Historical Drama with The Boston Sisters
By Michon & Taquiena Boston
Historical Drama with The Boston SistersDec 26, 2023
THE NEW LOOK: A Deep Dive with The Boston Sisters (Ep. 53)
In episode 53, Michon and Taquiena aka The Boston Sisters talk about THE NEW LOOK and why they selected the Apple TV+ series as a binge-worthy historical drama.
THE NEW LOOK isn’t a "fashionista" story about designers Christian Dior (Ben Mendelsohn) and Coco Chanel (Juliette Binoche). Created by Todd Kessler and inspired by real events during World War II, THE NEW LOOK focuses on the impact of the 4-year Nazi occupation of France and the early months of Liberation on Paris’s community of haute couture designers, Resistance fighters, business owners, and everyday people all struggling to survive.
The series interweaves the complex choices of the two iconic fashion designers, Dior and Chanel, who ultimately would change fashion forever. However, Catherine Dior (Maisie Williams), the French Resistance fighter and younger sister of Christian Dior adds an important and overlooked chapter to World War II history.
PLEASE NOTE: TRANSCRIPTS ARE GENERATED USING A COMBINATION OF SPEECH RECOGNITION SOFTWARE AND HUMAN TRANSCRIBERS, AND MAY CONTAIN ERRORS.
0:08 WW 2 French Resistance and Haute Couture
5:05 THE NEW LOOK, "the Sophie's Choice of fashion"
8:07 French survival strategies in Nazi occupied France: creativity, collaboration, resistance, compromise
14:05 Catherine Dior, French Resistance fighter and Nazi concentration camp survivor
15:36 MISS DIOR: A STORY OF COURAGE AND COUTURE a biography of Catherine Dior by Justine Picardie (available from our affiliate bookstore)
20:54 Changing the WW2 narrative: Best Years of Our Lives, Saving Private Ryan, Zone of Interest, and THE NEW LOOK
31:54 Fashion restoring hope after WW2
42:15 Fashion, history, and culture through interviews and analysis of books and TV series
STAY ENGAGED with HISTORICAL DRAMA WITH THE BOSTON SISTERS
SUBSCRIBE to the podcast on your favorite podcast platform
LISTEN to past past podcasts and bonus episodes
SIGN UP for our mailing list
SUPPORT this podcast on Spotify or SHOP THE PODCAST on our affiliate bookstore
Thank you for listening!
Preview Episode 53: THE NEW LOOK: A Deep Dive with The Boston Sisters
Preview episode 53 where The Boston Sisters (Michon and Taquiena) talk about first impressions watching the Apple TV+ series THE NEW LOOK.
THE NEW LOOK surprised us because it isn’t a story about haute couture fashion by Christian Dior (Ben Mendelsohn) and Coco Chanel (Juliette Binoche). Created by Todd Kessler and inspired by real events during World War II,THE NEW LOOK focuses on the impact of the 4-year Nazi occupation of France and the early months of Liberation on Paris’s community of haute couture designers, Resistance fighters, business owners, and everyday people all struggling to survive.
Listen to the complete podcast and find out more about why we think THE NEW LOOK is a binge-worthy historical drama.
Episode 53 goes LIVE Tuesday, May 14, 2024
THE NEW LOOK is available on Apple TV+. Check the Apple TV+ website for fee information.
A GENTLEMAN IN MOSCOW: A Room of One's Own, A Heart Full of Others (Ep. 52)
In episode 52, we welcome back Ben Vanstone (ALL CREATURES GREAT & SMALL), showrunner, executive producer, and writer for the much-anticipated drama series, A GENTLEMAN IN MOSCOW (Paramount+ SHOWTIME). The 8-part series is based on author Amor Towles’s internationally bestselling novel of the same name (one of the podcast's recommended 2023 Summer Reads.)
The story centers on the life of Count Alexandre Rostov, played by Ewan McGregor, who, in the aftermath of the Russian Revolution, finds that his gilded past has placed him on the wrong side of history. Spared immediate execution, Count Rostov is banished by a Soviet tribunal to an attic room in the opulent Hotel Metropol and threatened with death — that is he will be shot – if he ever sets foot outside again. As the years pass and some of the tumultuous decades in Russian history fold outside the hotel’s doors, Rostov’s reduced circumstances provide him entry into a much larger world of emotional discovery. As he builds a new life within the walls of the hotel, he discovers the true value of friendship, family, and love.
Download the transcript for Epsiode 52 from this link.
PLEASE NOTE: TRANSCRIPTS ARE GENERATED USING A COMBINATION OF SPEECH RECOGNITION SOFTWARE AND HUMAN TRANSCRIBERS, AND MAY CONTAIN ERRORS.
