Listen. You don't need to have watched the Franklin series at this point. Listen to THIS POD. This one. Everything you need is here. We've got Kelsa Pellettiere. We have Michael Hattem. We have JOANNE FREEMAN. We have colonial ideologies and diatribes on where an American Revolution series should go. We have disappointment in Michael Douglas. We have fart jokes. We have codfish (you'll see). Easily one of the most fun conversations of my life. Enjoy. About our guests: Kelsa Pelletiere is the gue...
May 13, 2024•1 hr 46 min
This week Kelsa and I ask the tough questions about the series: Are they spending too much time on Temple? Is Lafayette the best character? How will they resolve the series? Which Founding Father would have had an OnlyFans account? Stick around for the wildest discussion on the American Revolution you've ever heard.
May 11, 2024•1 hr 5 min
This week we are joined Bathsheba Demuth to talk about the Chris Hemsworth-led In The Heart of the Sea . Bathsheba is the author of one of my favorite books, Floating Coast: An Environmental History of the Bering Strait and we talk about the history of whaling, her work with Indigenous communities in the Yukon, and of course, Moby Dick. This is one of the most fun conversations I've had on this podcast and I hope you enjoy. About our guest: Bathsheba Demuth is writer and environmental historian ...
May 08, 2024•1 hr 26 min•Ep. 76
This week my good friend and native Coloradan Kathleen Belew drops in to talk about the movie that etched the word "wolverines" into our lives forever: Red Dawn. We talk about how Red Dawn depicts Cold War fears on the big screen, and how it has been perceived in the *checks notes* forty years since its release. As usual, Kathleen and I talk about where to get the best food in Colorado, skiing, and god knows what else. This is a pod you've been asking for. I hope you like it. About our guest: Ka...
May 01, 2024•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 75
This week the legendary Seth Cotlar joins in with Kelsa and me to talk about Episode 5 of Franklin. We get into the dynamics between John Adams and Benjamin Franklin, talk about the need for more meat some of these storylines, and address the needs of the colonies to those of Ukraine in the present day. It's another great trip to the 18th century.
Apr 29, 2024•1 hr 26 min
This week Agnes Arnold-Forster jumps in to talk about the emotional roller coaster that is Pixar's Inside Out. We talk about how historians have conceptualized emotions, their role in the human experience, and Agnes' new book which charts the history of nostalgia. This is such a cool pod because we go places we rarely get to visit. I hope you dig it. About our guest: Agnes Arnold-Forster is a writer; researcher; and historian. She has written, researched, and presented on everything from women's...
Apr 25, 2024•1 hr 15 min•Ep. 74
This week HATM friend Lindsay Chervinsky drops in to talk about Episode 4 of Franklin. We talk about the very real possibility all of this could fail, spies galore, a young Louis XVI (with a head!) and a villainous John Adams? Join in with us now! About our guest: Dr. Lindsay M. Chervinsky is a presidential historian. She is the author of the award-winning book, The Cabinet: George Washington and the Creation of an American Institution , co-editor of Mourning the Presidents: Loss and Legacy in A...
Apr 22, 2024•1 hr 15 min
This week Elsa Devienne drops in to talk about Gidget and the history and transformation of the California beach. We get into the fascination with the US and the environment, as well as the influence of Hawaii on California beach culture. We also jump into issues of body image, gender dynamics, and queer representation in beach movies and the global trasnformation of surf culture post Gidget. This is a fun talk. About our guest: Elsa Devienne joined Northumbria University in 2019, having previou...
Apr 17, 2024•1 hr 13 min•Ep. 73
This week begins our first episode covering the new series on Apple TV, FRANKLIN, starring Michael Douglas. Each week we'll recap the episode, fill in with historical backstory, and offer plenty of snark. We have a permanent cohost for the series in Kelsa Pelletiere, one of the foremost Franklin scholars in the world. And we'll rotate in new guests each week to provide fresh thoughts and perspective on what we are seeing onscreen. This is gonna be fun. About our guests: Kelsa Pelletiere is the g...
Apr 14, 2024•1 hr 39 min
This week Drew McKevitt returns to talk about Robocop (1987). We get into depictions of Detroit as a failed city and of Robocop as both the commercial answer to the Terminator and maybe the antithesis of Dirty Harry. And we dive deep into Drew’s new book to talk about the rise of the gun culture in the United States. Hanging with Drew is always a blast- he’s one of the smartest and funniest historians you’re gonna meet. About our guest: Drew McKevitt is an associate professor of history at Louis...
