Best Tim Neary Podcasts (2025)

1
S5E10 - Cluny Brown [1946] and our Grand Finale with Tim Brayton 1:59:27

7M ago1:59:27

1:59:27

[Due to our last-minute addition of two episodes, the podcast feed mistakenly had S5E09a queued here for a few hours this morning - it should now be fixed!] How Would Lubitsch Do It comes to a close with a grand finale. Tim Brayton returns to discuss Cluny Brown and look back on both Ernst Lubitsch’s career and the past five seasons of this show. F…

1
S5E09b - Cahiers du Cinéma deputy editor Charlotte Garson 1:06:55

8M ago1:06:55

1:06:55

Cahiers du Cinéma deputy editor Charlotte Garson joins us for a wide-ranging discussion that takes a look back at the past five seasons of the podcast and our subject’s career: among other things, we cover Lubitsch’s treatment of unconventional relationships, feminine sexuality and gender fluidity, his treatment of theatricality, his influence upon…

1
S5E09a - Lubitsch and Poland with Mateusz Pacewicz [Feat. David Neary] 1:36:13

8M ago1:36:13

1:36:13

Screenwriter Mateusz Pacewicz (Corpus Christi, The Hater) joins us to discuss the films of Lubitsch from a Polish perspective. We coverTo Be Or Not To Be’s depiction of Warsaw, the history of Lubitsch’s collaborators such as Pola Negri, the dynamics of European immigrants in twentieth-century America, the nature of dark comedy and ‘lightness’, the …

1
91. Savage Night - Kat Hudson 1:01:12

8M ago1:01:12

1:01:12

Caped Crusader artist and designer Kat Hudson joins us for the season finale to talk about working as an artist on the series, growing up on BTAS and that Season 2 teaser. Rate, Review, Subscribe, tell a friend. Follow: @BTASpodcast on instagram. Support keeping the series archive free on Patreon!

1
S5E8.75 - Wes Anderson and The Grand Budapest Hotel [2014] with Matt Severson 58:58

8M ago58:58

58:58

Matt Severson returns to discuss Wes Anderson and The Grand Budapest Hotel. We discuss Lubitsch’s clear influence on the film, Anderson’s use of fabulist distancing techniques, common attitudes about Anderson’s supposed emotional remoteness, and our own emotional connections to the film. Edited by Eden Cote-Foster. We have a Discord! Listen on: App…

1
90. The Killer Inside Me - Oscar Montoya 56:34

8M ago56:34

56:34

Actor and comedian Oscar Montoya (Minx, Dropout TV, Final Space) returns to chat all things Two-Face, decades old JLU spoilers and how nostalgia for BTAS has affected our viewings of Caped Crusader. Rate, Review, Subscribe, tell a friend. Follow: @BTASpodcast on instagram. Support keeping the series archive free on Patreon!…

1
S5E8.5- Billy Wilder's One, Two, Three [1961] with Noah Isenberg 1:00:30

8M ago1:00:30

1:00:30

Author Noah Isenberg joins us to discuss Billy Wilder and his 1961 comedic epic One, Two, Three. We cover Wilder’s early life as a reporter, a dancer-for-hire, and publicist; his lifelong ability to adapt to his circumstances; the question of his cynicism (or is it frustrated romanticism?); and his fraught relationship with Germany. Later on, we co…

1
89. Nocturne - Jordan Gibson 1:03:23

8M ago1:03:23

1:03:23

Comic illustrator and artist Jordan Gibson (Batman: The Adventures Continue, Power Rangers) joins to chat about vampires, lost BTAS episodes finally getting their due, and his work writing on Batman: The Adventures Continue! Rate, Review, Subscribe, tell a friend. Follow: @BTASpodcast on instagram. Support keeping the series archive free on Patreon…

1
S5E08.25 - Freundschaft by Samson Raphaelson 54:04

9M ago54:04

54:04

A reading of Samson Raphaelson’s Freundschaft, as published on May 11, 1981, in The New Yorker. We have a Discord! Listen on: Apple Podcasts | Spotify NEXT WEEK: Noah Isenberg joins us to discuss Billy Wilder and his cold war comedic epic One, Two, Three. For information as to where to find this film, check out our resources page. WORKS CITED: Freu…

1
88. Moving Target - Mark Rennie, Julia Prescott 1:50:59

9M ago1:50:59

1:50:59

Mark Rennie (The Big Gay Movie Spreadsheet) returns to talk crooked cops, Batman '66 influences and a surprising amount of Beetlejuice! PLUS, a bonus segment with animation writer Julia Prescott (The Simpsons) about the current Animation Guild negotiations. Show your support for animation with the hashtag #IStandWithAnimation! Rate, Review, Subscri…

