Lions, Towers & Shields
97 episodes - English - Latest episode: 25 days ago -A celebration of films from the classic Hollywood era. Shelly Brisbin leads a merry band through recaps and reviews of great old movies from the 1930s, 40s, and 50s.
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96: I Think He *Might* Be A Sociopah
April 20, 2024 03:03 - 49 minutes - 33.9 MBDown in the depths of precode cinema, where Shelly likes to spend torrid nights, there’s a depiction of how a department store can be a little Peyton Place, and how Warren William is never to be trusted. The great precode lothario stars with very young Loretta Young and Wallace Ford (who we just saw as a middle-aged creep in The Breaking Point) as her love interest. Aside from the sleaze, it’s kind of fun to see how a department store works in the 1930s. Shelly Brisbin with Micheline May...
95: My Film Erogenous Zones
April 11, 2024 21:40 - 1 hour - 50.2 MBHere are Elizabeth Taylor and Montgomery Clift at their hottest, with an adaptation of Theodore Dreiser’s An American Tragedy. Just as in Night of the Hunter, Shelley Winters maybe ought to watch her back. George Stevens directs, and here, he’s beginning his epic period. In the 50s, he’ll direct Giant and Shane, among others. This one is full of melodrama and social aspiration and also has a bunch of Oscars, including Stevens’ first for directing. It’s nice to look at. Shelly Brisbin with...
94: Mourning Culottes
April 05, 2024 02:13 - 54 minutes - 37.3 MBJohnny Guitar (1954): It’s unusual, it’s weird, and it’s unlike any other film made by these stars. And it’s our first LTS western. Because maybe your show runner has a slightly twisted appreciation for the genre. Nicholas Ray, whose directorial chops we last experienced with In A Lonely Place, directs Joan Crawford, Sterling Hayden and Mercedes McCambridge. It’s a story that centers female characters, and gives Joan a chance to stomp around in great western wardrobe. Poor Sterling Hayden is ...
93: Situational Gales
March 28, 2024 20:34 - 49 minutes - 34.5 MBEvery once in awhile, your host takes a flier, choosing a film for us to watch that I’ve seen once or twice, if at all. Also arising from the 2022 draft episode is this English romance from 1945. It’s from the filmmaking team of Powell and Pressburger, and stars Wendy Hiller, so on credentials alone, it’s worth your attention. A young woman travels to the Hebrides to marry an older, wealthy man. But circumstances change her thinking Shelly Brisbin with Randy Dotinga, Micheline Maynard a...
92: We've Got All the French You Need
March 21, 2024 19:00 - 1 hour - 45.1 MBGene Kelly was at the height of his powers in 1951, starring in musicals for MGM, and choreographing some of them. Here, Vincent Minelli directs, but the dancing is by Kelly. Leslie Caron makes her film debut, and the rest of the cast has a decidedly continental vibe. The film is “inspired” by George Gershwin’s 1928 musical of the same name, but the writing credit here goes to Alan Jay Lerner, aka half of the celebrated Lerner and Lowe musical composing team. An American in Paris won a boatlo...
91: I Wouldn't Go to Salinas Either
March 14, 2024 19:00 - 49 minutes - 35 MBUnlike the mid-40s film that first brought us Bogie and Bacall, The Breaking Point is a relatively faithful adaptation of Ernest Hemingway’s story, To Have and Have Not. This one stars John Garfield (in one of his final films) and Patricia Neal. Michael Curtiz directs, but if that suggests a routine Warner Bothers potboiler (I love those) it is not. Garfield is a boat captain talked into doing some smuggling. There’s a love triangle and an ending that’ll just wrench you. Shelly Brisbin wi...
90: Ruth Chatterton is Jacked
March 07, 2024 21:00 - 53 minutes - 36.6 MBThis 1936 film is based on the well-known novel of the same name, by Sinclair Lewis. It’s the story of a successful middle-aged man (Walter Huston) who wants something new from his life. That’s what his wife (Ruth Chatterton) wants, too, but their ideas are very different, and not compatible. And there’s Mary Astor, living her best life in an Italian villa, being all awesome and stuff. It’s fun to watch these three actors work. The writing is good, too. William Wyler (who we last heard from i...