Apr 11, 2024•1 hr 26 min•Ep. 72
This week the pod welcomes back Thomas Lecaque and John Wyatt Greenlee along with #HATM newcomer Anna Waymack to talk about maybe the best medieval movie ever made: A Knight's Tale. We talk Chaucer, romance, Heath Ledger, the Black Prince, and that fucking soundtrack. Let's go. About our guests: Thomas Lecaque is an associate professor of History at Grand View University in Des Moines, Iowa. He specializes in the nexus of apocalyptic religion and political violence. He has written for the Washin...
Apr 04, 2024•1 hr 37 min•Ep. 71
This week Jeff Melnick and Erik Baker jump in to talk about Steven Spielberg's Munich. We talk about the history behind the attacks in 1972, why they were relevant in 2005, and why they remain relevant today. And yes, we absolutely discuss the warfare and attempted genocide in Palestine today. This is a really important conversation and I hope that it helps to illustrate how movies can be part of historical dialogue. I learned a lot from these guys and I hope you will too. About our guests: Jeff...
Mar 27, 2024•1 hr 35 min•Ep. 70
This week Christina Abreu drops in to discuss Cuban-American history, Cuban music, and the representation of Cubans in film. We explore the origins and characteristics of Cuban music, as well as the migration of Cubans to the United States in the 1950s. We also discuss the relationship between Cuban-Americans and other Latino groups, as well as the integration and segregation within Cuban-American communities. This is a fun podcast and deep dive into Cuban American history. I hope you dig it. Ab...
Mar 21, 2024•1 hr 4 min•Ep. 69
We've reached the end of the mission here at Historians At The Movies. This week Sarah, Colin, Luke and I talk about the final thrust of the air war in Germany, POW camps and escape attempts, Rosie's legacy, and the melancholy of leaving the war behind. We also give our final thoughts about the series, where to place it alongside Band of Brothers and The Pacific and what series we'd like to see next. Hope you've enjoyed this ride as much as we did.
Mar 17, 2024•1 hr 42 min
This week Karen L. Cox swings by to talk about the South, the 70s, and why Burt Reynolds was so damn cool. This is probably the first time you’ve heard Smokey and the Bandit on a history podcast, but that’s what we are here for. This one is fun. About our guest: Karen L. Cox is an award-winning historian and a Distinguished Lecturer for the Organization of American Historians. She is the author of four books, the editor or co-editor of two volumes on southern history and has written numerous ess...
Mar 13, 2024•1 hr 27 min•Ep. 68
This week Sarah, Colin, and Luke drop in to talk about the penultimate episode of Masters of the Air. We've a lot to talk about in this episode- inlcuding the air war in Italy and Romania, which highlighs the strategic and tactical operations of the 15th Air Force and the role of the Tuskegee Airmen. We also revist the prison camp storyline, to talk about the tensions and fraying relationships among the POWs. This leads to discussions on the themes of racism and prejudice in World War II, the im...
Mar 11, 2024•1 hr 24 min
This week Mary Hicks and Margari Hill drop in to talk all things DUNE. We focus on Dune Part 2 but also talk about the historical influences on Frank Herbert as he wrote Dune, along with how Dune influenced the science fiction and fantasy that came afterward. We talk about the parallels between the fictional universe and historical events, such as the Ottoman Empire and the interactions between European powers and Indigenous communities. We also get into the portrayal of whiteness in the film an...
Mar 06, 2024•1 hr 43 min•Ep. 67
This week Sarah, Luke, Colin, and I continue to follow the Bloody Hundredth in what amounted to a tonal shift for the series. We talk about life inside German POW camps, the Great Escape, the Battle of Berlin, and Black Monday. We dive into the Red Cross and also compare the experiences of American prisoners in Europe and the Pacific, along with those of German prisoners in the United States. We also talk about Crosby's affair with Landra, as well as the arrival of the P-51 Mustang over the skie...
Mar 04, 2024•1 hr 24 min
This week Matt Guariglia drops in to talk about Steven Spielberg and Tom Cruises's Minority Report. We also discuss the history of policing in New York City and its impact on other cities. We jump into as eugenics, race and ethnicity in policing, gender dynamics, and the influence of World War I on the evolution of criminality in New York City and the rest of the United States as well as the Italian-American experience and the assassination of Joseph Petrosino. This is a fun talk about a somewha...
Feb 29, 2024•1 hr 13 min•Ep. 66
This week Sarah, Luke, Colin, and I dive into the latest episode of Masters of the Air, talking specifically about the experiences of Americans in German POW camps, heterosexual and homosexual relationships of American servicemen, a perceived anti-British bias on the show, and our first glimpses of the Holocaust on the series. This is our deepest dive yet. Hope you like it.
