Cindy and Marty reflect on the holiday classic, Miracle on 34th Street - 1947, with trivia and actor information you haven't heard yet.

Quick FactsRelease year: 1947 (U.S. release: June 1947)Runtime: 96 minutes • Black-and-whiteStudio / Distributor: 20th Century-FoxDirector / Screenplay: George Seaton • Story: Valentine DaviesSetting: New York City, between Thanksgiving andChristmas

Key Credits Producer: William PerlbergCinematography: Charles G. Clarke and Lloyd AhernEditing: Robert L. SimpsonMusic: Cyril J. Mockridge

Principal Cast

Edmund Gwenn — Kris Kringle (the man who insistshe is Santa)

Maureen O’Hara — Doris Walker (Macy’s executiveand practical single mother)

John Payne — Fred Gailey (neighbor/attorney;advocate for Kris)

Natalie Wood — Susan Walker (skeptical childwhose worldview is at stake)

Gene Lockhart — Judge Henry X. Harper (the judgetasked with ruling on the “impossible”)

Awards and Legacy

Academy Awards: 3 wins (Supporting Actor for Edmund Gwenn; Original Story for Valentine Davies; Screenplay for George Seaton).National Film Registry selection (Library of Congress) as culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.A template for later holiday films that test faith through “real-world” systems (courts, media, bureaucracy).

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Cindy and Marty look at a swinging-’60s dark comedy mixing bachelor-fantasy satire, comic-strip meta-storytelling, and commentary on marriage expectation, How to Murder Your Wife.

Basic Film Facts

• Release Year: 1965

• Director: Richard Quine

• Screenwriter: George Axelrod

• Stars: Jack Lemmon, Virna Lisi, Terry-Thomas, Eddie Mayehoff

• Studio: United Artists

• Genre: Black comedy, farce, satirical romance

• Runtime: 118 minutes

Production Trivia

• George Axelrod, known for satirical works like The Seven Year Itch, wrote the screenplay.

• Jack Lemmon was one of Hollywood’s biggest comedy stars at the time.

• Virna Lisi’s breakout U.S. exposure occurred through this film.

• Terry-Thomas’s performance as Charles the butler is often considered iconic.

• The townhouse set emphasized bachelor luxury and precision.

Story & Character Trivia

• Stanley’s comic strip 'Bash Brannigan' mirrors his real-life frustrations.

• The murder-fantasy device becomes central to the courtroom climax.

• The cake-bride sequence is now seen as controversial in modern gender analysis.

• Lisi's character’s silence creates comedic miscommunication.

• Charles the butler champions bachelorhood with humorous zeal.

Cultural & Critical Context

• The film reflects 1960s male anxieties about domesticity.

• Modern critics debate whether it critiques or reinforces misogynistic norms.

• It appears in lists of both cult classics and problematic favorites.

• Its comedic style shows a transition between classic and modern romantic comedies.

Fun Trivia

• Jack Lemmon improvised several reactions and gestures.

• The courtroom monologue is widely cited in discussions of outdated gender humor.

• The tagline 'Honeymoon murder — in Technicolor!' highlighted its dark comedic tone.

• Virna Lisi later went on to win major film awards including a Golden Globe and Cannes Best Actress.

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Cindy and Marty share stories about the iconic screwball comedy, Howard Hawks’ Bringing Up Baby.

Bringing Up Baby (1938)

Director: Howard Hawks

Writers: Dudley Nichols & Hagar Wilde

Stars: Katharine Hepburn, Cary Grant, Charles Ruggles, May Robson, Barry Fitzgerald, Walter Catlett

Animals: Nissa the Leopard (“Baby”), Skippy the Dog (“George”)

Studio: RKO Radio Pictures

Runtime: 102 minutes; Black & White

FUN TRIVIA

• Grant’s Glasses: Inspired by Harold Lloyd, the glasses emphasize Grant’s awkward academic persona while paying homage to silent-era comedy.

• Bone‑Burying Gag: Producers purchased the idea from a comic strip artist, revealing how the film embraced multiple comedic traditions.

• “I Just Went Gay All of a Sudden!”: A spontaneous ad‑lib by Grant, decades before the word’s meaning evolved—still one of the film’s most quoted moments.

• Animal Challenges: Even trained, the leopard behaved unpredictably, sometimes causing fear and improvisation on the set.

• Hepburn’s Risky Role: Her comedic turn helped shift her career trajectory during a period where she battled reputation challenges.

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Stephanie Marder joins Cindy and Marty to talk about the wackiness that is the Marx Brothers Duck Soup.

