Movie Nights and Matinees
A podcast for people who enjoy movies from when we actually had to go to the movies.
03/04/2024
Mentioned early in Episode 28, here's a link to information regarding the upcoming Columbus Moving Picture Show
Columbus Moving Picture Show | Film Festival Vintage film festival and convention celebrating the pre-60s era. Come to the Columbus Moving Picture Show!
02/04/2024
Episode 28 guest Gary May has shared some images with us representing the life and career of the subject of his book, his grandfather M.K. Jerome. These are but a few of the photos included in Gary's book The Tunesmith: The Musical Journey of M.K. Jerome.
Also, as Gary indicated in our conversation, should you have any questions for him or wish to comment upon his book or our discussion, you can email him at: [email protected]
01/04/2024
Now playing Episode 28 - Scene Me a Song, in which I'm joined by author Gary May to discuss the career of his grandfather, M.K. Jerome, a composer whose songs enlivened numerous classic Hollywood films, as chronicled in Gary's book The Tunesmith: The Musical Journey of M.K. Jerome. The films in which the compositions and songs of Moe, as he was known to friends and colleagues, appeared include The Single Standard, The Show of Shows, Kid Galahad, numerous Cagney pictures, including Yankee Doodle Dandy, a series of Dick Foran singing cowboy movies, and a film you might have heard of once or twice called Casablanca.
11/03/2024
Hey, we've climbed a couple of spots since debuting on this list last year.
20 Best Film History Podcasts You Must Follow in 2024 Best Film History Podcasts list. listen to these podcasts for all things film history, historic film stories, reviews, interviews with contemporary, classic film directors, top professionals in the entertainment industry, and much more
06/03/2024
Here are a few Episode 27-related movie poster images, including a couple of titles that didn't make it into my conversation with Mark
06/03/2024
As supplement to Episode 27, here's a look at the covers of guest Mark Aldridge's other two Agatha Christie volumes, alongside my letter from Tony Randall that was mentioned in our conversation.
Now playing Episode 27 - Writ Large Screen: Agatha Christie, in which I chat with Mark Aldridge, author of Agatha Christie on Screen, about the many adaptations of the celebrated mystery writer's work, including such titles as Love From a Stranger, And Then There Were None, Witness For the Prosecution, and Murder on the Orient Express, among others.
Listen and enjoy, but "touch nothing"
20/02/2024
In addition to the cover of his book, Episode 26 guest Nick Santa Maria has provided some fun photos capturing past roles and special encounters. Enjoy the perusal!
18/02/2024
Now Playing Episode 26 - Abbott & Costello Meet Biffle & Shooster, in which Jim and I are joined by the multi-talented Nick Santa Maria, co-author of The Annotated Abbott and Costello and the alphabetically first half of the retro comedy team Biffle and Shooster. We chat about Bud and Lou, and what made them and their comedy formula so special, then segue into the creation and assemblage of the neo-vintage (seriously?) short comedies produced and compiled into The Misadventures of Biffle and Shooster.
05/02/2024
Here's a look at Episode 25 guest Leonard Maltin's autobiography, which gets prominently mentioned in our conversation, along with a photo he's been kind enough to share. Click on the photo to read his provided caption.
04/02/2024
Now playing Episode 25 - Maltin on Maltin, in which Jim and I have the pleasure of chatting with esteemed film historian and movie critic Leonard Maltin about his career, his many outstanding books, and a specific movie or two, or three, or...
22/01/2024
Now playing Episode 24 - Mixed Bag Musings, in which Jim Reid and I have a casual conversation that includes reflections on the first year of the podcast, as well as discussions of specific movies we've been watching or that are personal favorites. Popping up in the discussion are comedians Laurel & Hardy, Wheeler & Woolsey, Edgar Kennedy and Eddie Cantor, in addition to Fred Astaire and film historian David Shepard. Among the films we chat about are 1916's Sherlock Holmes, the Columbia serial Mandrake the Magician, Champagne for Caesar, the Crime Doctor mystery series, and even Gertie the Dinosaur. Jim also recounts the formation of his Dallas Classic Film Group.
Happy New Year! Before we resume new episodes for 2024, here's a little "behind-the-scenes" video we hope you enjoy. If nothing else, it should reassure you that you're not missing much of anything by the podcast being audio-only.
10/01/2024
As we approach the podcast's one-year anniversary, I'm happy to announce that now the podcast can be accessed on YouTube!
Movie Nights & Matinees - YouTube Share your videos with friends, family, and the world
18/12/2023
Here's Episode 23 guest Jeremy Arnold, along with the cover of the new revised/extended edition of Christmas in the Movies and some images he's kindly shared with us from films profiled in his book.
18/12/2023
The year winds up with Episode 23 - Have Yourself a Movie Little Christmas, in which Jim and I chat with TCM Library author Jeremy Arnold about the newly revised and expanded version of his book Christmas in the Movies. Naturally, we also talk about a number of the movies profiled in his book, including such holiday stalwarts as It's a Wonderful Life, assorted versions of A Christmas Carol, Meet Me in St. Louis and Die Hard (yes, there's that), in addition to less well known films such as The Cheaters, Cash on Demand and Blast of Silence.
