The Screen Sirens: Recent Episodes
The Screen Sirens
We're two dames talking about classic movies. Each episode we discuss a different movie - trivia, costumes, actor bios, gender and social justice, and more. New episodes every month!
We're celebrating our 100th episode by talking about some of the movies that have made the biggest impression on us over the last seven years.
Man meets Girl, and it's so hot in New York City, he can hardly control himself. That's the situation in "The Seven Year Itch," starring Marilyn Monroe.
Two women board a train to England from Bandrika -- or do they? Join us for Hitcock's "The Lady Vanishes."
Two women board a train to England from Bandrika -- or do they? Join us for Hitcock's "The Lady Vanishes."
Two women board a train in Bandrika - or do they? Join us for Hitchcock's "The Lady Vanishes."
Boy meets girl, boy asks girls to travel around the world, girl wonders whether he's worth it in "That Touch of Mink," starring Cary Grant and Doris Day.
The Marx Brothers go to Casablanca, and they round up the usual suspects for a raucous, ridiculous romp.
After a whirlwind one-day romance, a couple must navigate married life and the perils of early parenthood in "Made For Each Other," starring Carole Lombard and Jimmy Stewart.
Brother and sister dancing duo Tom and Ellen sail to England and fall in love with two elegant English people in "Royal Wedding."
Santa Claus comes to Macy's - or does he? Join Mauren O'Hara, Natalie Wood, and us for some Christmas magic in "Miracle on 34th Street."
A stranger comes to town, tracking another, more sinister stranger who must be brought to justice for horrific war crimes, in Orson Welles' "The Stranger."
A traveling salesman has two families and a lot of angst in Ida Lupino's "The Bigamist."
No one can sleep tight at the Sleep Tite Pajama Factory when labor's exploited and the boss won't budge on a raise. Join "The Pajama Game" with us and Doris Day.
Elvis returns to Hawaii a changed man -- and all he wants to do is sing, surf, and show off his state to a group of students and their teacher in 1961's "Blue Hawaii."
A famous actress and a chic diplomat have a secret affair -- but there's one problem in 1958's "Indiscreet."
The serene life of a gaggle of music professors is upended when a gangster's girlfriend comes to visit for "research." And that's how a song -- and love -- is born, in 1948's "A Song is Born."
A father must navigate the wedding of his only daughter in the aptly named "Father of the Bride," staring Spencer Tracy, Joan Bennett and Elizabeth Taylor.
The fancy folks of Newport, Rhode Island sing, dance, and eventually get married, all to the tune of Cole Porter and Louis Armstrong, in "High Society."
When a wealthy heiress sues a New York newspaper for libel, the paper strikes back with a charming reporter meant to lure her into the accused offense. Flyfishing, fast-talking hijinx, and romance ensue, in "Libeled Lady."
Head to the Stage Door Canteen with sailors, soldiers, and some of the biggest names in film, theatre and music of the 1940s, in "Stage Door Canteen."
The hills are alive with the sound of music, Catholicism, romance, and the rise of fascism, in 1965's "The Sound of Music."
Two men meet on a train. One of them has a murderous plan that proves dangerous for the other man, in Hitchcock's "Strangers on a Train."
A cynical detective investigates the murder of a beautiful and ambitious ad executive in 1944's "Laura."
A cynical detective investigates the murder of a beautiful and ambitious ad executive in 1944's "Laura."
Mr. and Mrs. Smith are happily married - or are there? Join us (and our spouses) for Hitchcock's only screwball.
Three sailors have 24 hours in the Big Apple so they spend it cavorting (and singing and dancing) with three women who have careers of their own, in 1949's "On the Town."
Head to Berlin with a baron, ballerina, an industrial magnate and more in "Grand Hotel."
Fashion meets empathecalism in gorgeous Paris in "Funny Face," starring Audrey Hepburn and Fred Astaire.
The lady of the manor has everything, and she gets even more when a handsome rich American trespasses on the private part of an English castle, in "The Grass is Greener."
In 1957's "Designing Woman," Mike and Marilla meet in California, fall in love, and get married -- all within one week. But when they return to NYC, the trouble starts.
Sidney Poitier finds himself up against a persistent Mother Superior in "Lilies of the Field" (1963).
The movie industry is ready for its closeup in "Sunset Boulevard" (1950), starring Gloria Swanson and William Holden.
Henry and Julia used to be a happy couple -- until Henry got promoted. Now his life is consumed by building a cathedral. He prays for help -- and Dudley appears to give him want he truly wants. That's 1947's "The Bishop's Wife."
