The History on Film Podcast

Ross and Ryan welcome Jane, Mauricio, and Ray from Fabulous Fleischer Cartoons Restored and returning champion Dr. David Morton to talk about the works of Max Fleischer and Fleischer Studios. Among his many achievements, his studio was the first to animate both Popeye and Superman — and he created the legendary Betty Boop, who remains an icon of American culture to this day. Fleischer Studios also relocated from New York to Miami in the 1930s, becoming one of the most high-profile production studios in Florida at that time. No homework this week! Go watch cartoons!

Ross talks to Dr. Frederick Wasser about his book Veni, Vidi, Video, and how the invention of home video and the VCR reshaped the film industry. Learn about why VHS beat out Beta, how home video saved Disney, and much more. They end the conversation by connecting the industry changes and consolidation in the VCR era to the streaming environment of today. FURTHER READING:Wasser, Frederick. Veni, Vidi, Video: The Hollywood Empire and the VCR.FURTHER WATCHING:"Be Kind, Rewind" (2008)

Dr. Mel Stanfill comes on to talk about fandom studies- what it is, why it's important, and how it can get ugly. Their new book, Fandom is Ugly, looks at how fandom studies can help explain contemporary political movements, online toxicity and harassment campaigns, and more. FURTHER READING:Stanfill, Mel. Fandom is Ugly: Networked Harrassment in Participatory Culture.FURTHER WATCHING:"Galaxy Quest" (1999)Follow the show on Instagram! @histonfilmpodOr email us at historyonfilmpodcast@gmail.com

Ross and Ryan begin their multi-part series on the history of Japanese anime and its reception in the West by talking about one of their all-time favorites, Katsuhiro Otomo's "Akira" (1988). They go through the development of filmed animation in Japan and the United States, how the two cultures influenced each other, and the surprising cartoon icon who connects them. Honestly, this episode could have easily been about 14 hours long and there still would have been more to cover.FURTHER READING:Alt, Matt. Pure Invention: How Japan Made the Modern World.Clements, Jonathan. Anime: A History.FURTHER WATCHING:"My Neighbor Totoro" (1988)"Cowboy Bebop"Follow the show on Instagram! @histonfilmpodOr email us at historyonfilmpodcast@gmail.com

Here's a look at some of what is coming up in season one!

Ross talks with Dr. David Morton about his new book, Motion Picture Paradise: A History of Florida's Film and Television Industry. Beginning in Jacksonville in the early 1900s, Florida spent decades competing with New York and Hollywood to become a major film production center. How did a series of failures and false starts influence Florida and its economic development? Can Florida become a motion picture paradise again? And what happened to Nickelodeon Studios?FURTHER READING:Morton, David. Motion Picture Paradise: A History of Florida's Film and Television Industry.FURTHER WATCHING:Miami Connection (1987)

Ross talks with Skip Elsheimer of AVGeeks.com about his collection of over 37,000 non-theatrical film reels. What can we learn from old educational movies? Did the P.E. coaches of America traumatize multiple generations with traffic safety films? And why the one thing everyone knows about lemmings is a lie.FURTHER READING:Orgeron, Devin and Marsha, and Streible, Dan. Learning with the Lights Off: Educational Film in the United States.FURTHER WATCHING:Go check out AVGeeks.com!

For the pilot episode of the History on Film Podcast, we look at Billy Wilder's 1961 Cold War comedy "One, Two, Three" and the role of Coca Cola in postwar Europe. Will James Cagney be able to unite East and West with the great taste of Coke? What happens when the construction of the Berlin Wall during post-production ruins the entire plot of a movie? And why was Gorbachev in a Pizza Hut commercial?!Hilltop adGorbachev adFURTHER READING:Heller and Barson, Red Scared!: The Commie Menace in Propaganda and Popular CultureStephan, Alexander. The Americanization of Europe: Culture, Diplomacy, and Anti-Americanism after 1945Mee, Charles. Marshall Plan:The Launching of Pax AmericanaKuisel, Richard. Seducing the French: The Dilemma of AmericanizationFURTHER WATCHING:Ninotchka (1939)Dr. Stangelove (1964)