1
S5E08 - Dragonwyck, A Royal Scandal, That Lady In Ermine, and the Death of Ernst Lubitsch with David Cairns 1:09:35

9M ago1:09:35

1:09:35

David Cairns returns to discuss the end of Ernst Lubitsch’s career and life: a period in which, after a heart attack left him debilitated, he produced a series of films directed by the likes of Joseph L. Mankiewicz and Otto Preminger. We cover Dragonwyck, cinema’s foremost depiction of the Dutch patroonship system in what is now upstate New York; A…

1
87. Night Ride - Tom Smith 1:04:09

9M ago1:04:09

1:04:09

Tom Smith (Beavis & Butthead, Rocko's Modern Life) may have designed our podcast logo, but he's never been on the podcast... until now! He pops by to chat ghosts, Batman and the state of the animation industry. Rate, Review, Subscribe, tell a friend. Follow: @BTASpodcast on instagram. Support keeping the series archive free on Patreon!…

1
S5E07.5 - Otto Preminger's Laura [1944] with Eloise Ross 52:14

9M ago52:14

52:14

Writer and film historian Eloise Ross joins us to discuss noted Lubitsch disciple Otto Preminger and his 1944 noir Laura. We cover Preminger’s past and parallels with Lubitsch, the tumultuous story of Laura’s production, the film’s highly unusual tone, its memorable characters and dialogue, and the majesty of Clifton Webb. Edited by Brennen King We…

1
86. The Stress of Her Regard - Alex Fernie, Deborah Tarica 1:02:59

9M ago1:02:59

1:02:59

Alex Fernie (Reno: 911!, Bajillion Dollar Properties) and Debora Tarica (This Particular Album is Very, Very Important to Me) both return to chat about Harley Quinn in Caped Crusader! Rate, Review, Subscribe, tell a friend. Follow: @BTASpodcast on instagram. Support keeping the series archive free on Patreon!…

1
S5E07 - Heaven Can Wait [1943] with Willa Ross 1:05:58

9M ago1:05:58

1:05:58

Willa Ross returns for a lively discussion about Heaven Can Wait. We cover Lubitsch and Raphaelson’s opposing views on the film’s unusual protagonist, its counterintuitive structure and elisions, the film’s theological implications, argue about whether or not the production code negatively impacted the film, and discuss what happened at Fox in the …

1
85. The Night of the Hunters - Mike Carlson 54:07

9M ago54:07

54:07

Mike Carlson (Podcast: The Ride) returns to chat about Batman toys and Episode 4 of Caped Crusader! Rate, Review, Subscribe, tell a friend. Follow: @BTASpodcast on instagram. Support keeping the series archive free on Patreon!

1
S5E06b - To Be Or Not To Be [1942] with Peter Labuza 1:09:16

9M ago1:09:16

1:09:16

Peter Labuza returns for the second of two episodes on To Be Or Not To Be. We discuss the film’s production history, the way in which the film both fulfills and frustrates conventions of comedic structure, Lubitsch’s specific habits in directing actors, the film’s unusual tonal arc, the film’s depiction of fascist ideology, and Rudolph Mate’s cinem…

1
84. Kiss of the Catwoman - Karen Han, Brian David Gilbert 1:01:36

9M ago1:01:36

1:01:36

Karen Han (screenwriter, culture critic, author of Bong Joon-Ho: Dissident Cinema) and Brian David Gilbert (head writer and fact checker on Dropout's Um, Actually!) chat about Episode 3 of Caped Crusader! Rate, Review, Subscribe, tell a friend. Follow: @BTASpodcast on instagram. Support keeping the series archive free on Patreon!…

1
S5E06a - To Be Or Not To Be [1942] with Dara and Gary Jaffe 1:11:41

10M ago1:11:41

1:11:41

Returning guest Dara Jaffe and first-time guest Gary Jaffe join us for the first of two episodes on To Be Or Not To Be. In this episode, we cover the interplay between theatre and film, and of improvisation and comedy; the many dimensions of the film’s relationship with Jewish identities; the use of empathy and humanism as anti-fascist tools; Lubit…

1
83. And Be a Villain - Hector Navarro 56:58

10M ago56:58

56:58

Hector Navarro (Heroes Reforged) drops by to talk about Episode 2 of Caped Crusader! Rate, Review, Subscribe, tell a friend. Follow: @BTASpodcast on instagram. Support keeping the series archive free on Patreon!