The Basics

· Release Date: November 17, 1933 (Paramount Pictures)

· Runtime: 68 minutes

· Country/Language: United States / English

· Director: Leo McCarey

· Writers: Bert Kalmar and Harry Ruby (with dialogue by Arthur Sheekman and Nat Perrin)

· Principal Cast: Groucho Marx (Rufus T. Firefly), Harpo Marx (Pinky), Chico Marx (Chicolini), Zeppo Marx (Bob Roland — final film appearance), Margaret Dumont (Mrs. Gloria Teasdale), Louis Calhern (Ambassador Trentino), Raquel Torres (Vera Marcal)

Technical Notes

· Cinematography: Henry Sharp

· Editing: LeRoy Stone (uncredited)

· Visual Style: Quick cuts and tight framing to preserve vaudeville pace within sound-era storytelling.

Signature Sequences

· The Mirror Scene: Harpo mimics Groucho in a doorway frame as if they were reflections—a pantomime masterclass originating in vaudeville and silent film.

· Lemonade Stand Feud: A running battle with Edgar Kennedy showcases precise timing and physical comedy.

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Marty and Cindy take on a classic that Cindy hadn’t seen before, Lawrence of Arabia

Title: Lawrence of Arabia (1962)

Director: David Lean

Writers: Robert Bolt and Michael Wilson

Stars: Peter O’Toole, Alec Guinness, Anthony Quinn, Omar Sharif, Jack Hawkins, José Ferrer, Claude Rains

Studio: Horizon Pictures / Columbia Pictures

Runtime: 222 minutes (original) | 216 minutes (restored)

Format: Super Panavision 70 | Technicolor

Filming Locations: Jordan, Morocco, Spain

Why This Film Matters

· A cornerstone of epic filmmaking—winner of 7 Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director.

· Revolutionized widescreen cinematography; Freddie Young’s desert imagery remains unmatched.

· Peter O’Toole’s debut transformed him into an international star and redefined screen charisma.

· Maurice Jarre’s sweeping score became one of the most recognizable in movie history.

· Critically reassessed as both a spectacle and an introspective psychological study.

· The 1988 restoration pioneered modern film-preservation efforts and revived Lean’s full vision.

Signature Sequences

· The Match Cut: From a tiny flame to the blazing desert sunrise—one of the most famous edits in film history.

· The Mirage Scene: Omar Sharif’s arrival, emerging from heat shimmer, remains a visual tour de force in long-lens cinematography.

· Aqaba Assault: Filmed with hundreds of extras and horses, it’s a ballet of movement and chaos captured in sweeping long shots.

· “Nothing Is Written” Scene: Lawrence’s defiance against fate—one of O’Toole’s defining moments.

· The Retreat from Deraa: Lawrence’s capture and implied assault by the Turkish Bey mark a disturbing psychological turning point.

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Cindy and Marty chat about the movie Gaslight, a psychological thriller that coined the term we use today.

Director: George CukorWriters: John Van Druten, Walter Reisch, and John L. Balderston (adapted from Patrick Hamilton’s 1938 play)Stars: Ingrid Bergman, Charles Boyer, Joseph Cotten, Angela Lansbury, Dame May WhittyStudio/Distributor: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)Runtime: 114 minutes; Format: B&WSetting: Victorian London

Cultural Legacy: Origin of the term “gaslighting” — now used to describe psychological manipulation and control.

Critical Acclaim: Ingrid Bergman won the Academy Award for Best Actress for her haunting performance; Angela Lansbury earned an Oscar nomination for her debut role at just 18.

Stylistic Brilliance: Exemplary of 1940s Gothic noir — shadow-filled cinematography, claustrophobic sets, and emotionally precise direction from George Cukor.

Social Relevance: A timeless exploration of emotional abuse, control, and the struggle to trust one’s own perception.

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Cindy and Marty converse about one of their favorite movies, North by Northwest, packed full of trivia.

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Cindy and Marty talk about another favorite comedy by director Billy Wilder, Some Like It Hot with Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon, and its contemporary influence about gender roles and expectations.

Some Like It Hot (1959)

· Director: Billy Wilder; Writers: Billy Wilder & I.A.L. Diamond (from Robert Thoeren & Michael Logan’s story)

· Stars: Marilyn Monroe, Tony Curtis, Jack Lemmon; with Joe E. Brown, George Raft, Pat O’Brien

· Studio/Distributor: The Mirisch Company / United Artists

· Runtime: ~121 minutes; Format: B&W; Setting: Prohibition-era Chicago & 'Miami' (filmed at Hotel del Coronado)

Brief Synopsis

Two Chicago musicians witness a mob hit and escape by disguising themselves as women to join an all-female band headed to Florida, where romantic entanglements, mob reprisals, and comic mayhem ensue — culminating in one of cinema’s most famous closing lines: “Nobody’s perfect.”

Why This Film Matters

· AFI ranks it #1 on the 100 Years…100 Laughs list. https://www.afi.com/afis-100-years-100-laughs/

· A landmark of screen comedy that playfully subverts gender roles and skirted the Production Code’s strictures.

· Iconic location work at the Hotel del Coronado standing in for Miami’s 'Seminole Ritz.'

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