Mortimer and Elaine's wedding day takes a dark turn when he discovers his aunts have been poisoning lonely old men in their Brooklyn neighborhood. Add in his long-lost murderous brother and Teddy Roosevelt, and you've got "Arsenic and Old Lace."
Katharine Hepburn dons men's clothing to walk freely in England -- but how free can she be in a patriarchal society? Find out in "Sylvia Scarlett," her first pairing with Cary Grant.
It's 1944 and a war is raging in Europe, which doesn't feel very far away in Martinique, where Bogart and Bacall meet in a cafe that harbors resistance fighters. She's a beautiful drifter, he's freelance boat captain; they're both about choose sides in this game of love and war.
Katharine Hepburn heads to Venice in "Summertime," a meditation on love in a watery city that reflects her character's weepy POV faced with compromising her morals or finally finding love.
Susan and Sharon are strangers who meet at summer camp - only to discover they are twins who were separated when their parents divorced years ago. Determined to bring their family together again, the girls hatch some cross-country hi-jinx.
What happens when your heist is thwarted by romance? In "The Lady Eve" Barbara Stanwyck falls for Henry Fonda, and he's smitten - until he discovers she's a card shark out for his money.
Two men take their chances on the run from the chain gang and find there's more binding them together than the physical chain connecting them in 1958's "The Defiant Ones," starring Tony Curtis and Sidney Poitier.
Boy meets girl... but boy is a New York butcher from an Italian family that has high hopes for his future wife. That's the predicament of the title character in the gentle movie, "Marty" (1955).
Pick up the phone and call the party (line): we're headed to New York, where it's easy to be charmed by millionaires, ranchers, and interior designers. Get cozy with Doris Day, Rock Hudson, Thelma Ritter and Tony Randall in "Pillow Talk" (1959).
In this month's episode we frolic in the Connecticut woods with Katharine Heburn, Cary Grant, and a leopard (or two), all in the name of funding for museums. Catch "Bringing Up Baby" (1938) by its tail.
Here's a real recipe for holiday hijinx: toss in a little lie, mix in some men who always get what they want, add a strong hint of winter romance, sprinkle in some random babies, and flip! Celebrate "Christmas in Connecticut" (1945)with Barbara Stanwyck, Sidney Greenstreet and S. K. Sakall.
Hit sunny Florida to escape the mafia's hit men - just be sure to pack your band instruments and your dress! Tony Curtis, Jack Lemmon and Marilyn Monroe star in 1959's "Some Like It Hot."
The term "Gaslight" is more or less mainstream these days. It comes from this 1944 film and the play it's based. Join us, Ingrid Bergman, Charles Boyer, and Angela Lansbury on Thornton Square. Content Warning: This movie contains a lot of emotional abuse and we discuss it at length, so please don't listen if that will upset you!
A nation divided by race and class, an upcoming election that could change everything, and the people whose lives will change. Sound like 2020? It's "Island in the Sun" (1957), starring Harry Belafonte, Dorothy Dandridge, Joan Fontaine, and Joan Collins.
This podcast episode is about the business we call show! Hit "42nd Street" with Warner Baxter, Bebe Daniels, George Brent, Ruby Keeler, Dick Powell and Ginger Rogers.
Join us at a little Argentinian casino, where the stakes are high and the men can't be trusted. Here's our take on "Gilda" (1946) starring Rita Hayworth.
Hit the pool deck and the polo field with Esther Williams, Ricardo Montalbán, Red Skelton, and Betty Garrett in "Neptune's Daughter" (1949).
It's 1942, Poland is under attack, and the underground is about to be betrayed by a Nazi spy. Luckily, there's a theatre troupe ready to foil him, unless their egos get in the way. Carole Lombard and Jack Benny star in "To Be Or Not To Be."
The mediator between the head and the hand? It's all about the heart - and class warfare - in the German silent film "Metropolis" (1927).
Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn go head to head in the courtroom and at home in 1949's "Adam's Rib."
Strangers fall in love on an ocean liner, but they're each promised to someone else. They agree to meet on the Empire State Building - and then fate intervenes. Listen in "An Affair to Remember" (1957).
Grab your trombone and head down Main Street with Robert Preston and Shirley Jones in 1962's "The Music Man."
Donna Reed, Lionel Barrymore and Jimmy Stewart share a difficult life in Frank Capra's "It's A Wonderful Life" (1946)
Cook up some trouble with "Mildred Pierce" (1945). starring Joan Crawford, Ann Blyth and Eve Arden.
