Preston Sturges (1898 - 1959) birth name Edmund Preston Biden - writer, director, producer
Part III of IV
Must see movies:
Sullivan’s Travels (1941)
The Lady Eve (1941)
Christmas in July (1940)
Runner Up: Palm Beach Story (1942)
Full Quote from the Title: "A pretty girl is better than a plain one. A leg is better than an arm. A bedroom is better than a living room. An arrival is better than a departure. A birth is better than a death. A chase is better than a chat. A dog is better than a landscape. A kitten is better than a dog. A baby is better than a kitten. A kiss is better than a baby. A pratfall is better than anything." -Preston Sturges
Other Music: Opening credits Sullivan's Travels, The Lady Eve, and Palm Beach Story.
Thank you to Powerbleeder for our theme song "Future Mind" listen here!

EPISODE 37 Preston Sturges Pt. III- A Bedroom is Better than a Living Room

Preston Sturges (1898 - 1959) birth name Edmund Preston Biden - writer, director, producer
 
Part II of IV
Must see movies:
Sullivan’s Travels (1941)
The Lady Eve (1941)
Christmas in July (1940)
Runner Up: Palm Beach Story (1942)
Full Quote from the Title: "A pretty girl is better than a plain one. A leg is better than an arm. A bedroom is better than a living room. An arrival is better than a departure. A birth is better than a death. A chase is better than a chat. A dog is better than a landscape. A kitten is better than a dog. A baby is better than a kitten. A kiss is better than a baby. A pratfall is better than anything." -Preston Sturges
Other Music: Opening credits Sullivan's Travels, The Lady Eve, and Palm Beach Story.
Thank you to Powerbleeder for our theme song "Future Mind" listen here!

EPISODE 37 Preston Sturges Pt. II- An Arrival is Better Than a Departure

Preston Sturges (1898 - 1959) birth name Edmund Preston Biden - writer, director, producer
 
Part I of IV
Must see movies:
Sullivan’s Travels (1941)
The Lady Eve (1941)
Christmas in July (1940)
Runner Up: Palm Beach Story (1942)
Full Quote from the Title: "A pretty girl is better than a plain one. A leg is better than an arm. A bedroom is better than a living room. An arrival is better than a departure. A birth is better than a death. A chase is better than a chat. A dog is better than a landscape. A kitten is better than a dog. A baby is better than a kitten. A kiss is better than a baby. A pratfall is better than anything." -Preston Sturges
Other Music: Opening credits Sullivan's Travels, The Lady Eve, and Palm Beach Story.
Thank you to Powerbleeder for our theme song "Future Mind" listen here!
 

EPISODE 37 Preston Sturges Pt. I- A Dog is Better Than a Landscape

Jeanette MacDonald (1903 -1965)
 
Nelson Eddy (1901 - 1967)
 
Naughty Marietta (1935) - Highly recommended
Rose Marie (1936) 
Maytime (1937) - Highly recommended
The Girl of the Golden West (1938) - Highly recommended
Sweethearts (1938) - Highly recommended
New Moon (1940) - Highly recommended
Bitter Sweet (1940)
I Married an Angel (1941) - hmmm, inter-esting
 
A couple of recommendations of their separate films:
The Merry Widow (1934) - Jeanette stars with Maurice Chevalier directed by Ernst Lubitsch 
The Chocolate Soldier (1941) - Nelson stars with opera star Rise Stevens
 
Italian Street Song from Naughty Marietta - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n94pvclfugk
Ah, Sweet Mystery of Life! From Naughty Marietta - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1xpKeabZlEs
Other Music: Indian Love Call, Rose Marie I Love You, Shortenin' Bread, all sung by Nelson Eddy
Thank you to Powerbleeder for the theme song "Future Mind" listen here!

EPISODE 36 Jeanette MacDonald and Nelson Eddy ”Ah, Sweet Mystery of Life at Last We’ve Found Thee”

Herman Melville (1819-1891)
 
Most famously the author of Moby Dick but his best work is Bartleby the Scrivener (1853) - “I would prefer not to.”
 
