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- Season 1
- Episode 78
A Portrait of Billy Wilder
Talking Film - S1 - E78
Discussion of the film director and writer. Guests include screenwriter I.A.L. Diamond, writer Maurice Zolotow, film critic Sheila Benson, lyricist Ray Evans, composer Jay Livingston, and actors Tom Ewell and Jack Lemmon.
Talking Film: Season 1 - 53 Episode s
1x28 - The Serial
June 10, 1981
A conversation with actor Buster Crabbe and director William Witney about the making of the serial cliffhangers of the 30s and 40s.
1x29 - The Cinema of Henry Hathaway
June 17, 1981
Elwy Yost interviews director Henry Hathaway (Lives of a Bengal Lancer, Kiss of Death, How the West Was Won, and True Grit). James Stewart, Richard Widmark, Pauline Kael, Hal Wallis, and Jet Fore share their recollections of Hathaway.
1x30 - The Business of Directing
July 4, 1981
Interviewing some of today's most successful directors - Stanley Kramer, Robert Aldrich, and Richard Brooks.
1x31 - The Making of a Motion Picture (2)
July 11, 1981
Explores the art of making motion pictures with film designer Saul Bass, director Robert Aldrich, and photographer William Fraker.
1x32 - The Making of a Motion Picture (3)
July 18, 1981
Elwy Yost discusses cinematographic technique in action films with film designer and consultant Saul Bass, photographer William Fraker, director Franco Zeffirelli, actor Jon Voight, and makeup artist Bob Dawn.
1x33 - A Conversation with Pauline Kael
July 22, 1981
Film critic Pauline Kael talks about her career and the reactions to her harsh reviews.
1x34 - Gods and Goddesses of the Cinema
July 29, 1981
Actors David Niven, Henry Fonda, Janet Leigh, and Vincent Price; composer Henry Mancini; director George Sidney; and producer Hal Wallis discuss the phenomenon of movie idols.
1x35 - The Cinema of Elia Kazan
August 12, 1981
Elwy Yost discusses the films of director Elia Kazan with actors Karl Malden, Richard Widmark, and Albert Salmi.
1x36 - Anatomy of Suspense
August 19, 1981
A look at how suspense is developed, through the films of directors Alfred Hitchcock and Henri-Georges Clouzot and discussions with actor James Stewart, actress Janet Leigh, critic Pauline Kael, filmmaker Saul Bass, and director John Badham.
1x37 - The Making of a Motion Picture (4)
September 22, 1981
Actor John Justin and director Michael Powell discuss Sir Alexander Korda's 1940 film The Thief of Baghdad, and actor Sir John Clements reminisces about his work in Korda's 1939 film Four Feathers.
1x38 - The Big Studios: Twentieth Century-Fox
May 8, 1982
Guests discuss how Twentieth Century-Fox operated and flourished during its heyday. Featuring producer Milton Sperling, studio publicist Jet Fore, music department head Lionel Newman, production manager Raymond Klune, and actor Vincent Price.
1x39 - A Conversation with Otto Preminger
June 5, 1982
Elwy Yost questions the film director about his numerous works, which include Anatomy of a Murder, the once-controversial The Moon Is Blue, and Advise and Consent.
1x40 - A Portrait of George Stevens (2)
August 30, 1982
The second of two programs about director George Stevens, one of Hollywood's most talented filmmakers. Elwy Yost talks with actors Joel McCrea and Charlton Heston, screenwriter Evan Moffat, and editor William Hornbeck about their memories of Stevens.
1x41 - A Portrait of John Ford (2)
August 26, 1983
Elwy Yost's guests - director George Sidney and actors James Stewart and Richard Widmark - talk about veteran film director John Ford, whose films include Stagecoach, My Darling Clementine, and How Green Was My Valley.
1x42 - A Conversation with Joseph L. Mankiewicz
August 31, 1983
The renowned director talks about his career and the artists he has launched.
1x43 - The Producer (3)
September 15, 1983
Elwy Yost talks with three Hollywood producers - Richard Roth, Albert S. Ruddy, and Frank Yablans - on how they come up with ideas for movies.
1x44 - Two Film Critics
June 6, 1984
Film critics Arthur Knight and Charles Champlin discuss the ethics of criticism and their favorite movies.
1x45 - An Interview with Samuel Fuller
June 7, 1984
A conversation with Sam Fuller, director of Pickup on South Street, about his experiences as a crime reporter and his thoughts on cult films.
