The History on Film Podcast

Ross and Ryan talk about Saturday Night Live with their guests, Stephen Tropiano and Steven Ginsberg, the authors of The SNL Companion. They cover the show's history, their favorite sketches, the importance of the Muppets in popular culture, and much more! FURTHER READING: Tropiano, Stephen and Steven Ginsberg. The SNL Companion: An Unofficial Guide to the Seasons, Sketches, and Stars of Saturday...

Ross and Ryan are joined by Dr. Robert Houghton to talk about his new book The Middle Ages in Computer Games. They discuss the ways in which game design and mechanics reinforce historical inaccuracy, the dynamics of the church and religion in gaming, and the value of debating who would win in a fight between historical figures. FURTHER READING: Houghton, Robert. The Middle Ages in Computer Games....

Ross and Ryan are joined by David Schroeder, military aviation historian and host of the YouTube channel "The Cold War". They look at four movies to trace the history of aerial combat in the twentieth century, as well as the increasing involvement of the military in filmmaking. FURTHER READING: de Seversky, Alexander. Victory Through Air Power. 1942. Meilinger, Phillip. Bomber: The Formation and E...

Ross and Ryan are joined by Matt Alt, author of Pure Invention: How Japan's Pop Culture Conquered the World. They pick up where the Akira episode ended, and discuss the impact and influence of anime in America in the 1990s and early 2000s. Ross and Ryan close with a dramatic reading. FURTHER READING: Alt, Matt. Pure Invention: How Japan's Pop Culture Conquered the World. FURTHER WATCHING: We talk...

Ross and Ryan speak with Dr. Alyssa Goldstein Sepinwall about her book, Slave Revolt on Screen: the Haitian Revolution in Film and Video Games. The examine why the Haitian Revolution isn't often depicted in media, the ways in which America and France depict it differently than Haitians, and how historical video games differ from film. FURTHER READING: Sepinwall, Alyssa Goldstein. Slave Revolt on S...

Ross and Ryan bring you all the news, scores, and highlights from around the National Football League ahead of Sunday's big game. They also correct the record on some previous episodes, talk about what's coming up, and answer a fun mailbag question. FURTHER READING: Mark Dyreson (2017) The Super Bowl as a Television Spectacle: Global Designs, Global Niches, and Parochial Patterns, The Internationa...

Ross and Ryan speak with some of the editors of the new International Journal of Disney Studies. They discuss the range of diversity in Disney Studies as a field, the process of starting an academic journal, theme park rides, and much more! FURTHER READING: Davis, Amy M.  Good Girls & Wicked Witches: Women in Disney's Feature Animation . Indiana University Press, 2007. Davis, Amy M. ...

Ross and Ryan speak with documentary filmmaker Christopher Jason Bell, creator of the documentary series "Miss Me Yet". They discuss the George W. Bush administration, opposition movements, the changing structure of media in the 2000s, pop-punk, "24", and much more. Further Reading: Gore, Al. The Assault on Reason. Scott, Peter Dale. The Road to 9/11: Wealth, Empire, and the Future of America. Fur...

Ross and Ryan speak with Drs. Matt Foy and Christopher Olson about their new book, Mystery Science Theater 3000: a Cultural History. The discuss how MST3k has mirrored the evolution of media production and consumption, fandom studies, and more. Join us, won't you? Further Reading: Foy, Matt and Christopher Olson. Mystery Science Theater 3000: A Cultural History. Further Watching (with links!): S3E...

Ross and Ryan are joined by 3-time returning guest and official "Friend of the Show" Dr. David Morton to speak with acclaimed historian Dr. Robert Rosenstone- author of several books on how to approach film as a historical document and consultant on the 1981 film "Reds". The discussion looks at how historians approach film, ways to approach historical films and documentaries, and Dr. Rosenstone's...

