Ticklish Business
Film critic Kristen Lopez and author Emily Edwards honor and celebrate Old Hollywood, the films and stars that continue to shine brightly for audiences today. With special guests brought along for the ride, the duo hope to celebrate the movies they love, and bring a new generation into an appreciation for classic film.
Episodes
October 8, 2025 • 57 mins
We're kicking off spooky season with the OG vampire movie: 1922's Nosferatu. Author of Vampire Movies, Charles Bramesco, joins Kristen and Emily to break down the movie's unfortunate flaws, the benefits of stealing its source material, what the hell happened to F.W. Murnau's skull?
You can buy Charles's book Colors of Film: The Story of Cinema in 50 Palettes here.
Have you signed up for our Patreon yet? You don't just get episod...
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September 22, 2025 • 70 mins
Our unintentional Musical Month in September ends by going classical, to the original OG of music: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart! Special guest Richard Kirkham joins Kristen and Emily to talk about this Milos Forman classic, the way this became an '80s classic, and who the hell is Tom Hulce?
Be sure to follow us via social media at @ticklish_biz on X and @ticklishbiz everywhere else. Also like and subscribe to us on all podcast apps and...
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September 10, 2025 • 66 mins
It's Kristen's birthday month and she decided to celebrate with the biggest (fake) rock band of all time. Kristen, Emily, and guest Alan Cerny sit down to talk This is Spinal Tap, the way it plays with the documentary format, and try hard not to spend the whole time quoting it.
Next Time: We unintentionally spend September in the year 1984 so we're looking at (another) musical feature, the Milos Forman classic biopic Amadeus.
B...
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August 27, 2025 • 71 mins
**This episode was recorded prior to Margo's unfortunate passing towards the end of July. Our thoughts are with her family and loved ones.**
We're hitting the dance floor with Margo Donohue, the author of Fever: The Complete History of Saturday Night Fever.
Margo joins Kristen and Emily to discuss John Travolta's rise to fame, New York in the 1970s, and whether contemporary audiences can find any redeeming qualities in these cha...
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August 13, 2025 • 67 mins
Edna Ferber biographer Julie Gilbert joins us to discuss the 1956 Western epic Giant. The trio talk about James Dean, Liz Taylor's feminism, and how the movie isn't afraid to deconstruct the genre it's set in.
Buy Julie's book Giant Love by clicking this link.
Be sure to follow us via social media at @ticklish_biz on X and @ticklishbiz everywhere else. Also like and subscribe to us on all podcast apps and, if you love us, leave u...
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July 30, 2025 • 49 mins
Summer comes to a close and we're saying farewell to the beach with Esther Williams and the 1953 movie Dangerous When Wet. It's been a minute since we've disagreed on a movie and we look at Williams as a swimming star, her relationship with Fernando Lamas, and Kristen does dramatic readings from Williams's autobiography.
This episode was created thanks to our Patrons:
Ali Moore
Danny
David Floyd
Gates
mcf
Rachel Clark
Shaw...
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July 16, 2025 • 55 mins
John Malahy, author of the literal book on Summer Movies, joins us on the beach with Frankie Avalon and Annette Funicello for a discussion on 1965's Beach Blanket Bingo. John, Emily and Kristen talk about what makes a summer movie, the power of Frankie and Annette, and why Harvey Lembeck is the world's oldest teenager.
Buy John's book wherever you get books.
Find Kristen and Emily's books wherever you buy books. Kristen's lates...
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July 2, 2025 • 62 mins
You're gonna need a bigger boat to listen to this episode! We're hitting the water and trying to avoid becoming a hot lunch with a look at the 50th anniversary of Jaws. Christopher Shaw Myers, author and nephew to star Robert Shaw, joins us to break down the movie's significance, Shaw's performance, and why Peter Benchley's book sucks.
Buy Christopher's book Robert Shaw: An Actor's Life on the Set of Jaws and Beyond by clicking th...
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June 18, 2025 • 58 mins
International Month comes to a close with a look at Akira Kurosawa's contemporary noir feature High and Low! And who better to join us than TCM producer and author Scott McGee. Scott joins Kristen and Emily to talk about this morality tale, its connections to today's society, and what the "right type" of wealthy man can look like.
Buy Scott's book Danger on the Silver Screen here.
This episode was created thanks to our Patrons:
...
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June 4, 2025 • 55 mins
We're going on vacation through the world of classic film! Yes, International Month is back. But unless the previous two years, where we did two movies from different countries, we're spending June in one country with a single director: Akira Kurosawa.
TCM host and author of the new book TCM Imports: Timeless Favorites and Hidden Gems of World Cinema, Alicia Malone, joins us to kick things off with a look at one of several Kurosaw...
