Podcasts on TCM

[moira finnie]

A relatively new feature has been added to the TCM site--podcasts.

These come in the form of video podcasts and audio podcasts (in mp3 formats). Each month the video podcasts feature TCM staff members discussing various features coming up on the network. Their guileless pleasure in the films that they discuss and discover in the course of doing their jobs is an aspect of these relatively brief recommendations, which are similar to those displays one sees in book and video stores offering staff favorites. A link to November's podcast is here.

TCM has also started to add the uncut, much longer versions of their Private Screenings interviews in an audio podcast to their site, beginning with Angela Lansbury and Leslie Caron.

I recently listened to the Leslie Caron interview over the course of a couple of days and found her descriptions of her life in Nazi occupied France, her family's attitude toward her career, and her vivid impressions of Hollywood in the '50s to be much more interesting than any discussions of her movies. My image of Caron and respect for her were changed considerably by listening to her remarks. I was also more aware of Robert Osborne's skill in drawing his subject out of herself. Links to these podcasts--which are reportedly going to include other uncut versions of the interviews for Private Screenings in the future, are below:

Angela Lansbury Part One

Angela Lansbury Part Two

Leslie Caron Part One

Leslie Caron Part Two

[Professional Tourist]

Thank you for the heads-up on these podcasts.

I am hoping TCM will eventually post the audio from the 2002 Private Screenings interview with Debbie Reynolds. I've never seen it, so if the audio at least could be made available, that would be great.

[ziggy 6708]

Thanks for mentioning these podcasts, moira. I only noticed the monthly one the past 2 months, and found it very entertaining & informative. You get to meet some of the staffers and learn a little about them and their scheduling hi-lights. It's kind of like 'Bob's Picks', just from the employees viewpoint. Pretty cool.
Thanks also for mentioning the longer interview podcasts. I'll be checking those out when I have some more time. You're the best!

[moira finnie]

I've enjoyed the staff's video podcasts quite a bit too. I only started to listen to the Angela Lansbury podcast, earlier today, Ziggy, but will keep checking regularly to see if they add more.

Pro Tour--I think that if you saw the Debbie Reynolds Private Screenings, you would have heard her praise your fave, Agnes Moorehead and defend her from those who assume they knew more about her inner life than they could ever have understood. It was one of the best things I've ever heard Reynolds say and I've admired her since then. I'm not a fan of Debbie R.'s acting, but she is clearly someone trying to be a decent person. It would be interesting to hear if this topic was discussed further.

It would be so cool if they could add other unedited versions of the podcasts in the near future too. One podcast that might be a hoot to hear in an unedited form: the Jane Russell-Robert Mitchum dual interview, which, from all reports, was among Robert Osborne's most difficult to do since Mitchum clammed up once the tape started to roll, though he'd been Mr. Chatty prior to that. That scamp! Poor RO!

What an archive TCM must have built up in the last 15 years?!

[knitwit45]

In one of the promos for the 15th anniversary festivities, RO said they would be showing some of the best of the interviews, and mentioned the Mitchum/Russell one as the toughest one he's done, and that he wanted to strangle Mitchum. Now, its funny, but at the time I saw it, I felt so sorry for all involved. To her everlasting credit, in my eyes, Jane Russell did NOT try to explain, apologize or otherwise smooth over Mitch's poor behavior.

[moira finnie]

More audio podcasts are turning up in uncut form on the TCM site. I am adding all those found since we first started this thread. TCM has the Angela Lansbury Podcasts listed on their site, but there appears to be an internal error preventing these from being available just now, (I've notified TCM of this error and I'll post more here when they become available.). However, the following podcasts are online and are listed below.

Though I'm not a fan of the actress, the Betty Hutton tape is particularly interesting, since she was, somewhat surprisingly, friends with some unexpectedly diverse people, including Cary Grant and George Raft.

Lauren Bacall Private Session

Betty Hutton Private Session Part 1

Betty Hutton Private Session Part 2

More info on the audio podcasts of uncut private sessions can be seen here on the TCM site.

[ziggy 6708]

I noticed they don't have the staffers comments for Jan. Do you know if this has been discontinued, or just on hiatus?

[moira finnie]

I'm wondering about that too, Ziggy. As soon as I find out more, I'll share it here.

Thanks for your interest.

[mrsl]

.
Since I have absolutely no idea what a podcast is, I'm wondering what is the difference between a podcast and a regular broadcast? You mention the Betty Hutton Private Screening in podcast form(?) but it was just on TCM last night, so why would you have to see it somewhere else, unless you don't have a DVR, or a video tape machine to watch at another time other than when it is on?
.

[knitwit45]

Moira said:

TCM has also started to add the uncut, much longer versions of their Private Screenings interviews in an audio podcast to their site, beginning with Angela Lansbury and Leslie Caron.

As I understand it, Anne, they are audio only.

[moira finnie]

Anne,
If you follow the links in the above posts you can access the audio podcasts mentioned, which are the much longer, uncut versions of the conversations that Robert Osborne had with various guests. They are sometimes twice as long as the version that aired on TCM. It's fun and informative to hear the remarks of the guests. It can be fun and informative to listen to these while doing other things around the house--you know, kind of like listening to the radio.

[moira finnie]

I noticed they don't have the staffers comments for Jan. Do you know if this has been discontinued, or just on hiatus?

Hi Ziggy,
Reportedly the word from inside TCM is that the links on the TCM site to the extended Angela Lansbury podcast will be corrected and the TCM staff took one month off from their video podcast, but there should be a new one posted for February, 2010. I like to hear about their impressions and discoveries while doing their jobs. I'm glad that will continue.

M.

[Professional Tourist]

Leslie Caron has been added, in two parts: one and two.

[Professional Tourist]

Sidney Lumet has been added, part 1 and part 2.

[moira finnie]

Robert Osborne is said to be on posting on Twitter this month. You can see his twits (?) or is it tweets (?) at this link and perhaps ask a question (?) there:
http://twitter.com/tcm