0:08 - A Gentleman in Moscow series synopsis and intro to Ben Vanstone
3:30 - Adapting a best selling novel for TV, creative choices and maintaining the novel's spirit
9:01 - Expanding character relationships while honoring the novel
14:10 - Diverse casting, recreating Hotel Metropol without going to Russia, creative collaborations with the production crews
20:58 - Kadinsky and Russian expressionism as inspiration for show titles
23:02 - Relationship and humanity in the face of adversity and change
STAY ENGAGED with HISTORICAL DRAMA WITH THE BOSTON SISTERS
SUBSCRIBE to the podcast on your favorite podcast platform
LISTEN to past past podcasts and bonus episodes
SIGN UP for our mailing list
SUPPORT this podcast on Spotify or SHOP THE PODCAST on our affiliate bookstore.
Thank you for listening!
Preview Episode 52: A GENTLEMAN IN MOSCOW with showrunner Ben Vanstone
A GENTLEMAN IN MOSCOW, the Amor Towles must-read novel is now a must-stream series on Paramount+ adapted by Ben Vanstone, executive producer, writer, and showrunner .
Listen to a preview of Episode 52 (available April 23, 2024) where Ben talks about casting the A GENTLEMAN IN MOSCOW series to tell a universal story set in Russia. One doesn’t have to be Russian to connect with Count Alexandre Rostov’s (Ewan McGregor) evolving human story.
BOB MARLEY: ONE LOVE Director Reinaldo Marcus Green (Ep. 51)
In this podcast episode we’re talking with Reinaldo Marcus Green who directed Paramount’s BOB MARLEY: ONE LOVE, starring Kingsley Ben-Adir as the Jamaican Reggae icon Bob Marley and Lashana Lynch as his wife, Rita Marley. BOB MARLEY: ONE LOVE premiered February 14 and debuted #1 at the box office. BOB MARLEY: ONE LOVE celebrates the life and music of Bob Marley who inspired generations through his message of love and unity. The film chronicles the reggae icon’s powerful story of overcoming adversity and the journey behind his revolutionary music.
Reinaldo Marcus Green is a writer, director and producer. He is best known for directing the critically acclaimed Warner Bros. film KING RICHARD starring Will Smith. The film received six Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture, and earned Will Smith his first Oscar win for Best Performance by an Actor in a Lead Role.
Reinaldo’s first feature, MONSTERS AND MEN premiered at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival and received a Special Jury Prize for Outstanding First Feature. Reinaldo’s other credits include: director and co-executive producer on the Netflix series, TOP BOY, executive produced by Drake and SpringHill Entertainment; director of (his sophomore) feature film JOE BELL, starring Mark Wahlberg, distributed by Amazon and Roadside Attractions; and director and co-producer for HBO’s limited series, WE OWN THIS CITY, written by George Pelecanos and David Simon.
PLEASE NOTE: TRANSCRIPTS ARE GENERATED USING A COMBINATION OF SPEECH RECOGNITION SOFTWARE AND HUMAN TRANSCRIBERS, AND MAY CONTAIN ERRORS.
0:08 - Intro to BOB MARLEY: ONE LOVE
1:42 - BOB MARLEY: ONE LOVE synopsis
4:25 - Intro to Reinaldo Marcus Green
5:47 - Bob Marley's life and legacy
10:23 - Interpreting a Reggae legend
16:06 - Film making craft and professional growth
20:54 - How place creates authenticity
25:53 - Recreating historical drama environments
42:40 - Bob Marley's legacy and impact for younger generations
47:53 - Time Travel: Mets baseball, marriage certificate, hats
55:27 - Where to find BOB MARLEY: ONE LOVE
------------
STAY ENGAGED with HISTORICAL DRAMA WITH THE BOSTON SISTERS
SUBSCRIBE to the podcast on your favorite podcast platform
LISTEN to past past podcasts and bonus episodes
SIGN UP for our mailing list
SUPPORT this podcast on Spotify or SHOP THE PODCAST on our affiliate bookstore
Thank you for listening!
THE GREAT GATSBY (1974) at 50 (Ep. 50)
It’s been 50 years since the release of the 1974 film adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel, THE GREAT GATSBY. Highlighting the 50th anniversary of the 1974 version of THE GREAT GATSBY is another opportunity to talk with author and professor of English Emily Bernard about this 1920s novel adapted for film and the themes that continue to resonate with our own times. Our conversation with Emily about the film adaptation of Nella Larsen’s 1929 novel PASSING in episode 2 of the podcast, remains one of our most popular listens.
Directed by Jack Clayton, and featuring Robert Redford as Jay Gatsby, Mia Farrow as Daisy Buchanan, and Sam Waterston as Nick Carraway, the film is a window into the roaring 1920s or the "Jazz Age," as Fitzgerald is credited for coining the phrase. The story is also a mirror on American social constructs for wealth, class, and illusion, as well as the destructive power to recapture the past.