Billy Budd (1891) - left unfinished at this death
Our preferred adaptation is a loose one - Beau Travail directed by Claire Denis (1999)
As adapted into an opera by Benjamin Britten - Billy Budd (1951) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q6cdCuKhjKM
 
Thank you to Powerbleeder for the theme song "Future Mind" listen here!
Other Music: "Farewell to thee, old Rights o' Man" from the Billy Budd opera by Bitten

EPISODE 35 ”Oh Humanity!” Billy Budd and Bartleby the Scrivener

The final part of the life and times of Rudolph Valentino: his second divorce, the famous boxing match, and more.
* Corrections: Rudy gave out his first and only prize for best actor in 1924; the first Oscars were held in 1929, not 1926. 
Rudolph Valentino nee Rodolfo Alfonso Raffaello Pierre Filiberto Guglielmi di Valentina d'Antonguella (1895 - 1926) 
In Part IV, we discuss Rudy's first two marriages and the drama that ensues, and his rise to international stardom with the Sheik (1921).
Top 5:
The Eagle
The Sheik/Son of the Sheik
Cobra
Blood and Sand
Moran of the Lady Letty
Photos from the Young Raja
Valentino's Car
The Mineralava Beauty Pageant
Song: "There's a New Star In Heaven Tonight"
Rudy Singing "Kashmiri Love Song"
mysilentboyfriend onYoutube
Thank you to Powerbleeder for the theme song "Future Mind" listen here!

EPISODE 34 Rudolph Valentino Pt. VI: Valentino, Goodbye. There’s a New Star In Heaven Tonight

Rudolph Valentino nee Rodolfo Alfonso Raffaello Pierre Filiberto Guglielmi di Valentina d'Antonguella (1895 - 1926) 
In Part IV, we discuss Rudy's first two marriages and the drama that ensues, and his rise to international stardom with the Sheik (1921).
Top 5:
The Eagle
The Sheik/Son of the Sheik
Cobra
Blood and Sand
Moran of the Lady Letty
Photos from the Young Raja
Valentino's Car
The Mineralava Beauty Pageant
Thank you to Powerbleeder for the theme song "Future Mind" listen here!

EPISODE 34 Rudolph Valentino Pt. V: Megastardom and the European Tour

Rudolph Valentino nee Rodolfo Alfonso Raffaello Pierre Filiberto Guglielmi di Valentina d'Antonguella (1895 - 1926) 
In Part IV, we discuss Rudy's first two marriages and the drama that ensues, and his rise to international stardom with the Sheik (1921).
*Correction: There exist two other recording of Rudy's voice. One can be heard here:
Rudy Singing "Kashmiri Love Song"
Top 5:
The Eagle
The Sheik/Son of the Sheik
Cobra
Blood and Sand
Moran of the Lady Letty
Thank you to Powerbleeder for the theme song "Future Mind" listen here!

Episode 34 Rudolph Valentino Pt. IV: How She Won the Sheik

Rudolph Valentino nee Rodolfo Alfonso Raffaello Pierre Filiberto Guglielmi di Valentina d'Antonguella (1895 - 1926) 
Top 5:
The Eagle
The Sheik/Son of the Sheik
Cobra
Blood and Sand
Moran of the Lady Letty
Ken Russell did a good, though at times surreal, biopic - Valentino (1977) - starring the ballet legend Rudolph Nureyev.
Thank you to Powerbleeder for the theme song "Future Mind" listen here!
Other songs in this episode:
Tango- music from Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse

Foibles Episode 34 Rudolph Valentino Pt. III: He Would Stroll on the Beach with Two White Wolf Hounds

Rudolph Valentino nee Rodolfo Alfonso Raffaello Pierre Filiberto Guglielmi di Valentina d'Antonguella (1895 - 1926) 
 
