Ticklish Business

An episode literally four years in the making! Maybe even five. Who knows how long Kristen has been promising this episode but the day has finally arrived!  It was one of the most that ushered in the death knell for Old Hollywood biopics, and Carole Lombard biographer Robert Matzen joins Kristen and Emily to separate fact from fiction in Gable & Lombard! The trio talk about James Brolin playing Ga...

Viva la resistance! We're closing the book on our Films of Resistance series as well celebrating the release of Kristen's latest book, Popcorn Disabilities, by talking about a movie looking at disabled activism.  The 1978 feature Coming Home attempted to tell an authentic story about the struggles disabled Vietnam War vets were experiencing. Along the way, it became a landmark for disabled represe...

Viva la resistance! Over the next four episodes we'll be looking at how Old Hollywood talks about politics, independence and democracy and we're looking at the end of the 1970s with this counterculture musical.  Hair shook up Broadway but how did it come off in the movies? Special guest Alex Steed joins Emily to discuss hippiedom and more. Be sure to follow us via social media at @ticklish_biz on...

Viva la resistance! Over the next four episodes we'll be looking at how Old Hollywood talks about politics, independence and democracy and we jump into the Cold War 1960s with this Stanley Kubrick satire.  Dr. Strangelove is the de facto movie about the Cold War, though it's presented alongside a spate of movies specifically in 1964 looking at nuclear fears. Film critic Jeff Ewing joins Kristen an...

Viva la resistance! Over the next four episodes we'll be looking at how Old Hollywood talks about politics, independence and democracy starting with this George Cukor comedy.  Born Yesterday isn't a movie associated with any political group, but it celebrates the joys of being an informed person and our country's history of freedom. Plus, Judy Holliday is perfect and Bill Holden looks hot in glass...

The Halloween season comes to a close with director Rodman Flender talking to us about Roger Corman's A Bucket of Blood. Flender actually worked with Corman and lays out what he was like. We also talk the beatnik movement on-screen! Be sure to follow us via social media at @ticklish_biz on X and @ticklishbiz everywhere else. Also like and subscribe to us on all podcast apps and, if you love us, le...

We're kicking off spooky season with the OG vampire movie: 1922's Nosferatu. Author of Vampire Movies, Charles Bramesco, joins Kristen and Emily to break down the movie's unfortunate flaws, the benefits of stealing its source material, what the hell happened to F.W. Murnau's skull?  You can buy Charles's book Colors of Film: The Story of Cinema in 50 Palettes here. Have you signed up for our Patre...

Our unintentional Musical Month in September ends by going classical, to the original OG of music: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart! Special guest Richard Kirkham joins Kristen and Emily to talk about this Milos Forman classic, the way this became an '80s classic, and who the hell is Tom Hulce? Be sure to follow us via social media at @ticklish_biz on X and @ticklishbiz everywhere else. Also like and subsc...

It's Kristen's birthday month and she decided to celebrate with the biggest (fake) rock band of all time. Kristen, Emily, and guest Alan Cerny sit down to talk This is Spinal Tap, the way it plays with the documentary format, and try hard not to spend the whole time quoting it.   Next Time: We unintentionally spend September in the year 1984 so we're looking at (another) musical feature, the Milos...

**This episode was recorded prior to Margo's unfortunate passing towards the end of July. Our thoughts are with her family and loved ones.** We're hitting the dance floor with Margo Donohue, the author of Fever: The Complete History of Saturday Night Fever.  Margo joins Kristen and Emily to discuss John Travolta's rise to fame, New York in the 1970s, and whether contemporary audiences can find any...

Edna Ferber biographer Julie Gilbert joins us to discuss the 1956 Western epic Giant. The trio talk about James Dean, Liz Taylor's feminism, and how the movie isn't afraid to deconstruct the genre it's set in. Buy Julie's book Giant Love by clicking this link. Be sure to follow us via social media at @ticklish_biz on X and @ticklishbiz everywhere else. Also like and subscribe to us on all podcast...

Summer comes to a close and we're saying farewell to the beach with Esther Williams and the 1953 movie Dangerous When Wet. It's been a minute since we've disagreed on a movie and we look at Williams as a swimming star, her relationship with Fernando Lamas, and Kristen does dramatic readings from Williams's autobiography.  This episode was created thanks to our Patrons: Ali Moore Danny David Floyd...

John Malahy, author of the literal book on Summer Movies, joins us on the beach with Frankie Avalon and Annette Funicello for a discussion on 1965's Beach Blanket Bingo. John, Emily and Kristen talk about what makes a summer movie, the power of Frankie and Annette, and why Harvey Lembeck is the world's oldest teenager. Buy John's book wherever you get books. Find Kristen and Emily's books wherever...