-----
Notes: "Negro" is used in its proper historical context in this conversation.
*Spoiler alert* for persons who've never seen any film or television adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald's book "The Great Gatsby," or read the book.
-----
Download the Transcript for Episode 50
PLEASE NOTE: TRANSCRIPTS ARE GENERATED USING A COMBINATION OF SPEECH RECOGNITION SOFTWARE AND HUMAN TRANSCRIBERS, AND MAY CONTAIN ERRORS.
0:08 - Opening
1:22 - Intro to THE GREAT GATSBY novel and film
6:11 - Intro to Emily Bernard, Professor, Scholar, Writer
16:12 - Wealth, power, identity, and narcissism in Fitzgerald's Novel
23:05 - Place and Identity in "The Great Gatsby"
24:48 - New York as symbol in F. Scott Fitzgerald's "Jazz Age"
31:12 - Race, identity, and adaptation
36:00 - American Class distinctions and the "American Dream"
41:14 - Daisy Buchanan, "the great white beauty"
47:55 - Break
48:00 - George Wilson, "true victim" in "The Great Gatsby"
57:07 - Race and performance in literature
58:01 - Class and "passing" in "The Great Gatsby"
1:02:25 - Authenticity and celebrity: Do we know what it means to be "natural?"
1:08:02 - Blackness, identity and cultural appropriation in 1920s America
1:11:59 - Race, power and privilege in literature and film
1:16:09 - Lothrop Stoddard, WEB DuBois, and legacy of racial eugenics
1:20:21 - Gatsby's end (spoiler alert)
1:28:04 - "The Great Gatsby" film adaptations
1:30: 22 - Closing
1:31:51 - Disclaimer
STAY ENGAGED with HISTORICAL DRAMA WITH THE BOSTON SISTERS
SUBSCRIBE to the podcast on your favorite podcast platform
LISTEN to past past podcasts and bonus episodes
SIGN UP for our mailing list
SUPPORT this podcast on Spotify or SHOP THE PODCAST on our affiliate bookstore
Thank you for listening!
Unpacking PACHINKO: A Mother Daughter Conversation (Ep. 49)
In Episode 49 we have a mother-daughter talk about season one of the Apple TV+ series PACHINKO, which premiered in 2022. PACHINKO is based on Min Jin Lee’s epic second novel about four generations of a Korean family trying to control their destiny in 20th-century Japan as exiles from their familiar home. PACHINKO was one of our 2023 "Page to Screen" summer book recommendations (Ep. 37).
Our guests for the conversation about PACHINKO, the book and the series, are Kat Turner and her daughter Taylor Turner.
Kat, a Korean-adoptee trying to figure out a way to spend more time in Korea, is a former broadcast journalist and blogs about everything Korean. Kat is our "go-to" for historical K-drama and was a previous guest on the podcast to talk about the K-drama MR. SUNSHINE (Ep. 17).
Taylor is a biracial Korean American writer, artist, entrepreneur, and expert thrifter.She’s an obsessed dog mom, proud ATINY or fan of ATEEZ a South Korean pop Boy band, and deep conversation enthusiast. Taylor's mother Kat is a proud ARMY — as in the South Korean Boy Band BTS. She says V is her bias, and the other six members are her bias wreckers!
PLEASE NOTE: TRANSCRIPTS ARE GENERATED USING A COMBINATION OF SPEECH RECOGNITION SOFTWARE AND HUMAN TRANSCRIBERS, AND MAY CONTAIN ERRORS.
0:08 Podcast Intro
1:17 Kat Turner and Taylor Turner Intros
3:08 Pachinko Series Based on Novel
5:33 Pachinko casting, Zainichi, and Korean identity
15:35 Split Lives and Double Consciousness
17:12 Noonchi, Cheong, Han Korean cultural values in Pachinko
26:29 Mental health in Korean culture and kdramas
34:21 Character growth and transformation in Pachinko
41:23 Pachinko series adaptation and departures from the novel
49:30 Break
52:45 Asian representation in films and television series
57:23 Representation and criticism in TV series
1:01:21 Book vs. film adaptation of Crazy Rich Asians
1:12:40 Centering women's stories in media
1:17:50 Personal history, cultural identity, and time capsules
1:22:39 Pachinko where to watch series and purchase novel
1:23:30 Outro
1:24: 53 Disclaimer
STAY ENGAGED with HISTORICAL DRAMA WITH THE BOSTON SISTERS
SUBSCRIBE to the podcast on your favorite podcast platform
LISTEN to past past podcasts and bonus episodes
SIGN UP for our mailing list
SUPPORT this podcast on Spotify or SHOP THE PODCAST on our affiliate bookstore
Thank you for listening!
