The History on Film Podcast

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!):

S3E2: Pod People (Chris's pick)

S6E19: Red Zone Cuba (Matt's pick)

S8E19: Invasion of the Neptune Men (Ryan's pick)

S6E10: The Violent Years (Ross's pick)

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Or email us at [email protected]

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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 Robert Rosenstone- author of several books on how to approach film as a historical document and consultant on the 1981 film "Reds".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 time working with Warren Beatty. And if you haven't already, go back and listen to our episode on David's book (Episode 3, "The Florida on Film Podcast")!

FURTHER READING:

Rosenstone, Robert. History on Film, Film on History.

Morton, David. Motion Picture Paradise: A History of Florida's Film and Television Industry.

FURTHER WATCHING:

"Reds" (1981)

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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 Manual provided to law enforcement (Courtesy of The Escapist)

60 Minutes segment on D&D

FURTHER READING:

Starnheimer, Karen. Pop Culture Panics: How Moral Crusaders Construct Meanings of Deviance and Delinquency.

FURTHER WATCHING:

"Dark Dungeons" (2014)

"Reign of Fire" (2002)

Follow the show on Instagram! @histonfilmpod

Or email us at [email protected]

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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 Williams. Grey Wolf: The Escape of Adolf Hitler.

Jacobsen, Annie. Nuclear War: A Scenario.

Koontz, Stephanie. The Way we Never Were.

Vann, Michael and Liz Clarke. The Great Hanoi Rat Hunt.

FURTHER WATCHING:

"Interior Chinatown"

"La Brea"

"Wicked" (2024)

Follow the show on Instagram! @histonfilmpod

Or email us at [email protected]

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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.

FURTHER WATCHING:

"Westworld"

"Futurama"

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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 relocated from New York to Miami in the 1930s, becoming one of the most high-profile production studios in Florida at that time.

No homework this week! Go watch cartoons!

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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, Vidi, Video: The Hollywood Empire and the VCR.

FURTHER WATCHING:

"Be Kind, Rewind" (2008)

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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 Quest" (1999)

Follow the show on Instagram! @histonfilmpod

Or email us at [email protected]

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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 the American Television Comedy: A Critical Survey from I Love Lucy through South Park.

White, W.L. Back Down the Ridge.

FURTHER WATCHING:

"M*A*S*H" S2 E1: "Divided We Stand"

"M*A*S*H" S5 E8: "Dear Sigmund"

Follow the show on Instagram! @histonfilmpod

Or email us at [email protected]

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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 have easily been about 14 hours long and there still would have been more to cover.

FURTHER READING:

Alt, Matt. Pure Invention: How Japan Made the Modern World.

Clements, Jonathan. Anime: A History.

FURTHER WATCHING:

"My Neighbor Totoro" (1988)

"Cowboy Bebop"

Follow the show on Instagram! @histonfilmpod

Or email us at [email protected]

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 picture paradise again? And what happened to Nickelodeon Studios?

FURTHER READING:

Morton, David. Motion Picture Paradise: A History of Florida's Film and Television Industry.

FURTHER WATCHING:

Miami Connection (1987)

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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: Educational Film in the United States.

FURTHER WATCHING:

Go check out AVGeeks.com!

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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 commercial?!

Hilltop ad

Gorbachev ad

FURTHER READING:

Heller and Barson, Red Scared!: The Commie Menace in Propaganda and Popular Culture

Stephan, Alexander. The Americanization of Europe: Culture, Diplomacy, and Anti-Americanism after 1945

Mee, Charles. Marshall Plan:The Launching of Pax Americana

Kuisel, Richard. Seducing the French: The Dilemma of Americanization

FURTHER WATCHING:

Ninotchka (1939)

Dr. Stangelove (1964)

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