1
S5E05.75 - Ernst Lubitsch's American Comedy with William Paul 2:39:53

10M ago2:39:53

2:39:53

We return from our brief hiatus with our most in-depth episode yet, culled from five hours of discussions recorded over a period of several months with William Paul, author of the essential critical study Ernst Lubitsch’s American Comedy. We discuss Paul’s friendship with frequent Lubitsch collaborator Samson Raphaelson, Raphaelson’s sometimes-hars…

1
82. In Treacherous Waters - Harry Chaskin 1:02:03

10M ago1:02:03

1:02:03

Caped Crusader is here and Harry Chaskin returns to the pod to make some predictions and talk about the pilot episode! Rate, Review, Subscribe, tell a friend. Follow: @BTASpodcast on instagram. Support keeping the series archive free on Patreon!

1
Coming Soon - Caped Crusader! 1:47

10M ago1:47

1:47

The podcast is back to cover Season 1 of CAPED CRUSADER, the 2024 spiritual successor to BATMAN: THE ANIMATED SERIES! New episodes will drop every Tuesday starting 8/6 with new guests, new discussions and the same old style of fun. Rate, Review, Subscribe, tell a friend. Follow: @BTASpodcast on instagram. Support keeping the series archive free on …

1
S5E05.5 - Preston Sturges and Sullivan’s Travels [1941] with Tim Brayton 58:17

11M ago58:17

58:17

Tim Brayton returns to discuss noted Lubitsch fan and disciple Preston Sturges and his 1941 meta-comedy SULLIVAN’S TRAVELS. We cover Sturges’ immense admiration of Lubitsch, the film’s immensely fascinating but perhaps frustrating relationship with its own status as a satire of its own form, Sturges’ political beliefs and moral compass, the value o…

1
S5E05 - That Uncertain Feeling [1941] and Comedic Theory with Lance St. Laurent 52:33

11M ago52:33

52:33

UW-Madison PHD Candidate Lance St. Laurent joins us to discuss THAT UNCERTAIN FEELING, as well as some comedic theory. We discuss our mutual admiration for elements of this relatively minor divorce-and-remarriage-style comedy, Lubitsch’s attempts to tackle psychoanalysis and modern art, and the film’s production origins. Additionally, we go deep on…

1
S5E04.5 - Jack Benny is Not Appearing on This Show [1940] 31:31

11M ago31:31

31:31

This week, we present an episode of the SCREEN GUILD THEATER starring Ernst Lubitsch, Claudette Colbert, and possibly Jack Benny! Originally aired on October 20th, 1940. We have a Discord! Listen on: Apple Podcasts | Spotify NEXT WEEK: Lance St. Laurent joins us to discuss THAT UNCERTAIN FEELING, as well as some comedic theory. For information as t…

1
S5E04c - The Shop Around the Corner [1940] with Adrian Martin 46:50

12M ago46:50

46:50

Critic Adrian Martin joins us for our final episode on THE SHOP AROUND THE CORNER. In our discussion, we deconstruct some of the film’s camera direction, discuss Lubitsch’s late-period style and his more subtle (yet still very much present) formalism, his structural methodology, his use of repetition, the dynamics between “art” and “craft”, and Lub…

1
S5E04b - The Shop Around the Corner [1940] with Whit Stillman and Jose Arroyo 45:25

12M ago45:25

45:25

Whit Stillman and Jose Arroyo join us for our second episode on THE SHOP AROUND THE CORNER. Whit discusses Lubitsch’s writing process, the ways in which the film is exemplary of the Hollywood studio system at its best, and his admiration for Pirovitch. Jose later joins us for a formal breakdown of the film’s final scene. We have a Discord! Listen o…

1
S5E04a - The Shop Around the Corner [1940] with Kevin Bahr 54:04

12M ago54:04

54:04

Kevin Bahr joins us for the first of our episodes on the greatest Jimmy Stewart-related Christmas movie of them all, THE SHOP AROUND THE CORNER. In this episode, we discuss the film’s unusual structure, ensemble nature, each character’s arc towards self-improvement, capital, our shared admiration of Pepi, the film’s historical context, Samson Rapha…

1
S5E03b - Charles Brackett, Billy Wilder, & Ninotchka [1939] with Donald Brackett 51:12

1y ago51:12

51:12

Author Donald Bracket joins us to discuss NINOTCHKA, and in particular the collaboration between the film’s two writers: Charles Brackett and Billy Wilder. We cover their tumultuous collaboration from their first films to its sordid ending with the masterpiece SUNSET BOULEVARD, as well as the development of the screenplay for NINOTCHKA. Edited by G…