89: You Can't Be Evil in a Cardigan
December 07, 2023 20:00 - 1 hour - 44.9 MBIf the Jeopardy answer is “A Christmas-themed film of the mid-1940s”, you might expect the question to be “What is ‘It’s A Wonderful Life’” or “What is ‘Miracle on 34th Street.’” But on this year’s LTS holiday episode, those questions would be wrong! Our movie this year comes with stars like Victor Moore and Don DeFore, not Jimmy Stewart or Donna Reed. But our little holiday movie has a lot to recommend it. There’s found family, a budding love story, a challenge to capitalism and entrepreneu...
88: Plausibly Evil
December 01, 2023 22:00 - 55 minutes - 38.6 MBI hear that Alec Guinness made a couple of movies in the 1970s or 80s that you may know. This is not that. This is a classic Ealing Studios comedy in which Alec plays eight characters. Because it’s a British comedy, I was not surprised to find that it dealt with social class. Robert Hamer directs, and Dennis Price is the actual star. This episode is full of connections to other things we like. Everyone brought the trivia. Shelly Brisbin with Erika Ensign, Randy Dotinga, Micheline Maynard...
87: The Barbara Stanwyck of Five-Year-Olds
November 23, 2023 20:11 - 1 hour - 48.6 MBThis is a disturbing film: also a good one. Charles Laughton’s only directorial outing focuses on a con man (and worse) terrorizing a pair of children as they run from him. He’s attempting to secure some money he covets, and to shut up those meddling kids. Robert Mitchum is our charismatic villain and star, along with Shelley Winters and silent luminary Lillian Gish, also turning in worthy performances. Buckle up, friends. You’ve been warned. Ish. Shelly Brisbin with David J. Loehr, Randy...
86: Bring a Fan and a Bucket
November 17, 2023 19:25 - 49 minutes - 45.2 MBFor me, this movie answers some important LTS questions: what did that Ernst Lubitsch guy direct besides To Be Or Not To Be? How was Herbert Marshall ever a romantic lead? And finally, where are the precodes? It’s been forever! TIP also give me the chance to introduce Kay Francis and Miriam Hopkins, the fashion-forward queen of Warner Brothers before Bette Davis, and Miss Davis’ later southern belle nemesis in several films - respectively. Trouble in Paradise is a romantic triangle comedy ...
85: No Talking!
November 09, 2023 23:25 - 1 hour - 66 MBFor this episode, we’re breaking format a bit. Instead of focusing on one film, we’ll talk about several: all from the silent film era. It’s not a draft, but each panelist has picked a movie, and we’ve all watched them! Our guide is guest host, Micki Maynard! Micheline Maynard with Shelly Brisbin, Nathan Alderman, Dr. Drang, Annette Wierstra and Randy Dotinga.
84: The Healthy Habits of Hat Check Girls
November 02, 2023 20:16 - 56 minutes - 38.8 MBNicholas Ray directs Humphrey Bogart and Gloria Graham. Bogie is Dix Steele, who should not be confused for Captain Picard’s hollowdeck alter ego, Dixon Hill. (Am I the only one who does that?) Bogie is not a detective, but a screenwriter suspected of murder. In A Lonely Place is considered one of the best film noir made, and Bogart and Graham give excellent performances. Shelly Brisbin with Judy Samelson, Randy Dotinga, Micheline Maynard and Nathan Alderman.
83: The Original Sin is Littering
October 26, 2023 19:00 - 50 minutes - 35.1 MBIt’s the age-old story: Boy meets girl, boy and girl fall in love, boy and girl get married, girl’s psychosexual hangups put strain on their marriage, girl may or may not begin turning into a large murderous panther because of an ancient family curse … you know, the usual. Horror auteur Val Lewton and ace director Jacques Tourneur spin a low budget into shadow-drenched, spine-tingling gold in a creepy classic that takes the time to care about its characters, and brilliantly lets sound, sugges...