 
Top 5:
The Eagle
The Sheik/Son of the Sheik
Cobra
Blood and Sand
Moran of the Lady Letty
Ken Russell did a good, though at times surreal, biopic - Valentino (1977) - starring the ballet legend Rudolph Nureyev.
Thank you to Powerbleeder for the theme song "Future Mind" listen here!
Other songs in this episode:
Diamonds are a Girl's Best Friend- Marilyn Monroe
Ten Cents a Dance- Ruth Etting

Foibles Episode 34 Rudolph Valentino Pt. II: Ten Cents a Dance

Rudolph Valentino nee Rodolfo Alfonso Raffaello Pierre Filiberto Guglielmi di Valentina d'Antonguella (1895 - 1926) 
 
Top 5:
The Eagle
The Sheik/Son of the Sheik
Cobra
Blood and Sand
Moran of the Lady Letty



Movies watched:
 
Patria (1917) - Fragments only exist; He shows up briefly in the background of a nightclub in episode 2. Movie stars Irene Castle.
 
A Society Sensation (1918 short) - romantic male lead opposite the star Carmel Myers. Star power is evident already. But the movie is fragmented and not funny, except for Zazu Pitts. Skip it unless you are a Rudi completist.
 
All Night (1918) - This silly bedroom farce is actually funny once it gets going. Rudi is just as funny as he is romantic.
 
The Married Virgin (1918) - Rudi’s sneer is the best thing about this drama where he plays a manipulative, conniving nobleman. The revelation in this film is Kathleen Kirkham. She must have supplied her own costumes because she presents a parade of beautiful clothes that even pop in scratchy black and white. Kirkham is quite marvelous. She started her own production company but like so many women in early Hollywood was trampled under the boot heels of misogyny.
 
The Delicious Little Devil (1919) - a new blu-ray was released in 2021. A real delight if you like silliness. Mae Murray is the star and she is full-on, full-blown slapstick. This is the first film where Rudi is featured with some close-ups and a solid amount of screen time. He plays his romantic role with a sprightly lightness and admirable attention to character detail. And he engages in some punch-ups and door smashing.
 
Eyes of Youth (1920) - Clunky and excruciatingly boring with a paucity of Rudi. But he so impressed June Mathis that she got him his break out part in 4 Horsemen
 
Stolen Moments (1920) - Skip the first ⅔ and get to the hand-kissing lollapalooza. Rudi’s 15 minutes or so are the only portion worth watching.
 
The Wonderful Chance (1920) - barely 3 minutes existing on YouTube. But worth watching. Rudi plays a believable Hollywood style gangster sporting a fake moustache. Was filming this movie in NYC when he got the part of Julio in Four Horsemen. 
 
Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (1921) - Often credited as the film where Rudolph was discovered by the public. It was his first collaboration with June Mathis, who claims to have discovered him. Valentino had been making his way up the chain to bigger parts since the beginning of his film career but Mathis certainly spring-loaded his ascent with this co-starring role. But it’s function was really more of a beta test for the movie that really shot Rudi to fame - The Sheik.
 
 Rex Ingram was not much of an editor/director and this film suffers for it. Yes, it was intended as an epic about a European family torn apart by WWI. But it is too long, lacks style, and has too little Rudi. Its great value is the showcase it offers for Rudi’s dancing and his sensuality - something the American was gasping for

Foibles Episode 34 Rudolph Valentino Pt I: The Original Latin Lover

Xoe and Rita discuss Pnin (1957) Vladimir Nabokov's absolute masterpiece of a novel.

Foibles Episode 33: Pnin, Vladimir Nabokov’s Answer to Don Quixote

Barbara Stanwyck nee Ruby Stephens (1907 - 1990) She had a 64 year show business career! 
 
Must-see Stanwyck in chronological order:
Night Nurse (1931) - Starred with newcomer Clark Gable who became a lifelong friend
 
The Bitter Tea of General Yen (1932) - There are some elements that did not age well but it is still a touching romance that defied the laws of anti-miscegenation.
 
