PODCAST

Watching Classic Movies

K Cruver

An interview podcast featuring conversations with fascinating guests who love classic movies.

tv & film film interviews

All Episodes

00:32:52

Bogart and Huston Author Nat Segaloff

Watching Classic Movies ·

2025/10/31

The six films that Humphrey Bogart and director John Huston made together are some of the best of Hollywood’s golden age. These men are also complex and endlessly fascinating. I spoke with author Nat Segaloffabout their shared legacy and his new book, Bogart and Huston: Their Lives,Their Adventures, and the Classic Movies They Made Together. Check out Nat Segaloff’s many books, and see a cute pic of his Italian Greyhound Louie at his official site:http://www.natsegaloff.com/

00:32:25

Hayley Mills' Young Adult Roles with Kate Gabrielle

Watching Classic Movies ·

2025/10/24

Lately I’ve been fascinated by the roles Hayley Mills played in her early adult years. The parts she picked in an effort to shake off the Disney child-star image are a mixed bag, but through it all Mills was always mesmerizing. I could think of no one better to discuss this with thanKate Gabrielle, artist and author of the Scathingly Brilliant blog. Kate’s official site:https://kategabrielle.com/ Kate’s Hayley Mills pin sets for

00:33:34

Born in Flames Director Lizzie Borden

Watching Classic Movies ·

2025/10/17

From the first rebellious strains of the title tune by the Red Crayola, I knew Born In Flames (1983) was going to be a special movie. It was anhonor to talk about this timeless film with Director Lizzie Borden. She was deeply involved with the production of a new Blu-ray release of the film from Criterion Collection and we had a great talk about how Born in Flames was made,its evolving influence over the years, and how it felt to look back on it all in the production of this remarkable release. Born

00:36:24

Underseen Giallos with Kristina Dijan

Watching Classic Movies ·

2025/08/15

My guest is Kristina Dijan, writer of the longtime blog Speakeasy and a senior writer at the Dark Pages film noir newsletter. Kristina and I met at the TCM Classic Film Festival over a decade ago, where we quickly discovered a shared lovefor cult and genre films. In the years since we have shared hundreds of film suggestions with each other. This episode we decided to put down our phones and discuss our favorite underseen Giallos face-to-face. We had so many ideas for follow-up episodes, that

00:31:59

Single & Psycho: How Pop Culture Created the Unstable...

Watching Classic Movies ·

2025/08/08

My guest is Caroline Young, author of Single & Psycho: How Pop Culture Created the Unstable Single Woman. We talked about the many ways unmarried women are represented in movies and television and how they are often vilified. From Fatal Attraction and its fascinating inspiration Diversion to Gone Girl and the singletons of Bridget Jones and Sex and the City, we covered a lot of ground. More about Caroline: Instagramhttps://www.instagram.com/carolinejillyoung/ Official

00:32:34

Cesar Romero: The Joker Is Wild Author Samuel Garza...

Watching Classic Movies ·

2025/08/01

Though he has appeared in over two hundred films and television shows for generations of fans, Cesar Romero will always be theJoker. While his series of guest appearances in the 1960s Batman show is undeniably memorable, there’s a lot more to both Romero the man and the actor. My guest is SamuelGarza Bernstein, author of Cesar Romero: The Joker Is Wild. We discussed themost fascinating performances of this elegant, underrated talent who always maintainedthe heights of his stardom and lived life to

00:38:20

TCM Classic Movie Festival Memories with Karen...

Watching Classic Movies ·

2025/07/25

One of the best decisions I ever made was to attend the TCM Classic Film Festival and I’ve done that for several years. There are thousandsof movie fans who feel the same way. This one-of-a-kind event is as much about the community it draws as it is its films, panels, guests, and welcoming TCM hosts. I have spent many hours at the festival with my guests Aurora Bugallo,who writes the Once Upon A Screen blog and who is active on social media as CitizenScreen and Karen Burroughs Hannsberry who writes

00:27:57

Helen Morgan: The Original Torch Singer and...

Watching Classic Movies ·

2024/11/29

My guest is Christopher S. Connelly, author of HelenMorgan: The Original Torch Singer and Ziegfeld’s Last Star. Morgan was a hugely popular singer and actress who set the template for musical theater performance style. We talked about Morgan’s big heart, her deeply emotional connection with audiences, and how her approach to life was more Auntie Mame than as the downtrodden songstress she has been typically rumored to be. Learn more about the book and where to buy it

00:32:49

Talking Sudden Fear (1952) with Robert Bellissimo of...

Watching Classic Movies ·

2024/11/22

Robert Bellissimo has had me as his guest on his excellent Robert Bellissimo at the Movies video podcast two times: once to discuss the sci-fi/film noir Repeat Performance (1947) and recently to talk about Joan Crawford in Autumn Leaves (1956). In this episode we discuss Sudden Fear (1952) which has the noir and theater world characteristics of that first film and the star of the second. We talked in detail about the look, sound, plotting, and stars of this fascinating independent production that

00:30:45

Corpses Fools and Monsters: The History and Future of...

Watching Classic Movies ·

2024/11/15

It is rare to find a new film book that is destined to be a classic, but Corpses, Fools and Monsters: The History and Future of Transness in Cinema is just that. Co-written by Willow Catelyn Maclay and Caden Mark Gardner this well-curated mix of films, criticism, and history covers the highs and lows of trans representation both in front of and behind the camera and celebrates the wealth of trans talent now making films. I spoke with Willow about some of the stand-out films from the book, what it

00:30:25

Save our Scarecrow: How to Help Preserve the 150K...