Charles H. Red Corn's Novel Elevates Osage Culture in KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON (Ep. 48)
In episode 48 of the podcast we talk about the film KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON with Dr. Moira RedCorn and her brother Yancey Red Corn, members of the Osage Nation. Yancey Red Corn appears in the Martin Scorsese film as Osage Chief Arthur Bonnicastle and Moira Red Corn was an extra in the film’s opening scene.
Yancy and Moira’s father, the late Charles H. Red Corn authored the novel, “A Pipe for February,” published by the University of Oklahoma Press over 10 years before David Grann’s book “Killers of the Flower Moon.” Both books were optioned and adapted for KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON. Moira and Yancey talk about how they witnessed their father’s book come to life in the film.
KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON is nominated for 10 Academy Awards™ including Best Actress for Golden Globe winner Lily Gladstone, Best Costume Design (Jacqueline West), Best Editing (Thelma Schoonmaker), Best Original Song (Scott George), Best Director (Martin Scorsese), and Best Picture.
Download the transcript for Episode 48
PLEASE NOTE: TRANSCRIPTS ARE GENERATED USING A COMBINATION OF SPEECH RECOGNITION SOFTWARE AND HUMAN TRANSCRIBERS, AND MAY CONTAIN ERRORS.
TIME STAMPS
0:08 - Introduction to Film and Podcast Guests
8:20 - “A Pipe for February” Puts Osage Culture in KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON
20:43 - Transmitting Osage culture and traditions
28:19 - Dual identity
41:52 - Break
42:29 - Oklahoma state bill and teaching Osage history
52:35 - KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON and Osage culture at Cannes
1:12:06 - Time Capsule
1:20:28 - Where to watch the film and purchase books
1:22:02 - Close
1:22:35 - Disclaimer
—--
STAY ENGAGED with HISTORICAL DRAMA WITH THE BOSTON SISTERS
SUBSCRIBE to the podcast on your favorite podcast platform
LISTEN to past past podcasts and bonus episodes
SIGN UP for our mailing list
SUPPORT this podcast on Spotify
SHOP THE PODCAST on our affiliate bookstore
Buy “A Pipe for February” by Charles H. Red Corn, and “Killers of the Flower Moon” by David Grann.
Thank you for listening!
RUSTIN: Unveiling Untold Stories, Reclaiming Hidden History (Ep. 47)
Colman Domingo is nominated for an Academy Award™ for his portrayal of civil rights activist and strategist Bayard Rustin in the biopic RUSTIN. This film and Bayard Rustin's life are the inspiration for our conversation with Robert Raben around organizing for justice and freedom, and reclaiming the hidden history of the foot soldiers of the movement.
Robert Raben, who grew up in the South, is founder of the March on Washington Film Festival, and the Raben Group, a strategic communications firm based in Washington, DC.
Directed by George C. Wolfe, RUSTIN tells the story of activist and organizer Bayard Rustin, the architect of 1963’s momentous March on Washington. Bayard Rustin challenged authority, never apologized for who he was, what he believed, or whom he desired. He clashed with his contemporaries and inner circle leaders of the civil rights movement, and energized youth to get involved in making change in America.
LANGUAGE Content: The word "horseshit" occurs at approximately 50:41
Download the transcript for Episode 47
PLEASE NOTE: TRANSCRIPTS ARE GENERATED USING A COMBINATION OF SPEECH RECOGNITION SOFTWARE AND HUMAN TRANSCRIBERS, AND MAY CONTAIN ERRORS.
0:08 - Baryard Rustin, forgotten Civil Rights leader
5:58 - Untold and Mis-told Stories
12:01 - Narrative film and social change
19:41 - Strategy and change in the Civil Rights Movement
30:48 BREAK
31:24 - American changemakers and revolutionary heroes (of social justice)
35:16 - Bayard Rustin, LGBTQ identity and social change
45:09 - Policy, legislation and social change
51:52 - We don't have a shared story
55:11 - Role of arts in social justice
1:00:05 - Race, Culture, and Storytelling
1:10:06 - Lightning Round
1:10:52 - Honoring Fannie Lou Hamer
1:14:00 - Closing (Stream, Like, Subscribe, Share)
1:15:54 - Disclaimer
STAY ENGAGED with HISTORICAL DRAMA WITH THE BOSTON SISTERS
SUBSCRIBE to the podcast on your favorite podcast platform
LISTEN to past past podcasts and bonus episodes
SIGN UP for our mailing list
SUPPORT this podcast on Spotify or SHOP THE PODCAST on our affiliate bookstore
Thank you for listening!
Special Anouncement from The Boston Sisters
We’re moving this month’s 4th Tues podcast to a LIVE podcast Wed, January 24th 7 pm ET with our reactions and predictions for historical drama Oscar® nominees.
We include a list of eligible historical drama films (1:24 timestamp) from 2023 in this video. Did we miss anything?
