The Online Movie Show with Phil Hall

Call them "escapism," call them "guilty pleasures," call them "anti-classics" - they are the Great Trash movies that don't make the Sight & Sound list but nonetheless win the hearts of moviegoers. In this episode, ArmchairCinema.com's Jerry Dean Roberts shares his insight on the greatest of the Great Trash flicks. "The Online Movie Show" is produced at Pleasant Podcasts Studios in Naugatuck, Connecticut.

Film history is rich with stories of great stars who struggled mightily to get to the top of their profession, only to see their late-stage careers spent in an often-disastrous decline. Actor/writer Kevin Dolan returns to discuss some of the most notorious examples of Hollywood icons whose once-bright careers ended with big-screen ignominy. "The Online Movie Show" is produced at Pleasant Podcasts Studio in Naugatuck, Connecticut.

Do great movies really need to have sequels, or is Hollywood's habit of adding Part 2, 3, 4 and more a sign of desperation? Actor and writer Kevin Dolan returns to look at the best and worst sequels in movie history. "The Online Movie Show" is produced at Pleasant Podcasts Studio in Naugatuck, Connecticut.

Remakes are the trickiest movies to create - especially when it is a classic that is getting a second telling. On this episode, actor/writer Kevin Dolan offers insight on some of the most successful and most painful remakes in movie history. "The Online Movie Show" is produced at Pleasant Podcasts Studio in Naugatuck, Connecticut.

During the 1940s and 1950s, Vera Ralston was the major female star at Republic Pictures. Often maligned by critics who claimed her stardom was due solely to her relationship with studio boss Herbert Yates (whom she married in 1952), Ralston's film output was diverse and intriguing, with a colorful mix of productions co-starring major Hollywood talent. On this episode, film historian Paul Brennan provides a new look at Ralston's place in Hollywood's Golden Age. "The Online Movie Show" is...

On this week's episode, we take a look at the cinematic output of Bud Abbott and Lou Costello with Nick Santa Maria, co-author of the new book "The Annotated Abbott and Costello." "The Online Movie Show" is produced at Pleasant Podcasts Studio in Naugatuck, Connecticut.

1980 was a remarkable year for movies: "Ordinary People" and "Raging Bull" slugged it out for the awards, comedy cult classics "The Blues Brothers," "Caddyshack" and "Airplane!" left audiences in hysterics, "The Empire Strikes Back" rewrote the "Star Wars" saga, "Heaven's Gate" nearly destroyed United Artists and an obscure Soviet film trumped great works by Kurosawa and Truffaut for the Foreign Film Oscar. ArmchairCinema.com's Jerry Roberts returns for a look back at 1980 on the big screen....

Sammy Davis Jr. was a larger-than-life personality who was a welcome presence on Broadway, in Las Vegas and on television for many years. His film work was somewhat spotty, yet he proved himself as both a musical star in "Porgy and Bess" and "Sweet Charity" and in serious dramatic roles in "Anna Lucasta" and "A Man Called Adam." In this episode, social media bon vivant Anthony "Kingfish" Vitamia returns to the podcast to celebrate Sammy's distinctive place on the big screen. "The Online...

On this first episode of the podcast's seventh season, actor/writer Joe Mannetti returns to offer insight on the tumultuous life and career of Rita Hayworth. This episode was produced by Pleasant Podcast Studios in Naugatuck, Connecticut.

For this final episode of our podcast's sixth season, we pay tribute to the Oscar-winning force of energy Susan Hayward. Actor-writer Joe Mannetti returns to offer his insight on Hayward's rise to glory and her big screen triumphs. "The Online Movie Show" is produced at Pleasant Podcast Studios in Naugatuck, Connecticut.

Faith Domergue's movie career got off to bad start in Hollywood as the object of Howard Hughes' start-making machinery, but she found her niche in the 1950s as the star of several popular sci-fi flicks. On this episode, film historian Geno Cuddy helps track Faith Domergue's unlikely movie career. "The Online Movie Show" is produced at Pleasant Podcasts Studios in Naugatuck, Connecticut.

On this episode, we consider the challenges of bringing Broadway musicals to the movie screen. Our guest is Michael B. Druxman, author of "The Musical: From Broadway to Hollywood," published by BearManor Media. "The Online Movie Show" is produced at Pleasant Podcasts Studio in Naugatuck, Connecticut.

In celebration of the 75th anniversary year of the teaming of Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis (and conversely, the 65th anniversary of their split), this episode takes a look at how the zany comedy duo became overnight sensations. Our guest is Richard S. Greene, author of "Marketing Mayhem!: Selling Dean Martin & Jerry Lewis to Post-War America." "The Online Movie Show" is produced at Pleasant Podcasts Studio in Naugatuck, Connecticut.

On this episode, filmmaker Lisa Hurwitz discusses her award-winning documentary "The Automat," which features interviews with Mel Brooks (pictured here), Carl Reiner, Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Colin Powell. "The Online Movie Show" is produced at Pleasant Podcasts Studio in Naugatuck, Connecticut.

Valerie Perrine was one of the most beautiful and dynamic stars of the 1970s and 1980s, bringing vibrancy and charm to such memorable films as "Slaughterhouse Five," "Lenny" (for which she received an Oscar nomination), "Superman" and the unfairly maligned "Can't Stop the Music." On this episode, we celebrate Valerie Perrine's legacy with Stacey Souther, director of the new documentary "Valerie." "The Online Movie Show" is produced at Pleasant Podcasts Studio in Naugatuck, Connecticut.

On this week's episode, we visit with Paul and Jade Schuyler, who used their lockdown time during the Covid-19 pandemic to create the acclaimed film "Red River Road" with their family in their home. "The Online Movie Show" is produced at Pleasant Podcasts Studio in Naugatuck, Connecticut.

From Russian roulette in Saigon to Double Secret Probation at Faber College, 1978 was a wild year for movies. This podcast episode relives the year's peaks and valleys with guest Jerry Dean Roberts of ArmchairCinema.com. "The Online Movie Show" is produced at Pleasant Podcasts Studio in Naugatuck, Connecticut. See less

On this episode, we revisit Sergei Bondarchuk's 1970 epic "Waterloo" starring Rod Steiger as Napoleon. Our guest on this episode is Simon Lewis, author of the new book "Waterloo - Making an Epic." "The Online Movie Show" is produced at Pleasant Podcast Studios in Naugatuck, Connecticut.

On this episode, we set the clock back to the early 1960s with a celebration of cheerful distractions provided by Frankie, Annette and their beach movies gang -including Buster Keaton! Our guest is Tom Lisanti, author of "Hollywood Surf and Beach Movies: The First Wave, 1959-1969." "The Online Movie Show" is produced at Pleasant Podcasts Studio in Naugatuck, Connecticut.

On this episode, we shine the spotlight on the life and career of the lovely actress Carol Lynley, star of classic films including "Blue Denim," "Bunny Lake is Missing," "The Poseidon Adventure" and "The Night Stalker." Our guest is Tom Lisanti, author of "Carol Lynley: Her Film & TV Career in Thrillers, Fantasy and Suspense." "The Online Movie Show" is produced by Pleasant Podcasts Studio in Naugatuck, Connecticut.