really one of the best and sweetest. Poor rich girl, Ellie, flees her father's yacht in Miami to reach her new husband, a renowned cad,...

Send us Fan Mail Audrey Hepburn plays the lovely Princess Anne who, after reaching the end of her rope with tedious royal tasks, goes  AWOL to wander amongst the hoi polloi. Listen to Robin and Lisa discuss one of film's greatest romantic comedies and Audrey's remarkable life that led her to become one of Hollywood's most beloved stars and one of our personal favorites! If you liked...