1x46 - Women in the Cinema: The Writer
June 8, 1984
Three writers - Joan Tewkesbury, Harriet Frank Jr., and Nancy Dowd - discuss their writing techniques and their work with various directors.
1x47 - Stars of the Cinema: Stewart Granger
June 11, 1984
Stewart Granger discusses the advantages and disadvantages of being a film star and his relationship with directors Compton Bennett, Sir Carol Reed, and George Cukor.
1x48 - The Cinema of King Vidor
June 12, 1984
King Vidor, who directed his first film in 1918, talks about The Big Parade, The Crowd, and War and Peace, and offers views on the maturation of movies.
1x49 - The Making of a Musical
June 15, 1984
A visit to the set of Pennies From Heaven where Elwy Yost talks with the production designer, costume designer, set decorator, and choreographer.
1x50 - The Western Revisited
June 25, 1984
Richard Widmark, James Stewart, Henry King, Harry Carey Jr., Henry Hathaway, and Hal B. Wallis reminisce about early westerns.
1x51 - Music in the Cinema
June 26, 1984
Elwy Yost talks with composers Miklos Rozsa, Henry Mancini, and David Raskin about the role of music in movies.
1x52 - The Screenwriter (2)
July 6, 1984
1x53 - Cinematography (2)
July 14, 1984
Elwy Yost talks to Joseph Biroc about the distinct photographic styles of film studios and to Joseph Walker, the inventor of the zoom lens.
1x54 - Special Effects
July 16, 1984
In this examination of the craft and magic of special effects in the movies, host Elwy Yost interviews Bruce Pittman, special-effects specialist Joe Zomar, and optical-effects genius Linwood Dunn.
1x55 - The Cinema of Henry King
July 17, 1984
American director Henry King discusses his film career, which began in 1915 and includes Jesse James, The Gunfighter, and Twelve O'Clock High; film clips of Gregory Peck and Harry Morgan.
1x56 - The Documentary: An Interview with Pare Lorentz (2)
July 19, 1984
Elwy Yost talks to Pare Lorentz, director of films from the 1930s.
1x57 - Stars of the Cinema: Richard Widmark
August 1, 1984
Richard Widmark talks about the difficult craft of acting.
1x58 - The Cinema of Frank Capra (2)
August 9, 1984
Elwy Yost talks to Frank Capra about his film career.
1x59 - The Classic Western
October 3, 1984
Gregory Peck, Harry Morgan, Jack Elam, and Albert S. Ruddy discuss the development of western films.
1x60 - An Afternoon with Jack Lemmon
June 12, 1985
Elwy Yost interviews actor Jack Lemmon about his career, his early failures, his first big break, and his experiences with Marilyn Monroe, Tony Curtis, Billy Wilder, and Delmer Daves.
1x61 - Two Tragic Stars: Marilyn Monroe and Montgomery Clift
June 19, 1985
Guests: Betty Robin, Monroe's assistant; Tom Ewell; Jack Lemmon; John Houseman; Brooks Clift; and Edward Dmytryk.
1x62 - The Marx Brothers and Their Writers
July 3, 1985
Elwy Yost interviews comedy screenwriters Irving Brecher, Nat Perrin, Robert Pirosh, and MGM story editor Sam Marx about their work with Groucho, Harpo, Chico, and Zeppo Marx.
1x63 - The Cinematic Genius of Rouben Mamoulian
July 10, 1985
Elwy Yost interviews Hollywood director Rouben Mamoulian (Blood and Sand, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Queen Christine, Summer Holiday, and The Mark of Zorro), who distinguished himself with a fluid and rhythmic style.
1x64 - All Singing, All Dancing
July 17, 1985
Interviews with people associated with the big Broadway musicals, including actors Gene Raymond, Ray Bolger, and Rudy Vallee, and dance director Hermes Pan who worked with Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers.
1x65 - The Music Men
July 24, 1985
Adapting stage musicals to the screen with composers Saul Chaplin, Nelson Riddle, and John Green; songwriter Leo Robin; musicologist Miles Kreuger; and lyricist Sammy Cahn.
1x66 - The Screenwriter (3)
July 31, 1985
The job of the screenwriter. Guests: Sterling Silliphant (The Poseidon Adventure and The Towering Inferno), Norman Corwin (Lust for Life), Daniel Taradash (Desiree), Andrew V. McLaglen (Fool's Paradise), Nicolas Meyer (The Seven Percent Solution), Robert Pirosh (The Young Lions), Richard Brooks, David S. War, and Lindsay Anderson.
