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Talking Film
1978 - 1986 0.0 (0 votes) 1 Seasons
Genres
Documentary
Networks
TVOntario

Talking Film

Overview

Movie expert Elwy Yost interviews industry people on both sides of the camera, encouraging them to talk about themselves, the state of their art, and its history. The series features many famous film personalities who, along with producers, directors, designers, screenwriters, and critics, offer candid insights into the making of motion pictures.

Key Crew

Producer: Bruce Pittman

Top Cast

Seasons

Season 1 poster
Season 1 (1978)

No overview available.

80 episodes

Episodes
Episode 1: The Producer (1)
1978-07-03

Producers David Picker and Walter Mirisch and producer-directors Robert Altman, Roger Corman, Sydney Pollack, and Stanley Kramer discuss their important roles, throwing light on what a producer does to ensure the success of a movie.

Runtime: 29 min
Episode 2: The Director
1978-07-10

George Cukor, Roger Corman, Robert Wise, Abraham Polonsky, and Richard Brooks discuss the role of the film director.

Runtime: 28 min
Episode 3: The Screenwriter
1978-07-17

Screenwriters John Milius, Sterling Silliphant, and Bernard Slade talk about the role of the screenwriter in filmmaking, the auteur theory, and working relationships between writers, directors, and producers.

Runtime: 29 min
Episode 4: Acting in the Cinema
1978-07-24

Henry Fonda, Anthony Hopkins, Marsha Mason, Leslie Nielsen, Albert Salmi, Sidney Pollack, Roger Corman, and John Milius discuss acting methods for the stage and screen, the actor's relationship to the director, and reminisce about some of the films they have worked on.

Runtime: N/A min
Episode 5: Cinematography
1978-07-31

Lee Garmes, Stanley Cortez, Haskell Wexler, and Victor Kemper discuss some of the films they have photographed and look at their varying relationships with directors and actors.

Runtime: 29 min
Episode 6: Designing Movies
1978-08-07

Richard Sylbert, one of Hollywood's foremost production designers (Chinatown, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf, Carnal Knowledge) talks about the function of the various people who work on design, and the relationship of the designer to the director.

Runtime: 57 min
Episode 7: The Making of a Motion Picture (1)
1978-08-14

Elwy Yost asks three American directors about favorite films they have worked on: George Cukor talks about A Star Is Born, Henry King about Twelve O'Clock High, and Vincente Minnelli reminisces about the making of Lust for Life.

Runtime: 29 min
Episode 8: Sex and Violence in the Cinema
1978-08-21

The controversial twin issues of sex and violence are discussed by filmmakers Robert Altman, Roger Corman, David Picker, John Milius, Sydney Pollack, and Stanley Kramer.

Runtime: N/A min
Episode 9: How Movies Are Sold
1978-08-28

Sidney Pollack, Robert Altman, John Milius, and Roger Corman voice their opinions on the marketing of films, the importance of profits, and the control they have over how their movies are sold.

Runtime: 29 min
Episode 10: A Portrait of John Ford (1)
1978-09-04

Actors Henry Fonda and Frank Baker and screenwriters Nunnally Johnson and Philip Dunne reminisce about one of Hollywood's greatest film directors: John Ford.

Runtime: N/A min
Episode 11: Zanuck
1979-08-02

A portrait of the last great movie mogul Darryl F. Zanuck, who ruled 20th Century Fox for thirty years, through the words of Fox personnel who knew him well. With director Henry King, producers Milton Sperling and Raymond Klune, screenwriter Philip Dunne, and actor Henry Fonda.

Runtime: 28 min
Episode 12: The Hollywood Ten: An Interview with Writer Ring Lardner Jr.
1979-08-03

Ring Lardner Jr. talks about his years of blacklisting during the McCarthy era.

Runtime: 29 min
Episode 13: The Documentary: An Interview with Pare Lorentz (1)
1980-01-28

A creator of the documentary film, Pare Lorentz (The River, The Plough That Broke the Plains, and The Fight for Life), discusses his long career and aspects of the documentary genre.

Runtime: 29 min
Episode 14: The Western
1980-02-04

In an exploration of the myth and reality of Hollywood westerns, Elwy Yost interviews actor Joel McCrea and directors John Sturges, Robert Aldrich, and Mark Rydell.

Runtime: 29 min
Episode 15: Hooray for Hollywood
1980-02-18

Host Elwy Yost visits several Hollywood landmarks: the sidewalk in front of Grauman's Chinese Theater, the Beverly Hills Hotel, and Paramount Studios. Yost talks to actors Richard Arlen, Buddy Rogers, and Pat O'Brien about Hollywood past and present.

Runtime: 29 min
Episode 16: A Portrait of George Stevens (1)
1980-02-25

The legendary motion picture director responsible for such screen classics as Shane and A Place in the Sun is recalled by his son George Stevens, Jr.

Runtime: N/A min
Episode 17: The Critic
1980-03-24

A look at the role of the motion picture critic with guests John Simon of New York magazine and Andrew Sarris of the Village Voice.

