The History on Film Podcast

The show is on a brief medical hiatus, but here are some other things you might enjoy!FURTHER READING:Dockery, Daniel. Monster Kids: How Pokemon Taught a Generation to Catch Them All.Rawlins, Justin. Imagining the Method: Reception, Identity, and American Screen Performance.Kelley, N. Megan. Projections of Passing: Postwar Anxieties and Hollywood Films.Coontz, Stephanie. The Way We Never Were: American Families and the Nostalgia Trap.Cowan, Ruth Schwartz. More Work for Mother: The Ironies of Household Technology from the Open Hearth to the Microwave.Shade, Colette. Y2K: How the 2000s Became Everything (Essays on the Future That Never Was).Llamas Rodriguez, Juan. Y Tu Mama Tambien.Gagliardi, Paul. All Play and No Work: American Work Ideals and the Comic Plays of the Federal Theatre Project.Black and White and Read All OverFURTHER LISTENING:The Pop Culture BasementYour Favorite Bad Movie PodcastCold War CinemaMoving HistoriesRemember ShuffleFURTHER WATCHING:TheColdWarTV"Stumble"MeansTVFURTHER CAMPAIGNING:Ross Sheppard, RossForGA.com

Ross is joined by historian Joseph Kellner to discuss spiritualist subcultures during the fall of the USSR. They discuss the ways in which these belief systems reflected the idealized New Soviet Man and how these alternative beliefs spread. Also, the ways in which American and Soviet conceptions of “nostalgia” differ, electronic music, and what the Collapse can tell us about 2026.FURTHER READING:Keller, Joseph. The Spirit of Socialism: Culture and Belief at the Soviet Collapse.FURTHER WATCHING:”Bells from the Deep”

Ross is joined by returning guest and HoFCast senior political correspondent Chris Bell to talk about 1998's "Bulworth". They look at how the film represents the challenges of advancing left politics during the End of History, Beatty's reputation as both a filmmaker and an activist, and how a movie about a rapping senator was able to navigate topics like healthcare reform, neoliberal austerity, and the "Sistah Souljah Moment". All this plus a brief history of the "Dick Tracy" sequels, a very special episode of "Diagnosis: Murder", and Ross delivers a heartfelt message to former president Barack Obama.Make sure to check out MeansTV! Use promo code CHRISBELL to get 10% off!FURTHER READING:Young, Kevin, Michael Schwartz, and Tarun Kumar Banerjee. Levers of Power: How the 1% Rules and What the 99% Can Do About It.Herman, Edward and Noam Chomsky. Manufacturing Consent: The Political Economy of the Mass Media.Zinn, Howard. A People's History of the United States.Harvey, David. A Brief History of Neoliberalism.Lenin, Vladimir. State and Revolution.Cobb Jr., Charles E. This Nonviolent Stuff'll Get You Killed: How Guns Made the Civil Rights Movement Possible.Parenti, Michael. Inventing Reality.FURTHER WATCHING:"Network" (1976)"The Boondocks""Mussolini: Son of the Century""WTO 99" (2025)

Check out my guest appearance on the Pop Culture Basement podcast!FURTHER WATCHING:“RUSH: Beyond the Lighted Stage” (2010)SONGS TO CHECK OUT FOR PEOPLE ONLY FAMILIAR WITH “TOM SAWYER” AND “LIMELIGHT”:“By-Tor and the Snow Dog” (Fly By Night, 1975)“Witch Hunt” (Moving Pictures, 1981)“Time Stand Still” (Hold Your Fire, 1987)“Lock and Key” (Hold Your Fire, 1987)“Nobody’s Hero” (Counterparts, 1993)“Far Cry” (Snakes & Arrows, 2007)BANDS YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE:Steely DanBlue Oyster CultDream TheaterPrimusRiversidePorcupine TreeMuse

Ross is joined by Dr. Tiffany Knoell to discuss analyzing and teaching time travel on film! They discuss how perceptions of the past and future reflect the present, how and why the "rules" of time travel matter, and much more! This episode was previously recorded tomorrow.FURTHER READING:Ni Fhlainn, Sorcha. ‘There’s Something Very Familiar About All This’: Time Machines, Cultural Tangents, and Mastering Time in H.G. Wells’s The Time Machine and the Back to the Future trilogy.Benjamin, Walter. The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction.Adorno, Theodor and Max Horkheimer. The Culture Industry: Enlightenment as Mass Deception.FURTHER WATCHING:"Army of Darkness""Futurama""Star Trek: First Contact""Time and Again"CHECK OUT:"Silent Film Fridays" on Stream.place!

Ross squares off against the tag team of Drs. Christopher Olson and Carrie-Lynn Reinhard as they talk professional wrestling studies! They talk about wrestling as performance art, the influence it has had on cultural production and the broader entertainment industry, the boundaries of kayfabe, and much more! Ross proposes a new use case for generative AI.FURTHER READING:Johnson, Daniel Warren. Do a Powerbomb.FURTHER WATCHING:The Wrestler (2008)

Ross speaks with Dr. Landon Palmer about teaching 70s Hollywood Cinema! They discuss the major trends and changes to the film industry in this period, presenting these films to younger audiences, how culture perpetuates through generations, and much more!FURTHER READING:Alsop, Elizabeth. Elaine May.Henderson, Odie. Black Caesars and Foxy Cleopatras: A History of Blaxploitation Cinema.Nystrom, Derek. Hard Hats, Rednecks, and Macho Men: Class in 1970s American CinemaTarantino, Quentin. Cinema Speculation.FURTHER WATCHING:"Is That Black Enough For You?!""Shampoo""The Wiz""What's Up, Doc?"

Ross is joined by Dr. Sage Gray, and Tim Fielder, the co-creators of The Graphic History of Hip Hop! They discuss the process behind producing graphic histories, the cultural and political evolution of hip hop, as well as approaches to teaching the multifaceted history of music to younger generations. All the mutual aid organizations mentioned in the episode can be found below.FURTHER READING:"Dearly Beloved"The Graphic History of Hip Hop.FURTHER WATCHING:Style Wars (1982)House Party (1990)Sankofa (1993)Tupac: Resurrection (2003)FURTHER LISTENING:Mos Def & Talib Kweli Are Black Star (1998)The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill (1999)AID GROUPS:Halle Q Brown Community CenterRise and RememberReconnect RondoPilgrim Baptist ChurchPrepare and ProsperPay Attention!

Ross is joined by webcomic artist David Rapoccio to discuss NFL fandom, trends in sports culture, and the Super Bowl! It's got a little bit of everything- fandom studies, predictions and analysis, why the commercials aren't good anymore, Carl from Aqua Teen Hunger Force, and a game! And if you aren't a football fan, we tell you what to talk about so you can join in on the fun.FURTHER READING:Nanni, Ryan. The New Cats Turn 20.TheDrawPlay.com!FURTHER WATCHING:The Super Bowl!"Lisa the Greek""Bart Starr""Sunday, Cruddy Sunday"