Feb 26, 2024•1 hr 12 min
This week Edda Fields-Black joins in to talk about her book on Harriet Tubman and the film Harriet . We talk about the importance of accurate terminology in black history, the role of religion in enslaved people's lives, the challenges of escaping from South Carolina, and the emotional impact of historical research. We also get into the need for more biopics on historical figures and recommend books and scholars for further reading. Edda's new book is gonna CHANGE THINGS, y'all. I hope you like ...
Feb 22, 2024•1 hr 33 min•Ep. 65
This week we hit the halfway point in Masters of the Air. Dr. Sarah Myers had to drop out of formation this week so we welcome back Dr. Luke Truxal and Dr. Colin Colbourn to talk about Black Week for the Bloody Hundreth as well as how air crews dealt with the loss of Buck Cleven, Crosby's role as group navigator, the disaster at Munster, and Colin's work recovering fallen service members as part of Project Recover.
Feb 18, 2024•50 min
This week Brian DeLay drops in to share a milkshake about There Will Be Blood and the performance of Daniel Day-Lewis. We explore the complexity of the protagonist, Daniel Plainview, and his lack of change throughout the film as well as the historical context of oil barons and the era of titans in American history. The conversation delves into the relationship between Plainview and capitalism, highlighting his refusal to let the big guys win, even at the cost of his own success. The conversation...
Feb 13, 2024•1 hr 12 min
This week marks a first in HATM Podcast history as Dr. Sarah Myers takes control, joined by mainstays Luke Truxal and Colin Colbourn. This week we e focus on ground crews and the tension of waiting for missions. The conversation then delves into the significance of the number of missions and the experiences of aircrews reaching their 25th mission. The gang also explores the portrayal of resistance movements and the complexities of their actions. Finally, they discuss the role of the Red Cross an...
Feb 12, 2024•1 hr 19 min
This week @ColinColbourn buckles in to talk about Formula 1 racing, the Mille Miglia, how Ferrari recovered from WWII, and Colin’s work to find and repatriate American missing in action with Project Recover. About our guest: Colin Colbourn, Ph.D., is Project Recover’s Lead Historian and a Postdoctoral Researcher with the University of Delaware. Since 2016, he has managed historical operations including archival research, data management, case analysis, and field investigations. Through these eff...
Feb 08, 2024•1 hr 14 min•Ep. 63
That...was intense. Sarah Myers and Luke Truxal are back for Episode 3 in what could be called A Very Bad Day over Germany. We'll set the tone of the episode, give you the backstory, then get into the nitty gritty with a detailed analysis of what we saw and what we didn't in Episode 3. We talk about the challenges of flying, such as the concept of 'max effort' and the impact of cloud cover. We also highlight the bloody and chaotic nature of the battle, as well as the difficult choices faced by t...
Feb 05, 2024•1 hr 1 min
If you're like me, Carl Weathers was everywhere in your life from the late 70s until today, when we learned of his passing. I asked two friends, Craig Bruce Smith and Robert Greene II, to join in and talk about what he meant to Generation X and the Millenials, his role as THE Black action star of the 1980s, and how he changed his performances over time to new audiences. We refuse to be sad today because Carl Weathers was amazing. We hope you enjoy. About our guests: Craig Bruce Smith is an assoc...
Feb 03, 2024•1 hr 5 min
This week we wanted to do something special. We talking about Edward Zwick's Civil War masterpiece, Glory, starring Matthew Broderick, Denzel Washington, Cary Elwes, Morgan Freeman, and a host of other amazing performers. We talk about how the role of slavery in antebellum America, the specific experiences and dangers of the 54th Massachusetts, Glory compares to other films about the war, and why these conversations still matter today. This is easily the most important conversation we've had and...
Feb 01, 2024•2 hr 12 min•Ep. 62
It's here! After years in development, we finally have Masters of the Air as a follow-up to Band of Brothers and the Pacific. Guests Dr. Sarah Myers and Dr. Luke Truxal join in to talk about the first two episodes, where the United States is in 1943, our first impressions, how what we see onscreen compares to historical reality, and where we think the show is going. This episode starts with a spoiler-free introduction and then moves into a recap with spoilers. We note this in the episode so you ...
Jan 29, 2024•1 hr 17 min
This week Sarah Keyes and Josh Garrett-Davis drop in to talk about settlers, Native Americans, the Overland Trail, and yes, dysentery via Taylor Sheridan's 1883 . We also talk about the West on film, how the West has been portrayed in movies, books, tv, and video games, as well as question why the West is in a pop culture revival in current moment. This is a really fun conversation. Hope you dig it. About our guests: Sarah Keyes is a historian of the United States. She specializes in the 19th ce...
Jan 24, 2024•1 hr 25 min•Ep. 61
