Lions, Towers & Shields is a celebration of films from the classic, Hollywood era. Shelly Brisbin leads a merry band through reviews of great old movies, and news about streaming, restorations and new releases.

LATEST EPISODE • We recap My Man Godfrey (1935)

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Cornelia is Trash. Or She’s Not!

Screwball comedy and Depression-era inequity meet in “My Man Godfrey” (1935). William Powell is experiencing the Depression first-hand, from under a bridge, when a society swell arrives and offers him a few dollars to help her win a scavenger hunt. Before you know it, Powell is buttling in the house of a dysfunctional wealthy family. Hilarity, and the politics of class follow. Carole Lombard, William Powell, Alice Brady and Gail Patrick are all marvelous, as is the rest of the supporting cast. “My Man Godfrey” was nominated for six Oscars, including the first two supporting actor statues ever awarded, but won none.

May 24, 2020 • 1 hour, 5 minutes • Shelly Brisbin with Erika Ensign, Nathan Alderman and Jean MacDonald

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Show Notes & Links

Old Movie News

Blu-rays: Mystery of the Wax Museum (Warner Archive), The Great Escape (Criterion), Film Noir: The Dark Side of Cinema (Kino Lorber) You Must Remember This: Merle Oberon, Barbara Stanwyck Collection (Kino Lorber), Inside Daisy Clover (Warner Archive), Hollywood Story/New Orleans Uncensored (Mill Creek)
Book: Black Oscars: From Mammy to Minny, What the Academy Awards Tell Us About African Americans by Frederick W. Gooding Jr.

Sightings

TCM Late May Features: Memorial Day marathon (May 23-25), vote for Summer Under the Stars (Backlot members)
[Hulu Cannes Film Festival theme[(https://www.newyorker.com/culture/the-front-row/what-to-stream-forty-four-standout-movies-from-cannes-film-festivals-past): Many including All About Eve, Detective Story, The 400 Blows, Home from the Hill

Into the Nitrate Vault

My Man Godfrey (1949) trailer
- Available free on YouTube, for now, to stream, rent or buy digitally
- On disc: Blu-ray
- Basic stats: Released by Universal n 1935, directed by Gregory La Cava, starring William Powell, Carole Lombard, Alice Brady, Gail Patrick, Eugene Pallette, Mischa Auer, Alan Mobray
- The forgotten man

Previous Episodes

7

Enjoy Your Cucumber, America!

Old Movie News

New Blu-rays

Blood on the Moon (1948, Warner Archive)
Sweet Bird of Youth (Warner Archive)

Sightings

TCM May Star of the Month: Edward G. Robinson
Spotlight on Asian Americans in Film (May 6, 13, 20),
Wonder Women (Tuesdays) features biopics or women heroes.
Tip Top Tap (May 11),

Into the Nitrate Vault

Border Incident (1949) trailer

Available to stream, rent or buy digitally
On disc: DVD
Released by MGM, directed by Anthony Mann, cinematography by John Alton; starring Ricardo Montalban, George Murphy, James Mitchell, Howard De Silva, Charles McGraw

May 9, 2020 • 59 minutes • Shelly Brisbin with Philip Michaels and Nathan Alderman

6

We’ll Begin with a Reign of Terror

Old Movie News

New on disc: Blu-ray, Destry Rides Again (Criterion), Action of the Tiger (Warner Archive),

Today’s Movie

The Invisible Man (1933), trailer
Basic stats: Released by Universal, Director James Whale, with Claude Rains, Gloria Stuart, William Harrigan, Henry Travers, Una O’Connor
Available to stream, rent or buy digitally
On disc: Blu-ray or DVD (or VHS tape). Yes, really! That’s what Amazon says!

April 26, 2020 • 56 minutes • We're watching James Whale's "The Invisible Man." • Shelly Brisbin with Jean MacDonald and Dr. Drang

5

I Love Dead Lucy

What do you get when you combine a director of 50s melodrama, a screwball TV comedian, a deliciously flamboyant cad, and a bunch of great character actors from Britain and America? Why, a British Jack the Ripper mystery, of course. On this episode, we’re talking about 1947’s “Lured,” directed by Douglas Sirk, and starring Lucile Ball and George Sanders. We will spoil the ending in this episode, like we do, so watch the movie, probably for free, before you listen.

April 11, 2020 • 1 hour, 9 minutes • We recap and review the 1947 mystery, Lured. • Shelly Brisbin with Annette Wierstra and Nathan Alderman

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What to Watch Now

Classic films, by definition, are comfort food, or at least, they’re escapist entertainment. Our panel picks films they love, and want to watch right now, as we confront a lot of time indoors during the coronavirus pandemic.

March 29, 2020 • 1 hour, 3 minutes • We draft the classics in a time of isolation. • Shelly Brisbin with Philip Michaels, Jean MacDonald, Erika Ensign and Nathan Alderman

3

More Permy Over Time

Lily has had a rough life. Her father has basically been pimping her out, and she's had it! She and her friend Chico, who happens to be a black woman, take off for New York so Lily soon begins climbing the corporate ladder, using each corporate executive s weakness to obtain what she wants. Because that's how Nietzsche would want her to do it. "Baby Face" is a quintessential pre-code movie. And it had a lot to do with the code being enforced a few months aster its release.

March 15, 2020 • 1 hour, 9 minutes • Considering 1933's "Baby Face" • Shelly Brisbin with Nathan Alderman and Jean MacDonald

2

Ride Her Down Like a Rabbit

Come with us to late 1930s New York. It's the Depression, but you wouldn't know it here on Fifth Avenue, where the Setons live, and where things would be even better - if we had the right kind of government. We're discussing the 1938 film, Holiday, directed by George Cukor, and staring Katharine Hepburn and Cary Grant. There's a bit of old movie news, too. Just a bit.

February 27, 2020 • 1 hour, 18 minutes • We review George Cukor's 1938 film, Holiday. • Shelly Brisbin with Dr. Drang and Moisés Chiullan

1

Paradise City

We begin a journey into the past, for the love of classic Hollywood-era movies. We've got memories of Kirk Douglas, Blu-Ray news, and a recap and review of Robert Wise's 1949 masterpiece, "The Set-Up."

February 16, 2020 • 59 minutes • We review Robert Wise's 1949 masterpiece, "The Set-Up." • Shelly Brisbin with Monty Ashley, Dr. Drang and Nathan Alderman

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