JOIN US! January 24th on Zoom Register to receive the link: https://bit.ly/Historical-Drama-Films-2023
Costumes That Bring History to Life (Ep. 46)
In episode 46 we talk with ERIC WINTERLING, founder and creative director for Eric Winterling, Inc. about making costumes for two popular series set in New York City in widely different time periods. THE GILDED AGE (HBO) and THE MARVELOUS MRS. MAISEL (Amazon Studios) have dazzled historical drama watchers and series fans with their show-stopper fashions. Eric’s New York City costume studio is where the period garments are constructed from designs by Kasia Walicka-Maimone for THE GILDED AGE; and Donna Zakowska, Emmy award winning designer for THE MARVELOUS MRS. MAISEL. Eric's dog, Bumpers also joins us for the first half of the conversation.
PLEASE NOTE: TRANSCRIPTS ARE GENERATED USING A COMBINATION OF SPEECH RECOGNITION SOFTWARE AND HUMAN TRANSCRIBERS, AND MAY CONTAIN ERRORS.
1:18 "That dress is going in the wrong direction"
1:41 Costuming 1880s and 1950s New York -- THE GILDED AGE and THE MARVELOUS MRS. MAISEL
3:08 Eric Winterling's costuming journey from gingham dog and Houston Grand Opera to Eric Winterling, Inc.
12:29 First Big Project: SHOGUN, The Musical and Broadway
15:23 Costuming Stage vs. Costuming Film -- "It really has to come down to the closures"
19:20 Clients: working with THE GILDED AGE and THE MARVELOUS MRS. MAISEL costume designers
27:05 Costume Construction Techniques and Fabrics
33:37 Podcast Generic Break
34:37 Corsets, "Under Structures" and Period Silhouettes
39:26 Sourcing and stocking the "right fabrics"
45:34 Showstopper Costumes: Enid Winterton's new social status and Midge Maisel's black dress in the Smithsonian
48:39 Midge Maisel's multiple costumes
52:14 Costume Design awards
54:33 What happens to costumes after a show ends
58:29 Lightning Round
STAY ENGAGED with HISTORICAL DRAMA WITH THE BOSTON SISTERS
LISTEN to past podcasts
SIGN UP for our mailing list to stay up-to-date on future episodes and bonus content. Find out how you support the reserach and production of the podcast by shopping in our affiliate bookstore and contributions.
SUBSCRIBE to the podcast on your favorite podcast platform
THE STING at 50: Reel to Real Cons and Scams (Ep. 45)
December 25, 2023 is the 50th anniversary of THE STING’s theatrical release. In episode 45, we talk about THE STING and real-life cons, big and small, with veteran casino operator GENO MUNARI. Geno brings behind-the-scenes connections to the film and stories from his work in the gambling and hospitality business, including 8 years at The Dunes Hotel and Country Club in Las Vegas. Geno Munari is author of The Dunes Hotel and Casino: The Mob, the Connections, the Stories; and Scams, Swindlers & Cheats: What Every Gambler & Casino Operator Should Know, where he reveals the secrets of the gambling underworld.
Winner of 7 Academy Awards including Best Picture, and Best Director for George Roy Hill, THE STING features Paul Newman and Robert Redford as two con men who team up to avenge the murder of a mutual friend by pulling off the ultimate big con to swindle a ruthless crime boss.
Download the TRANSCRIPT for Ep. 45 from this link.
PLEASE NOTE: TRANSCRIPTS ARE GENERATED USING A COMBINATION OF SPEECH RECOGNITION SOFTWARE AND HUMAN TRANSCRIBERS, AND MAY CONTAIN ERRORS.
----------
TIMESTAMPS
1:15 - 1973 THE STING & Impact
5:07 - Geno Munari (intro)
6:13 - The origins and types of confidence games
14:00 - Poker scene in movie "The Sting" with insights from Geno Munari
29:08 - Con games and scams in Las Vegas
32:04 - Break (30 sec)
33:56 - Greed, scams, and movie appearances
40:09 - Gambling, Las Vegas history, and book writing
46:05 - Classic Vegas, Lightening Round and time capsules with Geno Munari
48:48 Watch THE STING
49:03 Buy the "The Dunes . . ." book
-------
STAY ENGAGED with HISTORICAL DRAMA WITH THE BOSTON SISTERS
LISTEN to this episode and past podcasts.
SIGN UP for our mailing list
SUBSCRIBE to the podcast on your favorite podcast platform
You can SUPPORT this podcast on Spotify or SHOP THE PODCAST on our affiliate bookstore
Thank you for listening!