82: Diva with a Monkey
August 31, 2023 19:00 - 1 hour - 46.6 MBWe watch Billy Wilder’s story of a silent film queen’s life in middle age and the screenwriter who stumbles into her world. Noir, melodrama, dark humor, horror. It’s all here in this classic, staring Gloria Swanson. She’s all of 46 when she made this movie, but a has-been like her character. This episode is full of excellent trivia and unexpected connections made by our super-smart panel. Shelly Brisbin with David J. Loehr, Randy Dotinga and Micheline Maynard.
81: I Will Defend the Weenie King
August 24, 2023 19:00 - 54 minutes - 37.3 MBProbably the best of the Sturges comedies, The Palm Beach Story is part romance, part screwball comedy, part drawing room comedy. The performances sparkle, the movie looks great, and the plot is inventive. Joel McCrea and Claudette Colbert are our delightful stars. And I get to talk about Mary Astor some more. Don’t miss this one, kids. Shelly Brisbin with Micheline Maynard, David J. Loehr, Dr. Drang, Annette Wierstra and Nathan Alderman.
80: Weapons-Grade Winsome
August 17, 2023 19:00 - 50 minutes - 34.9 MBFair warning: this recap of a Preston Sturges film from 1937 also features Barbie content. Shelly Brisbin with Micheline Maynard, David J. Loehr, Randy Dotinga and Nathan Alderman.
79: Stock Your Noir Bar
August 10, 2023 19:00 - 31 minutes - 21.7 MBShelly talks with the “czar of noir” about his new book, his favorite films noir and what’s happening at Turner Classic Movies. Shelly Brisbin with Eddie Muller.
78: Subversive on so Many Levels
August 03, 2023 19:00 - 41 minutes - 38.2 MBWho would dare comment on the inherently propagandistic aspects of the war effort, right in the middle of World War II? That would be Preston Sturges. A soldier is discharged from the Army because he has hay fever, but is declared a war hero when he returns to his hometown. Eddie Bracken and Ella Raines (last seen on LTS in Phantom Lady) are your stars. Shelly Brisbin with David J. Loehr, Nathan Alderman and Randy Dotinga.
77: A Film Noir and a Dessert Topping
July 27, 2023 19:00 - 42 minutes - 39.5 MBThe Summer of Sturges continues with a movie that’s not in a class with The Lady Eve. But we still need to talk about it. World-renown conductor Rex Harrison suspects his much younger wife (Linda Darnell) of cheating on him, and he dreams up three different ways to punish her for it. Shelly Brisbin with Erika Ensign, David J. Loehr and Randy Dotinga.
76: A Trunk Full of Dinner Jackets
July 20, 2023 19:00 - 1 hour - 60.5 MBWe begin the summer of (Preston) Sturgess celebration with a true classic. Director and stars were at their best here, and it’s a treat to watch LTS’ favorite dame work her magic on Henry Fonda. I have four more Sturgess offerings coming up, but this one is hard to beat.
75: Paul is the Cat
July 13, 2023 19:00 - 1 hour - 70 MBAudrey Hepburn is iconic as Holly Gollighty. Is there more to say? Of course. That’s why we have a podcast.
74: I Would Watch A Whole Movie About Greenberg
April 14, 2023 01:36 - 1 hour - 63.8 MBThe Lubitsch Touch applied to Nazi occupation? You bet. Carole Lombard and Jack Benny star as members of an acting troupe in Poland, scrambling after the Nazis arrive. It’s funny and serious all at once, with great performances. The film was released two months after Lombard died in a plane crash, and would have earned good will, had the subject matter not been a rough go for Americans of the time.
73: Manly Seamanship
April 08, 2023 15:43 - 1 hour - 75.2 MBWe return to Huston (John) and Bogart, but there’s also Lauren Bacall, Claire Trevor (Oscar winner for this), Edward G. Robinson and more. The cast is trapped together in a Florida hotel, awaiting a hurricane. It’s a film noir, so there are secrets and gun play, plus the eventual storm to contend with. And a boat.