You're gonna need a bigger boat to listen to this episode! We're hitting the water and trying to avoid becoming a hot lunch with a look at the 50th anniversary of Jaws. Christopher Shaw Myers, author and nephew to star Robert Shaw, joins us to break down the movie's significance, Shaw's performance, and why Peter Benchley's book sucks. Buy Christopher's book Robert Shaw: An Actor's Life on the Set...

International Month comes to a close with a look at Akira Kurosawa's contemporary noir feature High and Low! And who better to join us than TCM producer and author Scott McGee. Scott joins Kristen and Emily to talk about this morality tale, its connections to today's society, and what the "right type" of wealthy man can look like. Buy Scott's book Danger on the Silver Screen here. This episode was...

We're going on vacation through the world of classic film! Yes, International Month is back. But unless the previous two years, where we did two movies from different countries, we're spending June in one country with a single director: Akira Kurosawa. TCM host and author of the new book TCM Imports: Timeless Favorites and Hidden Gems of World Cinema, Alicia Malone, joins us to kick things off wit...

You Must Remember This host Karina Longworth sits down with us to talk about the new season of her show, "The Old Man Is Still Alive." We discuss which directors weathered the collapse of the studio system best, why Stanley Donen's Blame It On Rio gets so much guff, and John Huston's third act celebration. This episode was created thanks to our Patrons: Ali Moore Danny David Floyd Gates McF Rachel...

Another TCM Classic Film Festival has come and gone, but whether you were on the ground in LA or you couldn't make it, Ticklish Biz has you covered with some great audio from the festival. We start off with Ben Mankiewicz, and Elle and Dakota Fanning introducing Michelle Pfeiffer at her hand and footprint ceremony. Then it's Alicia Malone and actor Barry Bostwick discussing The Rocky Horror Pictur...

Flower Drum Song star Nancy Kwan sits down with Ticklish Business in anticipation of her new autobiography! Nancy talks about being discovered young, what her costars were like, and more. We also talk about the joys of actor James Shigeta. Buy The World of Nancy Kwan now. This episode was created thanks to our Patrons: Ali Moore Danny David Floyd Gates McF Rachel Clark Shawn Goodreau A Button Call...

TCM's "Czar of Noir" Eddie Muller joins us once again to discuss the women of his latest book Dark City Dames: The Women Who Defined Film Noir. Eddie chats about interviewing some of the most iconic film noir women and how his new book seeks to tell their stories more fully. You can pre-order Dark City Dames: The Women Who Defined Film Noir before it's April 8th publication by clicking the link. A...

Your eyes don't deceive you! Ticklish Business is back, kinda. Kristen sits down with author Mayukh Sen to talk all about Merle Oberon, the subject of Sen's latest book, Love, Queenie: Merle Oberon, Hollywood's First South Asian Star. Sen breaks down the stereotypes about Oberon he wanted to dispel and how she was able to rise above Hollywood racism. We appreciate everyone continuing to support us...

Kristen and Emily return with Front Row Classics podcast host Brandon Davis to celebrate the release of Wicked by looking at the film that started it all: 1939's The Wizard of Oz. The trio discuss Judy Garland's casting, the economics of Oz, and various rumors. This episode was created thanks to our Patrons: Ali Moore Amy Hart Danny David Floyd Donna Hill Gates Jacob Haller McF Rachel Clark Shawn...

It's All Hallows Eve and we're closing out spooky season with a legendary Halloween treat. Director and Shining historian Lee Unkrich joins Kristen to discuss Stanley Kubrick's 1980 adaptation of The Shining. The pair discuss the nature of adaptation, Shelley Duvall's performance (RIP), and why it still holds up today. This episode was created thanks to our Patrons: Ali Moore Amy Hart Danny David...

Halloween inches ever closer much like the centipede? earwig? that dominates William Castle's 1959 horror film The Tingler. Emily and Kristen discuss Bill Castle and his gimmicks, Vincent Price, and why Warren Chapin might be the worst doctor character ever. This episode was created thanks to our Patrons: Ali Moore Amy Hart Danny David Floyd Donna Hill Gates Jacob Haller McF Rachel Clark Shawn Goo...

Emily and Kristen may be a week later than usual but spooky season kicks off with a bang as the duo talk George Romero's 1968 feature Night of the Living Dead! And along for the ride is acclaimed cinematographer Levie Isaaks. Levie, watching this for the first time (!), discusses the film's impact, what Tobe Hooper took for Texas Chain Saw Massacre, and more. This episode was created thanks to our...