A Culinary Journey with JULIA and Janet Cam (Ep. 44)
JULIA, based on the life of the "French Chef" television star and cookbook author Julia Child, is back for a 2nd season on Max. This is our 2nd JULIA podcast conversation with wine expert and culinary strategist JANET CAM. Janet Cam was the co-founder of Washington, DC's storied Le Pavillon restaurant, the first nouvelle cuisine restaurant of its kind in the U.S. In the podcast we talk about the challenges for Julia and her aspirational fans in obtaining the best ingredients to recreate classic French dishes, women in the culinary industry, and Julia and Janet's journeys and adventures through wine and food in the U.S. and abroad.
Download the TRANSCRIPT for Ep. 44 from this link.
PLEASE NOTE: TRANSCRIPTS ARE GENERATED USING A COMBINATION OF SPEECH RECOGNITION SOFTWARE AND HUMAN TRANSCRIBERS, AND MAY CONTAIN ERRORS.
----------
TIMESTAMPS
1:11 - JULIA Season 2 Story Lines and Cast
2:52 - Janet Cam introduction
4:49 - Les Dames D'Escoffier: Food, Culture and Mentorship for Women
10:38 - Le Pavillon introducing nouvelle cuisine and innovation in traditional industry
16:09 - Culinary innovation and plating techniques
20:09 - Julia and Simca's battle of the cassoulet
23:50 - Cookbooks, techniques and cultural influence in American cuisine
26:52 - Food culture, history and legacy in America
28:04 - James Beard and fried chicken in France
32:01 - Julia and Paul Child's partnership marriage
32:07 - Confidence, support, and wine tasting
33:14 - BREAK
36:42 - Women breaking ground in history and food industry
42: 59 - Food and wine culture in Provence and Paris
55:50 - Where to stream JULIA
56:18 - Books to read
-------
STAY ENGAGED with HISTORICAL DRAMA WITH THE BOSTON SISTERS
LISTEN to past podcasts.
SIGN UP for our mailing list
SUBSCRIBE to the podcast on your favorite podcast platform
You can SUPPORT this podcast on Spotify or SHOP THE PODCAST on our affiliate bookstore
Thank you for listening!
Separate and Elite Society in THE GILDED AGE (Ep. 43)
In episode 43 we welcome back CARLA L. PETERSON (from Ep. 28), author of the 2011 book “Black Gotham: A Family History of African Americans in Nineteenth-Century New York City.” Carla takes us inside the parties, pleasures, and fashionable lifestyles of New York's Black middle class of the 19th century, and how the philsophy of "taste" informed the lives of that century's Black American elite. We also talk about how the separate and elite lives of 19th century New York “old money,” “new money,” and the Black elite are interpreted for the HBO series, THE GILDED AGE.
Carla’s book, “Black Gotham,” served as a resource for the creation of the Scott family in THE GILDED AGE now in its second season. THE GILDED AGE is created by Julian Fellowes (DOWNTON ABBEY).
Content note: The word “colored” is used in its African American historical context.
Download the TRANSCRIPT for Ep. 43 from this link.
PLEASE NOTE: TRANSCRIPTS ARE GENERATED USING A COMBINATION OF SPEECH RECOGNITION SOFTWARE AND HUMAN TRANSCRIBERS, AND MAY CONTAIN ERRORS.
----------
TIMESTAMPS
04:24 Taste in 19th century African American community
08:48 Taste, morality, and community in 19th century Manhattan (New York)
14:31 Fashion as linguistic code
19:12 Black pleasure in 19th century New York
24:47 Art and social status in 19th century New York
35:41 BREAK
37:06 Education and Black Upward Mobility
44:51 Tuskegee Institute/Booker T. Washington and The Talented Tenth/W.E.B. DuBois
48:38 Race, identity and strategic passing
53:12 Upstairs/Downstairs and Capital/Labor Plots
1:01 What if a Scott Family sequel
1:06:04 Where to watch THE GILDED AGE
STAY ENGAGED with HISTORICAL DRAMA WITH THE BOSTON SISTERS
LISTEN to past podcasts.
SIGN UP for our mailing list
SUBSCRIBE to the podcast on your favorite podcast platform
You can SUPPORT this podcast on Spotify or SHOP THE PODCAST on our affiliate bookstore
Thank you for listening!
"By Request" THE GREAT - Comedy & Joy of Food (Ep. 42)
Episode 42 features THE GREAT “by request” by podcast subscriber MARSHA WEINER and a conversation with SAM DIXON, food stylist for THE GREAT’s 2nd and 3rd seasons for a behind-the-scenes look at food in the satirical comic series about the rise of Catherine the Great.
THE GREAT was created by Tony McNamara and features Elle Fanning as the idealistic future ruler of Russia, Catherine the Great; and Nicholas Hoult as her offensive yet charming foodie husband, Peter III. THE GREAT ran for 3 seasons and is available on Hulu.
Download the TRANSCRIPT for Ep. 42 from this link.