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May 21, 2025 • 42 mins
You Must Remember This host Karina Longworth sits down with us to talk about the new season of her show, "The Old Man Is Still Alive." We discuss which directors weathered the collapse of the studio system best, why Stanley Donen's Blame It On Rio gets so much guff, and John Huston's third act celebration.
This episode was created thanks to our Patrons:
Ali Moore
Danny
David Floyd
Gates
McF
Rachel Clark
Shawn Goodreau
A Bu...
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May 7, 2025 • 72 mins
Another TCM Classic Film Festival has come and gone, but whether you were on the ground in LA or you couldn't make it, Ticklish Biz has you covered with some great audio from the festival.
We start off with Ben Mankiewicz, and Elle and Dakota Fanning introducing Michelle Pfeiffer at her hand and footprint ceremony. Then it's Alicia Malone and actor Barry Bostwick discussing The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975). Next Eddie Muller a...
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April 23, 2025 • 36 mins
Flower Drum Song star Nancy Kwan sits down with Ticklish Business in anticipation of her new autobiography! Nancy talks about being discovered young, what her costars were like, and more. We also talk about the joys of actor James Shigeta.
Buy The World of Nancy Kwan now.
This episode was created thanks to our Patrons:
Ali Moore
Danny
David Floyd
Gates
McF
Rachel Clark
Shawn Goodreau
A Button Called Smalls
Chris McKay
J...
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March 19, 2025 • 70 mins
TCM's "Czar of Noir" Eddie Muller joins us once again to discuss the women of his latest book Dark City Dames: The Women Who Defined Film Noir. Eddie chats about interviewing some of the most iconic film noir women and how his new book seeks to tell their stories more fully.
You can pre-order Dark City Dames: The Women Who Defined Film Noir before it's April 8th publication by clicking the link.
And if you're in Los Angeles you c...
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February 26, 2025 • 42 mins
Your eyes don't deceive you! Ticklish Business is back, kinda. Kristen sits down with author Mayukh Sen to talk all about Merle Oberon, the subject of Sen's latest book, Love, Queenie: Merle Oberon, Hollywood's First South Asian Star. Sen breaks down the stereotypes about Oberon he wanted to dispel and how she was able to rise above Hollywood racism.
We appreciate everyone continuing to support us, as either a Patron or listener. ...
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November 13, 2024 • 67 mins
Kristen and Emily return with Front Row Classics podcast host Brandon Davis to celebrate the release of Wicked by looking at the film that started it all: 1939's The Wizard of Oz. The trio discuss Judy Garland's casting, the economics of Oz, and various rumors.
This episode was created thanks to our Patrons:
Ali Moore
Amy Hart
Danny
David Floyd
Donna Hill
Gates
Jacob Haller
McF
Rachel Clark
Shawn Goodreau
A Button Calle...
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October 30, 2024 • 61 mins
It's All Hallows Eve and we're closing out spooky season with a legendary Halloween treat. Director and Shining historian Lee Unkrich joins Kristen to discuss Stanley Kubrick's 1980 adaptation of The Shining. The pair discuss the nature of adaptation, Shelley Duvall's performance (RIP), and why it still holds up today.
This episode was created thanks to our Patrons:
Ali Moore
Amy Hart
Danny
David Floyd
Donna Hill
Gates
Jaco...
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October 16, 2024 • 50 mins
Halloween inches ever closer much like the centipede? earwig? that dominates William Castle's 1959 horror film The Tingler. Emily and Kristen discuss Bill Castle and his gimmicks, Vincent Price, and why Warren Chapin might be the worst doctor character ever.
This episode was created thanks to our Patrons:
Ali Moore
Amy Hart
Danny
David Floyd
Donna Hill
Gates
Jacob Haller
McF
Rachel Clark
Shawn Goodreau
A Button Called S...
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October 7, 2024 • 60 mins
Emily and Kristen may be a week later than usual but spooky season kicks off with a bang as the duo talk George Romero's 1968 feature Night of the Living Dead! And along for the ride is acclaimed cinematographer Levie Isaaks. Levie, watching this for the first time (!), discusses the film's impact, what Tobe Hooper took for Texas Chain Saw Massacre, and more.
This episode was created thanks to our Patrons:
Ali Moore
Amy Hart
Da...
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September 18, 2024 • 67 mins
It's a bird, it's a plane, it's a new episode! Kristen and Emily are back celebrating the release of the Christopher Reeve doc Super/Man with a discussion of the 1978 film that made Reeve a star. And joining us is legendary comic artist Jon Bogdanove. We talk about why this superhero movie is different than others, Valerie Perrine stealing the show, and more.
This episode was created thanks to our Patrons:
Ali Moore
Amy Hart
Da...
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