You're Missing Out: A National Film Registry Podcast

"Dead men tell no tales!"

For this episode, we've recorded a feature length commentary track for the big-budget blockbuster that solidified Douglas Fairbanks' Hollywood immortality, 1926's The Black Pirate. Watch our upload on YouTube (in its original colorized version, done at Fairbanks' insistence), sync it up with your own copy, or just listen along as producer Kyle Lampar takes the lead to discuss his admiration for Hollywood's...

"Time...marches on..."

Josh Shepperd, author of Shadow of the New Deal, joins the show to talk about the powerful propaganda piece Inside Nazi Germany, an installment of the influential newsreel series The March of Time. The first major Hollywood film to take an explicitly anti-Nazi stance, the short stands as a testament to the power of the visual medium during wartime, and its ability to both present, and manipulate, the truth.

F...

"Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer"

"A rock? These little bears are nuts"

That's right, folks. It's a Patrick Cotnoir episode. This time, for his fifth appearance, we're talking The Godfather Part II, and...some Ewok movie. Nobody is really sure which one, honestly. It's been five years of this, guys. You know what you're getting here.

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"I know something about this dog. She's going somewhere - she's on her way."

Hunter Robinson, the host of the Tumbleweeds and TV Cowboys podcast, joins the show to talk about one of the biggest movie stars in cinema history. No, not John Wayne, it's Lassie.

We'll talk about the massive Lassie franchise, the dog star at the heart of the film, and even share a personal family connection to the four-legged hero of Hollywood.

Follow th...

“I like the dark. It's friendly.” – Cat People (1942)

This week, we turn the lights low with special guest Rebecca Rozenberg, Publicity Manager at Simon & Schuster, who brings insight honed from working with bestselling authors and deep industry experience. Together, we dive into Jacques Tourneur and Val Lewton’s Cat People, a landmark psychological horror film that uses suggestion, shadow, and sound to terrify far more than it sho...

“He was the most trigger-happy man I had ever met.” – Badlands (1973)

This week, we hit the open road with guest Tom Augustine to explore Terrence Malick’s stunning debut, Badlands. Based loosely on the real-life killing spree of Charles Starkweather and Caril Ann Fugate, the film casts Martin Sheen and Sissy Spacek as drifting outsiders caught between detachment and violence, beauty and brutality.

With its lyrical narration, hauntin...

“If only the wind would stop!” – The Wind (1928)

This week, we return to the silent era with a full-length commentary track for Victor Sjöström’s haunting 1928 drama The Wind. Starring Lillian Gish in one of her most intense and vulnerable performances, the film tells the story of a woman slowly unraveling on the harsh, wind-swept plains of the American frontier.

As we watch along, we unpack the film’s eerie atmosphere, groundbreaki...

This week, we saddle up for a conversation about Shane (1953) with screenwriter, producer, and podcast host Kenny Neibart. A formative Western and a film that helped define American masculinity on screen, Shane gives us plenty to dig into, from its mythic final shot to the complex tension between pacifism and violence. Kenny joins us to unpack the genre tropes, cultural context, and emotional resonance that make Shane a cornerstone...

“I just had the unpleasant sensation of hearing you referred to as my husband.” – It Happened One Night (1934)

This week, returning guest Andrew Daniels joins us to break down the original screwball sensation: Frank Capra’s It Happened One Night. As the first film to ever sweep the “Big Five” Oscars, this charming romantic comedy set the template for the genre, with pitch-perfect performances from Clark Gable and Claudette Colbert, ...

“The film you have just seen was an improvisation.” – Shadows (1959)

This week, returning guest Robert Bellissimo joins us for a conversation on John Cassavetes’ Shadows,, a landmark of American independent cinema. Shot on the streets of New York with a semi-improvised style and a raw, jazz-infused energy, Shadows broke all the rules and opened new possibilities for personal filmmaking in the U.S.

We explore how Cassavetes challenged...

In this special bonus episode, we sit down with Congressman Robert Mrazek, the man whose legislation led to the creation of the National Film Preservation Board. Without his efforts, the National Film Registry as we know it wouldn’t exist.

Mrazek shares the inside story of how film preservation became a congressional priority, the cultural battles that shaped the legislation, and why preserving America’s cinematic heritage is a matt...

“He was some kind of a man. What does it matter what you say about people?” – Touch of Evil (1958)

This week, we’re crossing into the shadowy borderlands of noir with special guest Ryan Luis Rodriguez to unpack Orson Welles’ Touch of Evil. From its legendary opening tracking shot to Welles’ haunting turn as the corrupt Hank Quinlan, the film stands as a dark, complex swan song to the classic noir era.

Together, we explore the film’s ...

“’S Wonderful! ’S Marvelous!” – An American in Paris (1951)

This week, we step into the dreamlike Technicolor world of An American in Paris with special guest Arlene Hellerman. A Publications Associate for Broadway Licensing Global, Arlene brings a multifaceted perspective shaped by a career spanning theatre, film, television, broadcast news, and print journalism.

Together, we explore how Vincente Minnelli’s 1951 musical turned Gersh...

Boop-Oop-a-Doop! In this special bonus episode, we present A Brief History of Betty Boop: From the Inkwell to the Musical. We begin with the story of Fleischer Studios—the groundbreaking animation house behind Betty Boop, Popeye, and Koko the Clown—and trace how their surreal, adult-oriented cartoons challenged the norms of early animation and stood in stark contrast to Disney’s wholesome image.

In the second half, we turn our atten...

“You are mine—body and soul!” – The Cheat (1915)

This week, we’re traveling back to 1915 with returning guests Amanda Rush and Jae Kim for a deep dive into Cecil B. DeMille’s The Cheat. A landmark of early American cinema, The Cheat helped shape visual storytelling through its pioneering use of lighting, editing, and narrative tension. But alongside its technical innovation lies a deeply troubling legacy—particularly in its portraya...

“Which one of you nuts has got any guts?” – One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1975)

This week, we check into the ward with special guest Ben Hosley, producer of Blank Check with Griffin and David, to take on Miloš Forman’s One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. One of only three films to sweep the “Big Five” Oscars, this anti-establishment classic remains a cultural touchstone. We dive into Jack Nicholson’s electric performance, Louise Fle...

“We must be brave enough to look truth in the face.” – Where Are My Children? (1916)

This week, we return to the public domain vault for a full-length commentary track on Where Are My Children?, the provocative 1916 silent drama from Lois Weber and Phillips Smalley. As one of the earliest American films to tackle topics like birth control, abortion, and eugenics, it remains a landmark of progressive intent and moral complexity—albei...

“And now, I shall entertain you!” – Magical Maestro (1952) Animation aficionado and producer Jordan Beck returns to the show to tackle Tex Avery’s Magical Maestro, one of the most frenetic and technically dazzling cartoons of the Golden Age. With its relentless visual gags and groundbreaking use of the “wipe” technique, this controversial short is both a masterclass in animation and a challenging relic of its time. Join us as Jorda...