PLEASE NOTE: TRANSCRIPTS ARE GENERATED USING A COMBINATION OF SPEECH RECOGNITION SOFTWARE AND HUMAN TRANSCRIBERS, AND MAY CONTAIN ERRORS.
----------
TIMESTAMPS
0:08 Podcast Opening
2:07 THE GREAT, an occasionally true story of Catherine the Great
4:11 By Request with Marsha Weiner
13:57 Sam Dixon, food styling THE GREAT
17:05 How food adds to comedy or food styling historical drama
23:13 Interpreting food for actors
29:57 How food reveals character
34:18 Lightning Round: Antoine (Marie-Antoine) Carême, Georgian era chef, Time Capsule Jelly Molds, Friends Dancing, Snorkel, Bag of Crisps
STAY ENGAGED with HISTORICAL DRAMA WITH THE BOSTON SISTERS
LISTEN to past podcasts
SIGN UP for our mailing list
SUBSCRIBE to the podcast on your favorite podcast platform
You can SUPPORT this podcast on Spotify or SHOP THE PODCAST on our affiliate bookstore
Thank you for listening!
WORLD ON FIRE Sparks a New MASTERPIECE Season (Ep. 41)
We welcome back Susanne Simpson, Executive Producer of the PBS drama series MASTERPIECE and MASTERPIECE MYSTERY! for a preview of new and continuing dramas with a special focus on WORLD ON FIRE, now in its second season on PBS MASTERPIECE.
Created by Peter Bowker, WORLD ON FIRE is an adrenalized, emotionally gripping, and resonant World War II drama that follows the intertwining fates of ordinary people in multiple countries as they grapple with the effects of war on their everyday lives. Season 2 picks up in late 1940, taking viewers from the war-torn streets of Britain deep into Nazi Germany, the resistance within occupied France, and the brutal sands of the North African desert—where troops struggle to adapt to a very different kind of combat.
0:08 Historical Drama with The Boston Sisters
1:12 - WORLD ON FIRE Synopsis
5:02 - Susanne Simpson MASTERPIECE season 2023-2024 highlights
6:49 - NOLLY w/Helena Bonham Carter
8:56 - Telling the story of World War 2 through individual lives
15:09 - WORLD ON FIRE production, writer and scholar
18:51 - Producing a global multilingual series
22:58 - Strong and Interesting Women in WORLD ON FIRE
27:12 - Marga's Story and Nazi Germany's Lebensborn Program
35:35 - Watch and Stream WORLD ON FIRE
35:56 - Like, Share, Subscribe this podcast
37:30 - Disclaimer
-----
Download the TRANSCRIPT for Episode 41
PLEASE NOTE: TRANSCRIPTS ARE GENERATED USING A COMBINATION OF SPEECH RECOGNITION SOFTWARE AND HUMAN TRANSCRIBERS, AND MAY CONTAIN ERRORS.
STAY ENGAGED with HISTORICAL DRAMA WITH THE BOSTON SISTERS
LISTEN to past podcasts
SIGN UP for our mailing list
SUBSCRIBE to the podcast on your favorite podcast platform
You can SUPPORT this podcast on Spotify or SHOP THE PODCAST on our affiliate bookstore
Thank you for listening!
THE WAY WE WERE - Romance & Politics 50 Years Later (Ep. 40)
Episode 40 features a conversation with ROBERT HOFLER, author of "The Way They Were: How Epic Battles and Bruised Egos Brought a Classic Hollywood Love Story to the Screen" (Citadel Press, 2023) about the behind-the-scenes stories about the inspiration and making of the iconic 1973 film THE WAY WE WERE (Columbia Pictures) directed by Sydney Pollack featuring Barbra Streisand and Robert Redford, and based on the novel by Arthur Laurents.
Our conversation with Robert Hofler coincides with the 50th anniversary of the film’s release, and focuses on its relevance today.
Podcast notes: (1) There are SPOILERS in this conversation - a warning for persons who’ve never seen THE WAY WE WERE. (2) Robert Hofler quotes Barbra Streisand who used the Yiddish word, “schtuped” (twice approx. 1:02:06) — a word some consider vulgar — to describe a love scene in the film. (3) After our recording, we learned that the deleted scenes from THE WAY WE WERE mentioned in this podcast will be available in a special 4K Blu-Ray 50th Anniversary package from Sony Pictures Entertainment.