1
S5E03a - Ninotchka [1939] with Griffin Newman 1:08:27

1y ago1:08:27

1:08:27

Actor and podcaster Griffin Newman joins us to discuss NINOTCHKA! We discuss Lubitsch’s stature in Hollywood, Greta Garbo’s incredible lead performance, Rouben Mamoulian’s musical remake SILK STOCKINGS, the early development of the script, Cary Grant’s possible involvement, the film’s mechanics as both a romantic comedy and geopolitical satire, the…

1
S5E02 - Bluebeard's Eighth Wife [1938] with Olympia Kiriakou 47:32

1y ago47:32

47:32

Film historian and podcast host Dr. Olympia Kiriakou joins us to discuss Lubitsch’s sole screwball comedy: BLUEBEARD’S EIGHTH WIFE. We run down the definition of “screwball” through lenses of class, sex, tone, and pace; the impact of the production code on the genre; the uneasy fit between Lubitsch and the genre; the film’s terrific meet-cute; the …

1
S5E01 - Angel [1937] with Chris Cassingham 52:08

1y ago52:08

52:08

Film programmer and curator Chris Cassingham joins us to discuss Lubitsch’s ambiguous, cloistered chamber drama ANGEL. We cover Lubitsch’s newfound low-key late period style, the withholding nature of both the film’s characters and the film itself, interwar politics, the film’s deeply-encoded implications, Marlena Dietrich’s persona, and our femini…

1
S5E0.5 - Desire [1936] with Imogen Sara Smith 54:56

1y ago54:56

54:56

Film writer and author Imogen Sara Smith joins us to discuss Frank Borzage’s DESIRE, produced by Ernst Lubitsch during his tenure as Production Head at Paramount Studios! In this episode, we discuss the state of Lubitsch’s career in this time of personal and political upheaval, the state of Hollywood in the Hays Code era, the the careers of Marlene…

1
S5E00 - Scott Eyman, author of 'Laughter in Paradise' 57:54

1y ago57:54

57:54

It’s our final season, and much has changed: Lubitsch is production head of Paramount, though not for long. The Production Code administration is enforcing the Hays code with an iron fist and, much worse, the National Socialist German Workers' Party is ruling Germany with a significantly heavier iron first. Over the course of the next ten years, we…

1
S4E09b - The Merry Widow [1934] with Tim Brayton 1:06:49

1+ y ago1:06:49

1:06:49

It’s our season finale, and the end of the pre-code era! To celebrate, Tim Brayton returns to discuss THE MERRY WIDOW. We effuse about the film’s infectious energy, the many incredible ‘Lubitsch Touch’ moments and gestures, discuss Lubitsch’s extremely loose adaptation of the Lehar operetta, the French-language version, Edward Everett Horton’s grea…

1
S4E09a - The Merry Widow [1934] and Sound Recording Technology with Eric Dienstfrey 42:01

1+ y ago42:01

42:01

Eric Dienstfrey joins us to discuss the sound technology behind early talkies, and in particular THE MERRY WIDOW. We cover the ways in which recording and exhibition technology changed and fluctuated throughout the 1930s, the sordid tale of both the innovation and skullduggery engaged in by Electrical Research Products, Inc, the institution of the …

1
S4E08b - Design for Living [1933] with Jordan Fish, Ray Tintori, and Z Behl 45:43

1+ y ago45:43

45:43

Podcasters, filmmakers, and artists Jordan Fish, Ray Tintori, and Z Behl join us to further discuss DESIGN FOR LIVING and disrupt the flow of the podcast much like the film in question disrupts the format of the romantic comedy! We cover the film’s structure, production design, relationship with branding and commerce, Gilda’s identity as “matron of…

1
S4E08a - Design for Living [1933] with Molly Rasberry 40:02

1+ y ago40:02

40:02

Molly Rasberry returns to discuss DESIGN FOR LIVING in the first of two episodes devoted to Lubitsch’s (in)famous 1933 pre-code romantic comedy! We cover the absolutely scandalous nature of the film’s central ménage à trois, the drastic changes made to Noel Coward’s source material, the screen presence of the film’s three leads, and much more! Edit…

1
S4E07 - If I Had a Million (The Clerk) [1932] with Bram Ruiter 49:00

1+ y ago49:00

49:00

Bram Ruiter returns to discuss the Paramount anthology film IF I HAD A MILLION, and in particular Ernst Lubitsch’s contribution THE CLERK. We discuss the struggles inherent to anthology films, compare and contrast the different directorial styles of each of the film’s directors, Lubitsch’s relative mastery of the poetics of cinema, and what we woul…

