Film

Valerie Dish Udemba discusses coming to Springfield to get her MBA from UIS. She plans to expand to the business side of the film industry. While studying, she is working at NPR Illinois.

Front Row Classics is thrilled to welcome authors & film historians, David Fantle and Tom Johnson this week. Our two guests have penned a delightful and well-researched study of an underrated Hollywood musical gem. "C'mon Get Happy: The Making of Summer Stock" is a must-read for any classic film fan. The book chronicles the production history of this joyful film's troubled production history, charismatic stars and classic musical moments. The film marked the last time Judy Garland would set foot in front of the cameras at MGM. It would also display Gene Kelly's talents in fresh and fun ways. Fantle and Johnson have provided us with an invaluable resource that will inspire to re-discover this feel-good musical classic.

Ash Hamilton is a Central Illinois local and filmmaker best known for his critically acclaimed, found-footage style film "Holes in the Sky: A Sean Miller Story." He sat down with co-host Logan Bricker to talk about his process, insights as a filmmaker, and his journey making a small-budget film during the pandemic.

This week on Beyond the Mouse we get a glimpse into the making of Disney's newest film, "Haunted Mansion" with VFX Supervisor Edwin Rivera and Cinematographer Jeffrey Waldron. We talk about how the Haunted Mansion team created the spooky scenes from the film, and we hear about how they took their experiences on the attraction to the big screen. Serpents and spiders, tail of a rat, call in the podcast, wherever it's at...Featuring: Craig McFarland, Vanessa Ferguson, and Brett Rutherford

Front Row Classics is pleased to welcome Turner Classics Movies' host Alicia Malone.

Front Row Classics is thrilled to welcome back the Czar of Noir himself, Eddie Muller. Brandon and Eddie discuss his latest book, "Noir Bar: Cocktails Inspired by the World of Film Noir".

The Skyview Drive-In theater has been a staple for the Litchfield community since 1950. Since then, the owners of the business have changed hands from one family to another over the years. Mindy Pastrovich sat down with Logan Bricker and Community Voices to discuss how she and her family cared for the business since 2016, and how they have continued to keep the family-owned tradition alive through the new owners, the Hebenstreit family.

Front Row Classics is pleased to welcome Mark Vieira to the podcast this week. Brandon and Mark discuss his latest book, "Warner Bros: 100 Years of Storytelling".

Brandon Davis is the host of the Front Row Network Classics podcast. He recently attended the TCM Classic Film Festival. NPR News Director Sean Crawford was also in attendance and sat down with Brandon to talk about the festival highlights.