1x67 - Lotusland
August 7, 1985
A look at the dark side of the Hollywood picture with authors Bob Thomas and Tony Thomas; Steffi Sidney; actors Cornel Wilde, Cesar Romero, and Tom Ewell; screenwriter Art Arthur; and director Lindsay Anderson. Richard Lamparski, author of the book Hidden Hollywood, talks about the destructive effects of fame.
1x68 - Hollywood Portraits: David O. Selznick and Alfred Hitchcock
August 14, 1985
Interviews with Selznick's son Daniel Mayer Selznick, Lyle Wheeler of MGM Studios; Ron Haver, author of David O. Selznick's Hollywood"; actors James Stewart, Janet Leigh, Tom Ewell, and Richard Deacon; director Richard Franklin (Psycho II); and screenwriter Sterling Silliphant.
1x69 - The Producer (2)
August 19, 1985
In the conclusion of a two-part look at the role of the producer in the filmmaking process, producers Tony Bill, Ralph Bakshi, Tamara Asseyev, and Alex Rose offer comment and insights from their own careers.
1x70 - Stars on Stars
August 21, 1985
Hollywood stars on the subject of being famous: Ray Bolger, Noah Beery, Jr., Leon Ames, Carl Reiner, Rudy Vallee, Margaret O'Brien, Janet Leigh, Tom Ewell, Kirk Douglas, Virginia Mayo, Cesar Romero, John Houseman, Richard Deacon, Jack Lemmon, Ralph Bellamy, Cornel Wilde, and Eddie Quillan.
1x71 - Mystery Film and the Detective on Screen
August 28, 1985
Film historian William K. Everson on the mystery film and the portrayal of the detective on screen. Discussed are the Charlie Chan, Thin Man, and Sherlock Holmes series. Also with actors Leon Ames, Cesar Romero, Kirk Douglas, Ralph Bellamy, and Keye Luke; screenwriters Philip Yordan, Nicholas Meyer, Art Arthur, and Irving Brecher; and director Lindsay Anderson.
1x72 - Jeanette MacDonald and Nelson Eddy
September 9, 1985
Elwy Yost discusses the films of Jeanette MacDonald and Nelson Eddy and interviews MacDonald's husband, actor Gene Raymond, and Bill Blass who wrote her biography.
1x73 - Superstars: Bing Crosby and Bob Hope
June 30, 1986
Composer-conductor Jay Livingston, writer-film historian Tony Thomas, and actress Gloria Jean are among Elwy Yost's guests who discuss Bing Crosby and Bob Hope's road movies. (60m) [1 of 8]
1x74 - An Interview with Greer Garson
July 1, 1986
Academy Award-winning actress Greer Garson recounts her experiences in the movies and shares glimpses of her life.
1x75 - The Preston Sturges Story (1)
July 2, 1986
Elwy Yost discusses the life and work of director Preston Sturges with Sturges' widow; James Curtis, author of the Sturges biography "Between Flops"; L.A. Times film critic Sheila Benson; and actors Lionel Stander, Rudy Vallee, and Eddie Bracken.
1x76 - The Preston Sturges Story (2)
July 3, 1986
Elwy Yost looks at the work of director-writer Preston Sturges, including The Great McGinty, Sullivan's Travels, and The Palm Beach Story. Rudy Vallee, James Curtis, Sandy Sturges, Cesar Romero, and Eddie Bracken are interviewed.
1x77 - Two Film Directors: Ronald Neame and Richard Fleischer
July 4, 1986
Elwy Yost interviews Richard Fleischer, who began his career as a film editor; and Ronald Neame, who began as a cameraman.
1x78 - A Portrait of Billy Wilder
July 7, 1986
Discussion of the film director and writer. Guests include screenwriter I.A.L. Diamond, writer Maurice Zolotow, film critic Sheila Benson, lyricist Ray Evans, composer Jay Livingston, and actors Tom Ewell and Jack Lemmon.
1x79 - Two Film Critics: Richard Schickel and David Robinson
July 8, 1986
Elwy Yost talks with authors and film critics Richard Schickel (Time magazine) and David Robinson (Times of London).
1x80 - Hollywood Portraits: Cecil B. DeMille and Jesse Lasky
July 9, 1986
The life and career of Cecil B. DeMille and Jesse Lasky.