1
S4E06c - Trouble in Paradise [1932] with Krin Gabbard 45:41

1+ y ago45:41

45:41

Author and scholar Krin Gabbard joins us for our third and final episode on TROUBLE IN PARADISE! In this episode, we cover Samson Raphaelson’s history with Lubitsch, Samson’s mixed feelings on the film itself, the film’s ambivalence towards the possible romantic pairings that it might end on, and the dense use of leitmotifs in W. Franke Harling’s s…

1
S4E06b - Trouble in Paradise [1932] with Willa Ross 57:36

1+ y ago57:36

57:36

Willa Ross returns to further discuss TROUBLE IN PARADISE! In this episode, fierce debates are had about the film’s position on the spectrum between idealism and cynicism, Lubitsch’s sense of rhythm, the film’s political angles in the context of the great depression, the famous clock scene, the way in which sensory deprivation allows us to particip…

1
S4E06a - Larceny in 1932: Trouble in Paradise and Jewel Robbery with Tanya Goldman 52:35

1+ y ago52:35

52:35

In the first of three episodes in on TROUBLE IN PARADISE, Tanya Goldman joins us to discuss two key works in the Gentleman Thief subgenre - the aforementioned TROUBLE IN PARADISE as well as William Dieterle’s JEWEL ROBBERY! We cover the work of William Powell, Kay Francis, Herbert Marshall, and Miriam Hopkins, the differing ways in which each film …

1
S4E05.5 - Love Me Tonight [1932] and Rhythm in Early Sound Film with Lea Jacobs 1:03:24

1+ y ago1:03:24

1:03:24

University of Wisconsin-Madison Professor Emerita Lea Jacobs joins us for a discussion of film rhythm in the early sound era. We discuss the various ways films can deal with on-set singing and musical numbers, the incredibly complex and constrictive ways in with early sound films were constrained when it came to everything from blocking and camera …

1
S4E05 - One Hour with You [1932] with Matt Severson 1:09:07

1+ y ago1:09:07

1:09:07

In this very special episode, we visit Matt Severson on-location at the Margaret Herrick Library in Beverly Hills, California to discuss the glorious pre-code adultery musical ONE HOUR WITH YOU! In this wide-ranging conversation, we discuss the film’s monumental horniness, the ways in which Lubitsch & company were allowed to get said horniness past…

1
S4E04 - The Man I Killed aka Broken Lullaby [1932] with Will Sloan 45:55

1+ y ago45:55

45:55

Film writer and podcaster Will Sloan joins us to discuss THE MAN I KILLED (BROKEN LULLABY), Lubitsch’s heartfelt 1932 pacifist screed and his only straight-ahead drama of the sound era. We cover the film’s radical interwar politics, its portrayal of grief, the many different performance styles on display, the haunting and twisted ending, national p…

1
S4E03 - The Smiling Lieutenant [1931] with Jonathan Mackris 57:00

1+ y ago57:00

57:00

UC Berkeley PHD student Jonathan Mackris joins us to discuss Lubitsch’s 1931 musical THE SMILING LIEUTENANT! In this episode, we cover Maurice Chevalier’s career and charisma, the film’s mildly troubled production, the entrance of the highly consequential Samson Raphaelson to the Lubitsch stable of collaborators, Lubitsch’s increasingly ambitious u…

1
S4E02 - Monte Carlo [1930] and Trash Cinema with Katharine Coldiron 56:17

1+ y ago56:17

56:17

Katharine Coldiron, author of Junk Film: Why Bad Movies Matter, joins us to discuss Ernst Lubitsch’s 1930 musical MONTE CARLO. Our wide-ranging conversation covers the evolution of Lubitsch’s formal technique in the early sound era, the film’s extremely naughty lyrical content, and its gentle satire of class and gender roles. In the second half of …

1
S4E01 - The Love Parade [1929] with Jennifer Fleeger 55:16

1+ y ago55:16

55:16

Ursinus College professor Jennifer Fleeger joins us to discuss THE LOVE PARADE. In this episode, we cover the operetta form, the divergent singing styles of Jeanette Macdonald and Maurice Chevalier, how those styles interact with the recording technology of the time, as well as this film’s fascinating and sometimes uneasy ways of dealing with both …

1
S4E00 - Early Hollywood Camera Movement with Patrick Keating 1:03:08

1+ y ago1:03:08

1:03:08

How Would Lubitsch Do It returns for a fourth season! It’s an exciting time for Ernst Lubitsch and, therefore, the podcast: this season, we’ll be covering the years between the introduction of synchronized sound in Hollywood and the establishment of the Production Code Administration in 1934. Ahead of us lie the years of Lubitsch’s greatest influen…

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