Runtime: 29 min
Episode 18: More Special Effects
1981-04-08

George Pal (When Worlds Collide and War of the Worlds) and Colin Chilvers (Superman) discuss special effects.

Runtime: N/A min
Episode 19: The Nightmare People: Horror in the Cinema
1981-04-15

Elwy Yost discusses techniques employed in the making of horror films, both classic and contemporary.

Runtime: 27 min
Episode 20: The Animators
1981-04-22

Elwy Yost talks with veteran Warner Studios animators Chuck Jones and Friz Freleng.

Runtime: 29 min
Episode 21: The Cinema of John Huston
1981-04-28

Elwy Yost talks with director John Huston (The Maltese Falcon, The African Queen, and The Man Who Would Be King) about his long career and his relationships with Orson Welles, Humphrey Bogart, and Truman Capote.

Runtime: 29 min
Episode 22: The Cinema of Frank Capra (1)
1981-05-06

Actor-director John Howard, cameraman George Folsey, and Frank Capra Jr. reminisce about the life and works of the American director Frank Capra.

Runtime: N/A min
Episode 23: More Film Criticism
1981-05-12

Husband and wife Andrew Sarris and Molly Haskell describe their careers as film critics, the difficulty of maintaining objectivity in film reviewing, contemporary trends in filmmaking, and the effect of their careers on their lives.

Runtime: 29 min
Episode 24: Powell and Pressburger
1981-05-13

British filmmakers Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger talk about their careers and the films The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp and Stairway to Heaven; cameraman Jack Cardiff, actor David Niven, and film writer Leslie Halliwell describe what it was like to work with them.

Runtime: 29 min
Episode 25: Thirty Years of British Cinema
1981-05-20

Elwy Yost and industry craftspeople review the past thirty years in British cinema, including the present trend to produce dramatic television series rather than feature films. With cinematographer Jean Coquillon and actors John Justin, Anna Neagle,George Cole, and Hayley Mills.

Runtime: 28 min
Episode 26: David Lean and Sir Carol Reed
1981-05-27

David Niven, Margaret Lockwood, and Phyllis Calvert discuss the work of British directors David Lean and Sir Carol Reed.

Runtime: N/A min
Episode 27: Women in the Cinema
1981-06-03

Runtime: N/A min
Episode 28: The Serial
1981-06-10

A conversation with actor Buster Crabbe and director William Witney about the making of the serial cliffhangers of the 30s and 40s.

Runtime: N/A min
Episode 29: The Cinema of Henry Hathaway
1981-06-17

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.

Runtime: N/A min
Episode 30: The Business of Directing
1981-07-04

Interviewing some of today's most successful directors - Stanley Kramer, Robert Aldrich, and Richard Brooks.

Runtime: 29 min
Episode 31: The Making of a Motion Picture (2)
1981-07-11

Explores the art of making motion pictures with film designer Saul Bass, director Robert Aldrich, and photographer William Fraker.

Runtime: 29 min
Episode 32: The Making of a Motion Picture (3)
1981-07-18

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.

Runtime: 29 min
Episode 33: A Conversation with Pauline Kael
1981-07-22

Film critic Pauline Kael talks about her career and the reactions to her harsh reviews.

Runtime: N/A min
Episode 34: Gods and Goddesses of the Cinema
1981-07-29

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.

Runtime: N/A min
Episode 35: The Cinema of Elia Kazan
1981-08-12

Elwy Yost discusses the films of director Elia Kazan with actors Karl Malden, Richard Widmark, and Albert Salmi.

Runtime: N/A min
Episode 36: Anatomy of Suspense
1981-08-19

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.

Runtime: N/A min
Episode 37: The Making of a Motion Picture (4)
1981-09-22

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.

Runtime: 29 min
Episode 38: The Big Studios: Twentieth Century-Fox
1982-05-08

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.

Runtime: 29 min
Episode 39: A Conversation with Otto Preminger
1982-06-05

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.

Runtime: N/A min
Episode 40: A Portrait of George Stevens (2)
1982-08-30

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.

Runtime: 25 min
Episode 41: A Portrait of John Ford (2)
1983-08-26

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.

Runtime: 29 min
Episode 42: A Conversation with Joseph L. Mankiewicz
1983-08-31

The renowned director talks about his career and the artists he has launched.

Runtime: N/A min
Episode 43: The Producer (3)
1983-09-15

Elwy Yost talks with three Hollywood producers - Richard Roth, Albert S. Ruddy, and Frank Yablans - on how they come up with ideas for movies.

Runtime: 60 min
Episode 44: Two Film Critics
1984-06-06

Film critics Arthur Knight and Charles Champlin discuss the ethics of criticism and their favorite movies.

Runtime: 60 min
Episode 45: An Interview with Samuel Fuller
1984-06-07

A conversation with Sam Fuller, director of Pickup on South Street, about his experiences as a crime reporter and his thoughts on cult films.