Hop aboard "Shanghai Express" (1932) with Marlene Dietrich, Anna May Wong and Werner Oland.
You don't need an umbrella for this month's episode. Just put on your dancing shoes for 1943's "Stormy Weather," starring Lena Horne and Bill Robinson and featuring dozens of African American performers.
Grab your moped and hit the streets for Rome with Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck in 1953's "Roman Holiday."
Buster Keaton and his train-driving skills go head-to-head with the enemy in 1926's "The General."
Everybody comes to Rick's in 1942's "Casablanca" starring Ingrid Bergman and Humphrey Bogart.
Spence Tracy and Katharine Hepburn pit the human brain against the machine in the 1957 comedy "Desk Set."
Claudette Colbert and Clark Gable hit the road to New York in 1934's "It Happened One Night" -- right before The Code went into effect.
In High Noon (1952) Gary Cooper's marshal takes on a criminal back in town for revenge, and Grace Kelly's Quaker wife helps define the moral questions of this movie.
There's singing, dancing and falling in love in the rain in the 1952 musical "Singin' in the Rain," starring Debbie Reynolds and Gene Kelly.
Cary Grant, Katharine Hepburn, and Doris Nolan star in this 1938 comedy about love and work.
Rosemary Clooney, Vera-Ellen, Bing Crosby, and Danny Kaye find love and snow in 1954's "White Christmas."
In Alfred Hitchcock's "Dial M For Murder" (1954) Grace Kelly and Ray Milland dial T for Thrilling.
It's the wild west in "Oklahoma!" Join us for an exploration of race, class and gender in the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical that gave Shirley Jones her screen debut.
It's all happening at the Footlights Club in 1937's "Stage Door." Ginger Rogers and Katharine Hepburn lead a cast that also includes Lucille Ball and Eve Arden.
"Court Jester" (1955) has it all: romance, resistance, fancy footwork, sword fighting, and enough twists and turns you might need a flagon with a dragon.
Don your favorite swimsuit and grab your surfboard - it's time to head out to the beach with Sandra Dee and James Darren in "Gidget" (1959).
The free press, the death penalty, and political corruption are all here in "His Girl Friday" (1940), starring Rosalind Russell and Cary Grant.
In "The Ghost and Mrs. Muir," a woman moves to a haunted house by the seaside, writes a book, and maybe forges her own life.
Is there gold in these hills? "The Treasure of Sierra Madre" (1947) stars Humphrey Bogart and Walter Huston and (almost) one of those famous movie lines.
"The Women" features an all-female cast (including Norma Shearer, Rosalind Russell, and Joan Crawford) and focuses on the losing and keeping of men.
Gone With the Wind (1939) romanticizes the Old South through the story of tenacious Scarlett O'Hara. In part one of our discussion, we cut through all the false romance.
"All About Eve" is all about an aging star (Bette Davis) and her relationships with those around her.
"The Blob" (1958) stars Steve McQueen, Aneta Corsaut, an angry red blob, and suburban Philadelphia.
The Philadelphia Story (1940) stars Katharine Hepburn, Cary Grant, and Jimmy Stewart (and the city of Philadelphia).
John Wayne and Gail Russell in 1947's "The Angel and the Badman," about Quakers and cowboys.
Sidney Poitier, Paul Newman, Joanne Woodward, and Diahann Carroll in Paris Blues (1961).
"Meet Me In St. Louis" - the 1944 musical starring Judy Garland and Mary Astor, and the city of St. Louis.
Garbo laughs! (And so do we). 1939's "Ninotchka," starring Melvyn Douglas and Greta Garbo.
Music, moving, mayhem! Doris Day and David Niven in "Please Don't Eat the Daisies" (1960).
In this episode: 1947's "The Bachelor and the Bobby Soxer," starring Myrna Loy, Cary Grant, Shirley Temple, and a few other familiar faces.
In this episode: 1940's "The Great Dictator," starring Charlie Chaplin and Paulette Goddard.
In this episode: we discuss 1936's "My Man Godfrey," starring Carole Lombard and William Powell.
In this episode we discuss "An American in Paris," starring Gene Kelly and Leslie Caron.
In this episode: we discuss 1933's "Little Women," starring Katharine Hepburn and Joan Bennett.
We're two dames talking about classic movies. Each episode we discuss a different movie - trivia, costumes, actor bios, impressions and more. First up: 1963's "Charade," starring Audrey Hepburn and Cary Grant.