Ross and Ryan take a look at one really bad film starring one really good actor- the 1982 TV movie "Mazes & Monsters" with Tom Hanks. Were role-playing games really turning America's youth into Satanists? "60 Minutes" sure seemed to think so! Also, Ross shares his prediction for the end of "Stranger Things". This is a deeply unserious episode about a deeply stupid movie. REFERENCES: BADD Manua...

Ross and Ryan take a break from the hustle and bustle of podcasting to share some of their favorite (and least favorite) holiday films, as well as some of their favorite books, shows, and movies from 2024. They talk about the state of the podcast and where things are headed in the upcoming year, and close with a very bizarre Christmas movie trivia game. FURTHER READING: Dunstan, Simon and Gerrard...

Ross talks with Dr. Dustin Abnet about his book The American Robot: A Cultural History, and what our depictions of human-like machines tells us about ourselves. America's fascination with artificial people goes back to the founding of the country, and provides insights to understandings of race, gender, labor, and more. FURTHER READING: Abnet, Dustin. The American Robot: A Cultural History. FURTHE...

Ross and Ryan welcome Jane, Mauricio, and Ray from Fabulous Fleischer Cartoons Restored and returning champion Dr. David Morton to talk about the works of Max Fleischer and Fleischer Studios. Among his many achievements, his studio was the first to animate both Popeye and Superman — and he created the legendary Betty Boop, who remains an icon of American culture to this day. Fleischer Studios also...

Ross talks to Dr. Frederick Wasser about his book Veni, Vidi, Video, and how the invention of home video and the VCR reshaped the film industry. Learn about why VHS beat out Beta, how home video saved Disney, and much more. They end the conversation by connecting the industry changes and consolidation in the VCR era to the streaming environment of today. FURTHER READING: Wasser, Frederick. Veni, V...

Dr. Mel Stanfill comes on to talk about fandom studies- what it is, why it's important, and how it can get ugly. Their new book, Fandom is Ugly, looks at how fandom studies can help explain contemporary political movements, online toxicity and harassment campaigns, and more. FURTHER READING: Stanfill, Mel. Fandom is Ugly: Networked Harrassment in Participatory Culture. FURTHER WATCHING: "Galaxy Qu...

Ross and Ryan speak with Eric White, the M*A*S*H historian. They talk about how the stories of the 4077th reflected the real experiences of the Korean War, the politics of the TV series, and much more. FURTHER READING: Alda, Arlene and Alan. The Last Days of M*A*S*H. Diffrient, David. M*A*S*H. Part of the series "Contemporary Approaches to Film and Television Series". Green, Doyle. Politics and th...

Ross and Ryan begin their multi-part series on the history of Japanese anime and its reception in the West by talking about one of their all-time favorites, Katsuhiro Otomo's "Akira" (1988). They go through the development of filmed animation in Japan and the United States, how the two cultures influenced each other, and the surprising cartoon icon who connects them. Honestly, this episode could h...

Here's a look at some of what is coming up in season one! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ross talks with Dr. David Morton about his new book, Motion Picture Paradise: A History of Florida's Film and Television Industry. Beginning in Jacksonville in the early 1900s, Florida spent decades competing with New York and Hollywood to become a major film production center. How did a series of failures and false starts influence Florida and its economic development? Can Florida become a motion...

Ross talks with Skip Elsheimer of AVGeeks.com about his collection of over 37,000 non-theatrical film reels. What can we learn from old educational movies? Did the P.E. coaches of America traumatize multiple generations with traffic safety films? And why the one thing everyone knows about lemmings is a lie. FURTHER READING: Orgeron, Devin and Marsha, and Streible, Dan. Learning with the Lights Off...

For the pilot episode of the History on Film Podcast, we look at Billy Wilder's 1961 Cold War comedy "One, Two, Three" and the role of Coca Cola in postwar Europe. Will James Cagney be able to unite East and West with the great taste of Coke? What happens when the construction of the Berlin Wall during post-production ruins the entire plot of a movie? And why was Gorbachev in a Pizza Hut commercia...