Watching Classic Movies ·

2024/11/08

With a collection of nearly 150,000 titles, Scarecrow Video in Seattle, Washington is one of the largest, if not the largest publicly available archives of film in the world. US customers can rent in the store or by mail and anyone can purchase all sorts of amazing items from its official website. Open since 1988, and a not-for-profit run by its employees since 2014, it had never been easy to keep the store going, but this collective has set a goal to raise 1.8 million dollars in order to keep its

00:30:25

Not Even Nominated: 40 Overlooked Costars of...

Watching Classic Movies ·

2024/11/01

My guest is John DiLeo, author of eight film books,including his latest, Not Even Nominated: 40 Overlooked Costars of Oscar-Winning Performances. We talked about the common characteristics of great performances that nevertheless get overlooked for awards attention, some of our favorite deserving performances, and the way perception makes a movie a unique experience for each viewer. Learn more about John DiLeo’s many film books, including Not Even Nominated: 40 Overlooked Costars of Oscar-Winning

00:34:38

Nat Segaloff, Author of The Exorcist Legacy: 50 Years...

Watching Classic Movies ·

2024/10/25

My guest is Nat Segaloff, author of The Exorcist Legacy: 50 Years of Fear. Nat is uniquely qualified to write about this controversial classic. As a publicist working for the film, he was standing guard outside the auditorium doors for the first press screening . He knew director William Friedkin, and wrote his authorized biography and spent time with Exorcist novelist/screenwriter William Peter Blatty. We talked about the many versions and sequels of the Exorcist, the women who were integral to the

00:31:32

Talking Melodrama with Millie De Chirico

Watching Classic Movies ·

2024/02/23

Melodrama, it’s much more than Douglas Sirk-directed mid-century dramas, I had a great talk with writer, film programmer, podcaster, and teacher Millie De Chirico about what melodrama really means, what we love about it, and the surprising places you can find melodrama, from horror to action flicks.Subscribe to Millie’s Substack, Professional Sweetheart Check out the fantastic book Millie wrote with Quatoyiah Murry TCM Underground: 50 Must-See Films from the World of Classic Cult and Late-Night

00:30:10

Robert Dance, Author of Ferocious Ambition: Joan...

Watching Classic Movies ·

2024/02/16

There are few stars who have reached the heights that Joan Crawford did. In his book Ferocious Ambition: Joan Crawford’s March to Stardom my guest Robert Dance explores how she rose from childhood poverty to the top of her industry where she maintained a successful career for over four decades. We talked about her drive and talent for business and how she was a surprising feminist presence in mid-century cinema. You can purchase Ferocious Ambition: Joan Crawford’s March to Stardom here Check out

00:30:19

Nat Segaloff, Author of Say Hello to My Little...

Watching Classic Movies ·

2024/02/09

The two cinematic versions of Scarface were influential films which reflected their times, the thirties and eighties respectively. The prolific Nat Segaloff explores their legacy in Say Hello to My Little Friend: A Century of Scarface, a fascinating book that draws on Nat’s industry experience and considerable research skills. We talked about the effect these movies had, the people who made them remarkable, and what it was like to meet Scarface director Brian De Palma. Learn more about Nat’s many

00:33:33

Odie Henderson, Author of Black Caesars and Foxy...

Watching Classic Movies ·

2024/02/02

Film critic Odie Henderson has applied his vast film knowledge and solid storytelling skills to the writing of an excellent new book Buy Odie's Book Check out Odie's Blaxploitation Playlist Keep up with Odie on BlueSky Odie's film reviews: Boston Globe Roger Ebert Like the podcast? Want to hear more frequent episodes? Subscriptions are as low as 99 cents a month You can also support my work on ko-fi --- Support this podcast:

00:30:57

Authors of Eleanor Powell: Born to Dance Paula...

Watching Classic Movies ·

2023/12/20

Eleanor Powell was Hollywood’s best female tapper, but she isn’t nearly as well known as screen hoofers like Fred Astaire and Gene Kelly. With their book Eleanor Powell: Born to Dance my guests Paula Broussard and Lisa Royère are working to fix that cultural oversight. Having been dancers themselves, they offer a fascinating perspective on this one-of-a-kind star’s style. We talked about the uniquely skilled Powell, who was as engaging as a person as she was a performer, and Paula and Lisa’s own

00:34:22

The Turbulent, Remarkable Life of Veronica Lake with...

Watching Classic Movies ·

2023/12/06

While the actress Veronica Lake dealt with her share of trauma, her life was not quite the tragedy that it has long been rumored to be. Before she hit her mid-twenties she had appeared in six bonafide classic films, including Sullivan’s Travels, a series of noirs with Alan Ladd starting with This Gun for Hire, I Married a Witch and So Proudly We Hail. She left Hollywood behind, but never stopped working on the stage and in television, while pursuing the life she was unable to have as a young star. I

00:34:01

Talking Toshiro Mifune with Jill Blake

Watching Classic Movies ·

2023/11/29

Toshiro Mifune was one of the first classic film stars I loved and yet I didn’t know much about him personally. I decided to remedy that by talking to writer and CineJourneys co-founder Jill Blake. Jill has researched and written about Mifune and had a lot to share about his life, career, and remarkable partnership with filmmaker Akira Kurosawa. Check out Jill's work CineJourneys Substack: https://cinejourneys346.substack.com CineJourneys website: www.cinejourneys.com Read Jill’s piece on

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