Baby Face (1933) - Pre-code, gritty depiction of a woman who claws her way to the top using the only asset that the Patriarchy values. Theresa Harris has a prominent role, and unusually for a black actor, gets significant screen time and her character is as fleshed out as Stanwyck’s is.
 
The Lady Eve (1941) - Transcendent Preston Sturges comedy. Stanwyck’s comedic timing and her sensuality had never been given full rein. Henry Fonda who stars with her never stood a chance.
 
Ball of Fire (1941) - Her character’s name is Sugarpuss O’Shea. Need I say more?
 
Double Indemnity (1944) - The ultimate femme fatale. 
 
Thank you to Powerbleeder for the theme song "Future Mind" listen here!

Foibles Episode 32: Barbara Stanwyck- The Incomparable Babs

Vladimir Nabokov (1899 - 1977)
 
Recommended:
Pale Fire (1962) - Parallel stories told through an epic poem and the annotation to the poem. Brilliant layering of clues, leaving the reader to decide how unreliable the narrator is - and who he is
 
Pnin (1957) - Pnin is a professor at the same college where John Shade and Charles Kinbote for Pale Fire teach. Pnin is mentioned in Pale Fire. 
 
Lolita (1958) - The novel that made Nabokov wealthy and famous. The Stanley Kubrick movie adaptation is marvelous - Lolita (1962). The 1998 film version lacks the spark of Kubrick’s vision. 
 
Reading Lolita in Tehran by Azar Nafisi (2003) - compelling memoir of stolen pleasure in literature
 
Thank you to Powerbleeder for the theme song "Future Mind" listen here!

Foibles Episode 31: Narcissists, Assassins, and Pale Fire by Vladimir Nabokov

Douglas Sirk (1897 - 1987) - All That Heaven Allows (1955)
Sirk was a Dane born in Germany and became very successful in Germany as a theater director. His 1st wife joined the Nazi Party. He left Germany primarily because of the danger the rise of the Nazi Party created for his 2nd wife who was a Jew. 
The core and substance of Sirk’s oeuvre was created in Hollywood in the 1950’s in so-called women’s films. Sirk’s greatest works depicted social constraints from the woman’s point of view and offered full-bodied characters to his female stars. Sirk uses sweeping music, vivid technicolor, and lush scenery in opposition to emotional suppression and the heavy hand of systemic oppression. He hides his true anti-fascist message behind the tissue-thin glamor of Hollywood. 
 
At the time of their release, Sirk’s movies were critically sneered at for their swollen emotions and woman-centric themes. It was, per usual, the French New Wave directors and Cahiers du Cinema who embraced, lauded, and raised to the pantheon Douglas Sirk’s 1950’s films. Perhaps, the French could appreciate the films in depth because they were not afraid of the romantic stylistic grandeur and the anti-bourgeoises subtext. 
 
ATHA stars the almost forgotten Jane Wyman (Ronald Reagan’s 1st wife in real life) opposite the younger Rock Hudson. Wyman is an upper class widow in love with a younger, working class man. And all the forces of her class, family, and larger social circle put pressure on her to forego an alliance with an “unsuitable” man. Her family and society’s discomfort come from her crossing the class barrier and more, fundamentally, her implicitly asserting her sexual desire by making this choice. Sirk uses lighting, imagery, and mise en scene to evoke Wyman’s inner life, which she keeps buttoned up as required by her training and social position.
 
To my mind, Sirk’s greatest film is his last, Imitation of Life (1959). It is a remake of the equally good 1934 black-and-white version starring Claudette Colbert and Louise Beavers as two women whose lives are bound together. They are bonded emotionally and economically, yet divided by race and class. Sirk’s remake starring Lana Turner and Juanita Moore is more stylish and emotionally febrile as he builds an edifice of intersectional inequality with gowns by Jean Louis. The major difference between the films is that in the 1934 version Louise Beaver’s black maid character plays a major role in raising the family’s fortunes by her own talents.
Sirk retired in 1959 after Imitation of Life. But continues to influence and inspire filmmakers, particularly male filmmakers.
 