Runtime: N/A min
Episode 46: Women in the Cinema: The Writer
1984-06-08

Three writers - Joan Tewkesbury, Harriet Frank Jr., and Nancy Dowd - discuss their writing techniques and their work with various directors.

Runtime: N/A min
Episode 47: Stars of the Cinema: Stewart Granger
1984-06-11

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.

Runtime: N/A min
Episode 48: The Cinema of King Vidor
1984-06-12

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.

Runtime: N/A min
Episode 49: The Making of a Musical
1984-06-15

A visit to the set of Pennies From Heaven where Elwy Yost talks with the production designer, costume designer, set decorator, and choreographer.

Runtime: N/A min
Episode 50: The Western Revisited
1984-06-25

Richard Widmark, James Stewart, Henry King, Harry Carey Jr., Henry Hathaway, and Hal B. Wallis reminisce about early westerns.

Runtime: N/A min
Episode 51: Music in the Cinema
1984-06-26

Elwy Yost talks with composers Miklos Rozsa, Henry Mancini, and David Raskin about the role of music in movies.

Runtime: N/A min
Episode 52: The Screenwriter (2)
1984-07-06

Runtime: N/A min
Episode 53: Cinematography (2)
1984-07-14

Elwy Yost talks to Joseph Biroc about the distinct photographic styles of film studios and to Joseph Walker, the inventor of the zoom lens.

Runtime: N/A min
Episode 54: Special Effects
1984-07-16

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.

Runtime: 29 min
Episode 55: The Cinema of Henry King
1984-07-17

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.

Runtime: N/A min
Episode 56: The Documentary: An Interview with Pare Lorentz (2)
1984-07-19

Elwy Yost talks to Pare Lorentz, director of films from the 1930s.

Runtime: N/A min
Episode 57: Stars of the Cinema: Richard Widmark
1984-08-01

Richard Widmark talks about the difficult craft of acting.

Runtime: N/A min
Episode 58: The Cinema of Frank Capra (2)
1984-08-09

Elwy Yost talks to Frank Capra about his film career.

Runtime: N/A min
Episode 59: The Classic Western
1984-10-03

Gregory Peck, Harry Morgan, Jack Elam, and Albert S. Ruddy discuss the development of western films.

Runtime: N/A min
Episode 60: An Afternoon with Jack Lemmon
1985-06-12

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.

Runtime: 60 min
Episode 61: Two Tragic Stars: Marilyn Monroe and Montgomery Clift
1985-06-19

Guests: Betty Robin, Monroe's assistant; Tom Ewell; Jack Lemmon; John Houseman; Brooks Clift; and Edward Dmytryk.

Runtime: 60 min
Episode 62: The Marx Brothers and Their Writers
1985-07-03

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.

Runtime: N/A min
Episode 63: The Cinematic Genius of Rouben Mamoulian
1985-07-10

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.

Runtime: 60 min
Episode 64: All Singing, All Dancing
1985-07-17

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.

Runtime: 60 min
Episode 65: The Music Men
1985-07-24

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.

Runtime: N/A min
Episode 66: The Screenwriter (3)
1985-07-31

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.

Runtime: N/A min
Episode 67: Lotusland
1985-08-07

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.

Runtime: 60 min
Episode 68: Hollywood Portraits: David O. Selznick and Alfred Hitchcock
1985-08-14

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.

Runtime: 60 min
Episode 69: The Producer (2)
1985-08-19

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.

Runtime: N/A min
Episode 70: Stars on Stars
1985-08-21

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.

Runtime: N/A min
Episode 71: Mystery Film and the Detective on Screen
1985-08-28

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.

Runtime: N/A min
Episode 72: Jeanette MacDonald and Nelson Eddy
1985-09-09

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.

Runtime: N/A min
Episode 73: Superstars: Bing Crosby and Bob Hope
1986-06-30

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]

Runtime: N/A min
Episode 74: An Interview with Greer Garson
1986-07-01

Academy Award-winning actress Greer Garson recounts her experiences in the movies and shares glimpses of her life.

Runtime: 60 min
Episode 75: The Preston Sturges Story (1)
1986-07-02

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.

Runtime: 60 min
Episode 76: The Preston Sturges Story (2)
1986-07-03

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.

Runtime: 60 min
Episode 77: Two Film Directors: Ronald Neame and Richard Fleischer
1986-07-04

Elwy Yost interviews Richard Fleischer, who began his career as a film editor; and Ronald Neame, who began as a cameraman.

Runtime: 60 min
Episode 78: A Portrait of Billy Wilder
1986-07-07

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.

Runtime: N/A min
Episode 79: Two Film Critics: Richard Schickel and David Robinson
1986-07-08

Elwy Yost talks with authors and film critics Richard Schickel (Time magazine) and David Robinson (Times of London).

Runtime: 60 min
Episode 80: Hollywood Portraits: Cecil B. DeMille and Jesse Lasky
1986-07-09

The life and career of Cecil B. DeMille and Jesse Lasky.

Runtime: 60 min

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