The History on Film Podcast

Ross and Ryan talk about Saturday Night Live with their guests, Stephen Tropiano and Steven Ginsberg, the authors of The SNL Companion. They cover the show's history, their favorite sketches, the importance of the Muppets in popular culture, and much more!FURTHER READING:Tropiano, Stephen and Steven Ginsberg. The SNL Companion: An Unofficial Guide to the Seasons, Sketches, and Stars of Saturday Night Live.FURTHER WATCHING:Saturday Night (2024)We mention a LOT of Sketches in this episode, so go check out an old favorite or one that you haven't seen before. :)~Follow the show on Instagram! @histonfilmpodOr email us at historyonfilmpodcast@gmail.com

Ross and Ryan are joined by Dr. Robert Houghton to talk about his new book The Middle Ages in Computer Games. They discuss the ways in which game design and mechanics reinforce historical inaccuracy, the dynamics of the church and religion in gaming, and the value of debating who would win in a fight between historical figures.FURTHER READING:Houghton, Robert. The Middle Ages in Computer Games.FURTHER PLAYING:ReignsBaldur's Gate 3Crusader Kings 3Follow the show on Instagram! @histonfilmpodOr email us at historyonfilmpodcast@gmail.com

Ross and Ryan are joined by David Schroeder, military aviation historian and host of the YouTube channel "The Cold War". They look at four movies to trace the history of aerial combat in the twentieth century, as well as the increasing involvement of the military in filmmaking.FURTHER READING:de Seversky, Alexander. Victory Through Air Power. 1942.Meilinger, Phillip. Bomber: The Formation and Early Years of Strategic Air Command. 2012.FURTHER WATCHING:Watch The Cold War on YouTube! @TheColdWarTVWATCH TODAY'S MOVIES:Victory Through Air Power (1943)Strategic Air Command (1955)The Starfighters (1964)The Starfighters (MST3k version)Follow the show on Instagram! @histonfilmpodOr email us at historyonfilmpodcast@gmail.com

Ross and Ryan are joined by Matt Alt, author of Pure Invention: How Japan's Pop Culture Conquered the World. They pick up where the Akira episode ended, and discuss the impact and influence of anime in America in the 1990s and early 2000s. Ross and Ryan close with a dramatic reading.FURTHER READING:Alt, Matt. Pure Invention: How Japan's Pop Culture Conquered the World.FURTHER WATCHING: We talk about a lot of different anime in this episode, all of them are good!Follow the show on Instagram! @histonfilmpodOr email us at historyonfilmpodcast@gmail.com

Ross and Ryan speak with Dr. Alyssa Goldstein Sepinwall about her book, Slave Revolt on Screen: the Haitian Revolution in Film and Video Games. The examine why the Haitian Revolution isn't often depicted in media, the ways in which America and France depict it differently than Haitians, and how historical video games differ from film.FURTHER READING:Sepinwall, Alyssa Goldstein. Slave Revolt on Screen: The Haitian Revolution in Film and Video Games.FURTHER WATCHING:Liberty in a Soup (2015)Top Five (2014)Exterminate all the Brutes (2021)Follow the show on Instagram! @histonfilmpodOr email us at historyonfilmpodcast@gmail.com

Ross and Ryan bring you all the news, scores, and highlights from around the National Football League ahead of Sunday's big game. They also correct the record on some previous episodes, talk about what's coming up, and answer a fun mailbag question.FURTHER READING:Mark Dyreson (2017) The Super Bowl as a Television Spectacle: GlobalDesigns, Glocal Niches, and Parochial Patterns, The International Journal of the History ofSport, 34:1-2, 139-156, DOI: 10.1080/09523367.2017.1349115https://doi.org/10.1080/09523367.2017.1349115Follow the show on Instagram! @histonfilmpodOr email us at historyonfilmpodcast@gmail.com

Ross and Ryan speak with some of the editors of the new International Journal of Disney Studies. They discuss the range of diversity in Disney Studies as a field, the process of starting an academic journal, theme park rides, and much more!FURTHER READING:Davis, Amy M. Good Girls & Wicked Witches: Women in Disney's Feature Animation. Indiana University Press, 2007.Davis, Amy M. Handsome Heroes & Vile Villains: Men in Disney's Feature Animation. Indiana University Press, 2014.Davis, Amy M., editor. Discussing Disney. Indiana University Press, 2019.Davis, Amy M., and Helen Haswell, editors. "100 Years of Disney." Special issue of Alphaville, no. 27, 2024, https://www.alphavillejournal.com/ContentsIndex.html.Bryan, Peter Cullen. Creation, Translation, and Adaptation in Donald Duck Comics: The Dream of Three Lifetimes. Springer Nature, 2021.Bryan, Peter Cullen, and Sabrina Mittermeier, editors. "Reflections on the Walt Disney Company at 100." Special issue of The Journal of American Culture, vol. 47, no. 2, 2024, https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/toc/1542734x/2024/47/2.Muir, Robyn, Rebecca Rowe, Hannah Helm, and Emily Aguilo-Perez, editors. The Cultural Legacy of Disney: A Century of Magic. Lexington, 2024.Mittermeier, Sabrina. A cultural history of the Disneyland theme parks: Middle class kingdoms. Intellect, 2020.Mittermeier, Sabrina, ed. Fan Phenomena: Disney. Intellect Books, 2022.The International Journal of Disney Studies

Ross and Ryan speak with documentary filmmaker Christopher Jason Bell, creator of the documentary series "Miss Me Yet". They discuss the George W. Bush administration, opposition movements, the changing structure of media in the 2000s, pop-punk, "24", and much more. Further Reading:Gore, Al. The Assault on Reason.Scott, Peter Dale. The Road to 9/11: Wealth, Empire, and the Future of America.Further Watching:"Miss Me Yet" on MeansTV.Follow the show on Instagram! @histonfilmpodOr email us at historyonfilmpodcast@gmail.com

Ross and Ryan speak with Drs. Matt Foy and Christopher Olson about their new book, Mystery Science Theater 3000: a Cultural History. The discuss how MST3k has mirrored the evolution of media production and consumption, fandom studies, and more. Join us, won't you?Further Reading:Foy, Matt and Christopher Olson. Mystery Science Theater 3000: A Cultural History.Further Watching (with links!):S3E2: Pod People (Chris's pick)S6E19: Red Zone Cuba (Matt's pick)S8E19: Invasion of the Neptune Men (Ryan's pick)S6E10: The Violent Years (Ross's pick)Follow the show on Instagram! @histonfilmpodOr email us at historyonfilmpodcast@gmail.com