Todd Haynes (b. 1961) - Far From Heaven (2002) 
Todd Haynes has a strong sympathy and insight into the female point of view. He has directed films in many genres but he brings a complex compassion no matter the form he is using. Far From Heaven is a remake of All That Heaven Allows (1955) with a large dollop of Imitation

Foibles Episode 30: All That Heaven Allows/ Far From Heaven/ Ali: Fear Eats the Soul

Book:
The Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Orczy, published 1905.
11 sequels plus numerous short stories
 
Movie adaptations:
Scarlet Pimpernel (1934), starring Leslie Howard and Merle Oberon- The BEST adaptation
Pimpernel Smith (1941), Leslie Howard- Meh.
The Elusive Pimpernel (1950), David Niven and Margaret Leighton- Rita hated, Xoe loved the surreal sets.
The Scarlet Pimpernel (1982), Anthony Andrews and Jane Seymour- Solid adaptation.
 
TV:
Scarlet Pimpernel (1999)- Not very good.
 

Foibles Episode 29: ”That Demmed Elusive Pimpernel” The Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Orczy

Experiences the child-like joy of gleaming muscles, flashing teeth, ill-timed explosions, and mayhem by the best of the worst.
 
Link to Ted's IMDB page: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0697961/
 
Xoe and Rita's Top 7 Ted Prior Movies:
Sledgehammer (1983)
KILLZONE (1985)
Born Killer (1989)
Future Zone (1990)
Raw Nerve (1991)
Possessed by the Night (1994)**
Day of the Warrior (1996)*
 
Honorable Mentions:
Hardcase and Fist (1989)
Raw Justice (1994)
The Last House (2015)
 
*Xoe's unique pick
**Rita's pick
 
Thanks as always to Powerbleeder for our theme song "Future Mind". Listen Here

Foibles Episode 28: The Prior Brothers, Genre Film‘s Born Killers

archy and mehitabel by don marquis is a collection of newspaper columns in verse without kapitalization or punctuation except occasionally  published between 1916 and 1936
 
filled with social and politikal commentary along with a very wry perspective on human foibles and the vagaries of life for all life forms
 
wonderful stylized illustrations by george herriman who wuz also the author of the krazy kat comics
 
first half of the full collection is highly recommended interest peters out in the second half
 
marquis's hit play old soak wuz definitely of it time its humor does not hold up at all
 
always speshial thanks to david plell and powerbleeder for our muzak

Foibles Episode 27: Archy and Mehitable- Toujours Gai

The Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells
 
All Systems Red - 2018 Nebula Award for Best Novella; 2018 Hugo Award for Best Novella; & 2018 American Library Association’s Alex Award; nominated for 2017 Philip K Dick Award
 
Artificial Condition - 2019 Hugo Award
 
Rogue Protocol
 
Exit Strategy
 
Network Effect
 
Fugitive Telemetry - Published in 2021. We have not read it yet
 
Read these in order!

The 1st three following novellas had enough votes for the 2019 Hugo Award final ballot but Wells declined all nominations except for Artificial Condition, which won.
 
Thanks to David Plell with Powerbleeder for our theme Future Mind.

Foibles Episode 26: The Murderbot Diaries

Thanks for listening to the long saga of visionary film producer Val Lewton! This episode is a one-off, and the author only wrote two novels.
 
Mary Mapes Dodge (1831-1905)  Writer, editor, widow, single mother
 
She was instrumental in encouraging Rudyard Kipling to write The Jungle Book. She also published books of sketches and poems.
 
Novels:
Donald and Dorothy (1883)
Hans Brinker; or the Silver Skates (1865)
 
Special thanks to David Plell and Powerbleeder for the theme song "Future Mind"!

Foibles: A Mother-Daughter Podcast

Foibles: A Mother-Daughter Podcast

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