04/12/2023
Some additional images provided by Peter Flynn, from his upcoming "Film is Dead. Long Live Film!"
04/12/2023
Here are some images shared by Episode 22 guest Peter Flynn related to his documentary The Dying of the Light.
04/12/2023
Now playing Episode 22 - The Projector Stops; a fascinating discussion with documentary filmmaker Peter Flynn about the demise of physical film in motion picture exhibition, as chronicled in his 2015 documentary "The Dying of the Light." Also included in the conversation are his upcoming "Film is Dead. Long Live Film!," which spotlights film collectors, and his prior "Blazing the Trail," which tells the story of a series of films produced in Ireland during the early 20th century intended to appeal to immigrants in America.
20/11/2023
Here are some Max Linder photos, courtesy of Episode 21 guest Lisa Stein Haven.
19/11/2023
Now playing Episode 21 - Comedy to the Max. Jim Reid returns as we explore the life and career of Max Linder, the French comic who became the silent screen's first major star, and whom Chaplin regarded as a mentor. Guiding us is author Lisa Stein Haven, whose book, The Rise and Fall of Max Linder, thoroughly documents the heights and horrific depths of the screen comedy pioneer.
05/11/2023
Now playing Episode 20 - Writ Large Screen: Edgar Rice Burroughs, in which prior guests Scott Tracy Griffin and Will Murray join me to discuss movie adaptations of works by Edgar Rice Burroughs that didn't always feature Tarzan.
22/10/2023
As Halloween nears, check out Episode 19: Silent Shivers, in which I chat with The Horror Guys blogger and podcaster Brian Schell about silent horror films, with a focus on those contained in The Horror Guys Guide to The Silent Age of Horror Films. Join us as we discuss such landmark titles as The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, Nosferatu, The Golem and Metropolis, along with many less well known, obscure or even lost films such as The Beetle, A Page of Madness and Paul Leni's The Last Warning. What's that creepy scratching sound? It's the sound of this synopsis just scratching the surface of the many films discussed!
08/10/2023
Now playing Episode 18: Screams of Laughter, in which Jim and I chat with blogger Paul Castiglia about classic horror comedies, as featured on his Scared Silly blog and in his forthcoming book of the same title. Listen in as we talk about such films as Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein, Arsenic and Old Lace, Zombies on Broadway and Bela Lugosi Meets a Brooklyn Gorilla, among others.
03/10/2023
Well, this comes as a nice surprise. By golly, we may be getting noticed.
25 Best Film History Podcasts You Must Follow in 2023 Best Film History Podcasts list. listen to these podcasts for all things film history, historic film stories, reviews, interviews with contemporary, classic film directors, top professionals in the entertainment industry, and much more
25/09/2023
Now playing Episode 17: Groovy Movies, in which Jim Reid and I chat with multi-talented musician, singer, songwriter, music producer and MonkeeMania Radio DJ Marty Ross about rock & roll movies of the 50s and 60s. So whether your taste runs to Little Richard, Frankie and Annette, The Beatles or any of their contemporaries, you may enjoy the discussion. Dig?
11/09/2023
Here's a cool photo that Ed Hulse has shared with us, memorializing a very special event:
"It was taken at the 1991 Cinecon, an annual film buff's convention run by fans and staged in Hollywood every Labor Day weekend. That year we mounted a 50th anniversary tribute to ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN MARVEL. We rented a 35mm print of Chapter One and ran it for an appreciative audience of roughly 400 people. It was screened in the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel's Blossom Room, where the very first Academy Awards dinner was held. Afterward I moderated a panel discussion on the serial's making, and this shot was taken immediately afterward. From left to right are co-director William Witney, Frank Coghlan Jr. ("Billy Batson"), Louise Currie ("Betty Wallace"), William Benedict ("Wh**ey"), and yours truly. By that time I'd become good friends with Junior, and when I broached the idea of a reunion/tribute he got in touch with Louise and Billy Benedict. I forget who contacted Bill Witney; I had met him on two previous occasions but didn't really become friendly with him until Cinecon weekend, during which we spent a lot of time together. It was a great event."
10/09/2023
Now playing: Episode 16 - Days of Episodic Excitement. Jim Reid and I chat with author/publisher Ed Hulse about cliffhanger serials and the books he's written on the subject. Going back to the origins of the chapterplay format, we talk about such titles as The Perils of Pauline, The Green Archer, Daredevils of the Red Circle and Spy Smasher, among others.
31/08/2023
In several of my conversations with various guests, Blackhawk Films has been mentioned as having played a key role in our discovery and exploration of silent films, especially comedies. Jim mentioned that a fellow collector with whom he's acquainted had scanned his collection of Blackhawk catalogs and posted them online. Here is a page that has archived scans of many catalogs collected by an assortment of collectors.
USC HMH Foundation Moving Image Archive » Blackhawk Films’ Catalogs If you have any of the missing bulletins and would be willing to donate them to be scanned and uploaded, please contact us at
Videos (show all)