72: He's Got Acreage
March 30, 2023 16:08 - 54 minutes - 37.3 MBHere’s a movie from Douglas Sirk’s high period. We’ve only talked about Sirk in the context of “Lured,” a movie I think is underrated, but one that looks nothing like this splashy 50s melodrama. This one stars Jane Wyman and Rock Hudson. And I get to talk about Agnes Moorehead. So, bonus! Can a lonely widow find love with a tree farmer? Stay tuned. We also mention Todd Haynes’ excellent 2002 remake (you read that right!), “Far from Heaven” with Julianne Moore.
71: She Killed a Man in Reno
March 23, 2023 19:00 - 1 hour - 41.8 MB“A fascinating crumminess.” That’s how Pauline Kael described Joseph Lewis’ “Gun Crazy,” a noir whose cast you probably won’t know, but whose visual style and essential seediness are compelling. It’s a story about two people with a mutual obsession with guns, but it’s told with sensitivity and a focus on their relationship.
70: Things Just Keep Happening and Nothing Makes Sense
March 16, 2023 16:00 - 1 hour - 41.4 MBSuggested by Lisa Schmeiser: If you liked “The Apartment” or “Mad Men,” welcome back to mid-century NYC office culture. We’re on Madison Avenue, inside the cutthroat world of publishing. Our guides are Hope Lange, Stephen Boyd, Suzy Parker, Martha Hyer, Diane Baker, Brian Ahenre and Miss Joan Crawford. Jean Negulesco handles direction.
69: The Billionaire's Vaudeville
March 10, 2023 03:15 - 1 hour - 53.6 MBEthel Merman in her heyday. What more do you need to know? Merman didn’t make a lot of movies, so here’s a glimpse at what theatre audiences saw during her long Broadway career. Also along for the Irving Berlin musical are Donald O’Connor, Dan Dailey, Johnnie Ray and Mitzi Gaynor. And, um, who’s that other blonde person? Marilyn Monroe is here, too. Thanks to my panelists, Matthew and David for suggesting it.
68: Laird Cregar Hulks Out
March 02, 2023 20:00 - 47 minutes - 43.7 MBIt’s a dark, moody thriller set in a London square. See Linda Darnell change her image, at the tender age of 22; see Laird Cregar take his shot at being a leading man.
67: Gene Kelly's Butt
December 29, 2022 16:30 - 1 hour - 76.9 MBAnother year draws to a close, and so many classic movies remain undiscussed on Lions, Towers & Shields. But many of your regular panelists have feelings, as well as recommendations for the future. So I invited them to share them in a themed draft episode. NOTE: LTS will return in March 2023. We'll cover at least 21 films next year, but the episodes will be spaced out over three, seven-episode seasons to give our panelists (and your host) time to rest and reflect on all the classic film good...
66: I'm Not Just Your Preston Sturges, I'm Your Indiana
December 14, 2022 21:45 - 44 minutes - 41.1 MBBarbara Stanwyck and Fred McMurray team up, not to kill for insurance money, but to share a sweet but unlikely holiday road trip. It’s the last movie Preston Sturges wrote before he turned fully to directing. Happy holidays from your friends at Lions, Towers & Shields.
65: This Is Not Jessica Fletcher
December 01, 2022 20:11 - 1 hour - 70.8 MBThe John Frankenheimer classic tells you all you need to know about Angela Lansbury’s talent. And it’s a crackerjack political thriller, too.
64: Justice for Bill
November 17, 2022 20:30 - 54 minutes - 49.6 MBThe Clock is Judy Garland’s first dramatic role. She’s teamed with Robert Walker, who’s a soldier on leave when they meet in New York City. It’s a little bit Affair to Remember, and a little bit On the Town. Really sweet, well-acted romantic film. Directed by Garland’s soon-to-be husband Vincente Minnelli.
