Category Archives: Pop Culture

David Brown and Steven Spielberg: Through Thick and Thin

Posted on January 29, 2018 by ahcadmin

Film producer David Brown (1916-2010) began his career in 1951 heading the story department at Twentieth Century Fox. His success began early through his involvement with The Robe, an American Biblical epic film that received an Oscar nomination for Best … Continue reading →

Posted in Film History, found in the archive, motion picture history, Pop Culture, popular culture, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Carl Stalling, Music Animator

Posted on January 17, 2018 by ahcadmin

A chance meeting in the early 1920s at a Missouri movie theater led to some of the most beloved cartoons ever created. Carl Stalling was improvising on the organ while accompanying a silent film. A young Walt Disney was in … Continue reading →

Posted in cartoons, Composers, Film Music, motion picture history, music, Pop Culture, popular culture, television history, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Terror in the Theater – Fifties Fears

Posted on November 13, 2017 by ahcadmin

Science fiction films of the 1950s commonly expressed several themes: fear of technology leading to unintended consequences; invasion of the planet by aliens; and the effects of atomic radiation. Because science fiction movies were not constrained by reality, more imaginative … Continue reading →

Posted in Cold War, Fantasy, Horror, motion picture history, Politics, Pop Culture, popular culture, science fiction, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Holy Retro, Batman! Unmasking the Legacy of Batman’s TV Premiere

Posted on January 13, 2016 by

Fifty years ago today, January 13, 1966, Batman and Robin faced off against the Riddler in the televised premiere of Batman on ABC. Continue reading →

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The Wasp Woman: A Makeover Gone Murderous

Posted on March 15, 2013 by ahcadmin

One of my favorite “B” movies from the 1950s is a film called The Wasp Woman, released in 1959. The film is about a woman named Janice Starlin who is the CEO of a cosmetics company. As she is quickly … Continue reading →

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Science Fiction and Gender in the 1950s

Posted on November 28, 2012 by ahcadmin

The portrayal of gender in science fiction is a fascinating and sometimes overwhelming topic of discussion. As science-fiction is often referential and sensitive to the time period it was written and portrayed in, it is far from being just fantasy … Continue reading →

Posted in Interns' projects, Pop Culture, popular culture, science fiction | Tagged , , | 1 Comment