63: It's All About The Last 12 Minutes
November 03, 2022 19:30 - 57 minutes - 52.6 MBKeeper of the Flame is a drama about the dangers of fascism, set early in WWII and directed by George Cukor, the man who made Gaslight, but was better known for comedies and “women’s” films. Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn star in the far better of their two dramatic pairings. Be warned, we talk about politics, both old and new. And, um, Texas history?
62: Shelly's Own String of Murders
October 20, 2022 23:25 - 56 minutes - 51.6 MBBritain’s Ealing Studios is best known for its comedies, including The Ladykillers, The Lavender Hill Mob, and Kind Hearts And Coronets. But this 1945 precursor to those famously funny films deals more with chills than chuckles. Four directors tag-team to adapt a mix of original and classic tales, including one based on a story by H.G. Wells. It’s the rare horror anthology whose framing story is as creepily compelling as its individual tales of terror, building to a memorably hair-raising cli...
61: Big Theremin Energy and an Implied Train
October 06, 2022 19:30 - 37 seconds - 736 KBWe celebrate the life of Marsha Hunt, who passed away at age 104, last month. She appeared in “Raw Deal” with Dennis O’Keefe and Claire Trevor. It’s a late 40s film noir with wonderful cinematography by John Alton.
60: Celebrate the Teresa Wright-aissance
September 22, 2022 23:04 - 1 hour - 95 MBDirector William Wyler’s film tells the stories of three men returning home from World War II and the impact on their lives, their families and their careers. Great performances from Fredric March, Dana Andrews, Teresa Wright, Myrna Loy and acting newcomer Harold Russell. Lesser-known faves of mine, Gladys George and Cathy O’Donnell are also great to see. Released a year after war’s end, this is the winner of many awards. Wyler served in the war, and I think it shows in the way he made this f...
59: That's So Raven
September 09, 2022 03:31 - 41 minutes - 38.5 MBThe first Alan Ladd/Veronica Lake pairing is a film noir/thriller about a hit man doing his job and getting even. Alan Ladd’s cat is unbilled. Please also enjoy Laird Cregar, about whom there’s so much to say!
58: He's Culturing Me
August 25, 2022 19:00 - 39 minutes - 36 MBThe film version of Cole Porter’s show, which is based on Shakespeare’s “Taming of the Shrew” (got that?) landed in the middle of MGM’s big technicolor musical era, the 1950s. Howard Keel, Kathryn Grayson and Ann Miller are your stars, and a very young Bob Fosse is among the standouts in the cast. Movie censors got to Porter’s lyrics, which gives us some fun topics to cover. It’s also your host’s birthday show. Because it’s too darn hot to cover anything else.
57: Cookie Full of Arsenic
August 11, 2022 20:25 - 55 minutes - 50.9 MBBurt Lancaster plays a newspaper columnist who is based on Walter Winchell. Winchell was a powerful, vindictive dude, and Lancaster is deliciously evil here, going after the man his sister loves, because he can. Tony Curtis co-stars as a man doing Lancaster’s bidding to advance his own career. The film is based on Ernest Lehman’s novel, and the screenplay was co-written by Clifford Odets. The script is a strong point, as are Lancaster and Curtis’s performances. Enjoy the great jazz score, an...
56: John Lund is also Present
July 28, 2022 19:30 - 45 minutes - 41.8 MBBarbara Stanwyck is back, and we’ve got her. Here’s a noir melodrama with its share of flaws that I like, regardless. And man, IMDB gives a LOT more plot than I would have. “A pregnant woman adopts the identity of a railroad crash victim and starts a new life with the woman’s wealthy in-laws, but is soon blackmailed by her devious ex.” It’s stylishly directed by Mitchell Leisen, and features lots of familiar character actors. And John Lund is also in it.
55: Intense Chemistry with a Block of Wood
July 17, 2022 18:08 - 50 minutes - 46 MBCall it “minor Hitchcock.” Spellbound tells the story of an amnesiac man who can’t remember the murder of which he’s suspected, and the psychiatrist (it’s 1945, so I have to say “lady” psychiatrist) who helps him sort it out. Gregory Peck is early in his film career, and Ingrid Bergman is all, see you later, Charles Boyer. That’s a “Gaslight” joke. Also notable for the Salvador Dali dream sequence.
54: For the Love of Linotype
June 30, 2022 22:48 - 1 hour - 83.1 MBThe history of newspapers and typography is this movie’s subject. Director Sam Fuller made this love letter to journalism, and in this episode, we echo that love right back, with the aid of an actual typography historian. Get the movie on YouTube and watch along with us. We’ll count you in!
53: The Ambiguously Gay Duo
June 17, 2022 02:36 - 1 hour - 55.1 MBPut the blame on mame, boys. And also on George McCreedy and Glenn Ford. It’s a love triangle and an erotic noir. But many people just focus on Rita Hayworth’s song and the dress she sang it in. Gilda also features plenty of gay subtext, which we’ll discuss at length, as well as why some films of this era “got away” with gay themes, while others did not. I also believe we’re setting a record for references to past LTS episodes. I’m not mad at that.
52: If Douglas Sirk Made Friday the 13th
June 03, 2022 03:05 - 14 minutes - 13.2 MBTo paraphrase IMDB, it’s a love story until it’s an obsession story. Then it really gets weird. Gene Tierney is gonna make you kinda mad in this Technicolor, noir thriller. We love it!
51: The Ninotchka Cinematic Universe
May 20, 2022 03:16 - 40 minutes - 36.9 MBBy the late 1950s, big-budget musicals were in color and wide screen, and MGM made several really great ones. Late-period Cole Porter wrote the songs, and Fred Astaire is paired with a much younger partner (surprise!), Cyd Charisse in this remake of 1939’s Ninotchka - Garbo’s last great film. For extra credit, watch both. Enjoy the comedy stylings of Peter Lorre and his commissars, and the delightful Janice Paige, too.
50: What is She Talking About? Stop That!
May 06, 2022 02:25 - 1 hour - 55.4 MBThis is episode #50, so it’s special! And Baby is one of my favorite movies of all time. Howard Hawks directs Katharine Hepburn, Cary Grant and a sweet little kitty! It’s a screwball comedy, and Hepburn as a comedienne is a revelation. If you hate it, you might not want to join, because unlike many other episodes, where I encourage dissent, I will fight you on this one. You should also know that I can quote way too many lines.
49: Shut Your Logic Brain Off And Just Go With It
April 23, 2022 17:20 - 1 hour - 60.2 MBI love you, but I’ve got to go! Let’s meet in six months at the top of the Empire State Building. In 1939, Charles Boyer and Irene Dunne had a date. In 1957, it was Cary Grant and Deborah Kerr. In each movie, something keeps the lovers from meeting up as planned. And though it was a dumb thing (according to me) the movies remain classics of the romance genre.
48: He Sounds Like an Angry Garbage Truck
April 14, 2022 23:25 - 38 minutes - 35 MBWe enter the gritty world of… Charles McGraw’s voice, in this 1952 noir directed by Richard Fleischer. You may know him from 20,000 Leagues under the Sea and (spoiler alert) Soylent Green is people! In The Narrow Margin, a cop must protect a woman scheduled to testify against a killer. Much of the action takes place on a cross-country train, in which the visual margins are indeed narrow.
47: Angela Lansbury, Comin' In Hot
March 25, 2022 01:41 - 48 minutes - 44.7 MBLet’s cut to the chase: this film gave birth to the modern term, gaslighting. Charles Boyer needs to drive Ingrid Bergman crazy so he can steal her jewels - a crime he first tried to commit against Ingrid’s aunt, years before. George Cukor takes an unusual turn at dark, noirish storytelling, and Bergman wins an Oscar. Joseph Cotten costars, and Angela Lansbury makes her film debut at age 19. Host’s note: Gaslight may be triggering for someone who has experienced an abusive relationship. And...