TIMESTAMPS
0:08 Historical Drama with The Boston Sisters
1:21 “The Way They Were” Book Synopsis
2:27 “The Way We Were” film's impact
4:37 Intro to Robert Hofler, author
5:34 “The Way We Were,” a controversial film
9:45 Arthur Laurents, “The Way We Were” creator
23:32 Impact of “The Way We Were” on Romance Genre
35:24 Break
36:02 Challenges and Changes Making “The Way We Were”
43:34 Window to Hollywood Blacklists/Mirror of 1970s
48:12 Film and Politics
59:36 “The Way We Were” Relevance Today
1:09:06 Time Travel
1:11:05 Watching “The Way We Were”
1:11:42 Where to purchase “The Way They Were” book
1:12:59 Disclaimer
-----
PLEASE NOTE: TRANSCRIPTS ARE GENERATED USING A COMBINATION OF SPEECH RECOGNITION SOFTWARE AND HUMAN TRANSCRIBERS, AND MAY CONTAIN ERRORS.
STAY ENGAGED with HISTORICAL DRAMA WITH THE BOSTON SISTERS
LISTEN to past podcasts
SIGN UP for our mailing list
SUBSCRIBE to the podcast on your favorite podcast platform
You can SUPPORT this podcast on Spotify or SHOP THE PODCAST on our affiliate bookstore
Thank you for listening!
OPPENHEIMER: Paradox of a "Humanist Scientist" (Ep. 39)
In episode 39, we talk with Pulitzer Prize-winning historian and journalist Kai Bird about the Christopher Nolan film OPPENHEIMER, based on the 2005 biography "American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer" co-authored by Kai Bird and the late Martin J. Sherwin. The conversation focuses on the theoretical physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer's formation and struggles before, during and after the top-secret Manhattan Project. In 1943, Oppenheimer assembled the greatest scientific minds of the time in Los Alamos, New Mexico to create the first atomic bomb. The Manhattan Project achieved that goal with the successful detonation of the atomic bomb, known as the Trinity Test. That success would change the course of history and humanity for all time.
CONTENT NOTE (LANGUAGE): at 53:15, the speaker quotes from President Harry Truman's 1945 handwritten diary (discovered by historians in the 1970s) where Truman writes about a cable from the "Jap Emperor."
TIME STAMPS
0:08 Podcast Intro
1:18 Oppenheimer Film and American Prometheus Biography
4:38 Kia Bird Biography and Books
6:15 Kia Bird reacts to OPPENHEIMER
8:28 A film faithful to the book
12:16 OPPENHEIMER as boost to American Prometheus
14:04 Bird and Sherwin Writing American Prometheus: A Great Collaboration
23:28 Synthesizing Quantum Physics OR Oppenheimer, "Not A Nerdy Scientist"
28:45 BREAK
29:22 Ethical Culture School: Philosophy and Science
32:53 Ethics of atomic bomb development for WW2
42:57 Decision to drop atomic bomb on Japan
50:20 Atomic bomb impacts on Los Alamos communities
52:36 Women, Science, and Oppenheimer
57:25 Oppenheimer as Mirror of the Present: Nuclear Weapons, McCarthyism, Arguing History
1:02:00 Lightning Round: Figuring Out My Own Time
1:05:16 Where to find OPPENHEIMER film and American Prometheus
1:06: 38 Subscribe, Share, Like Historical Drama w/The Boston Sisters
1:107:10 Disclaimer
-------
Download the TRANSCRIPT for Episode 39
Re transcripts: PLEASE NOTE: TRANSCRIPTS ARE GENERATED USING A COMBINATION OF SPEECH RECOGNITION SOFTWARE AND HUMAN TRANSCRIBERS, AND MAY CONTAIN ERRORS.
STAY ENGAGED with HISTORICAL DRAMA WITH THE BOSTON SISTERS
LISTEN to past podcasts
SIGN UP for our mailing list
SUBSCRIBE to the podcast on your favorite podcast platform
You can SUPPORT this podcast on Spotify or SHOP THE PODCAST on our affiliate bookstore
Thank you for listening!
Sanditon Sisterhood's Fandom Victory (Ep. 38)
In Episode 39 we talk about the impact of fandom with JULIET CREESE and MONI SENGUPTA from the Sanditon Sisterhood Strategy Group. SANDITON was supposed to be gone for good when ITV in the U.K. canceled the series in its first season and before its U.S. premiere on PBS MASTERPIECE in 2020. But the Sanditon Sisterhood Strategy Group with the fandom were determined not to let this series, inspired by Jane Austen’s unfinished novel, come to a sad ending. The Sanditon Sisterhood #SaveSanditon campaign helped restore SANDITON for two additional seasons. The 3rd season brought the story to its conclusion. Did SANDITON fans get the Jane Austen-ending they were hoping for?
TIME STAMPS
34:25 Taking Fans Behind the Scenes of SANDITON
45:10 Learning Lessons/Making Friends
48:34 Breach Beach Sand Art Campaign
50:22 Series Endings (Spoiler Alert)
58:04 Working Class Stories in Austen
59:37 Sanditon Sisterhood Charities
1:01:36 Continuing Friendships
1:05:15 Sanditon Sisterhood Social Media
1:07:46 What Jane Austen Novel Would You Be a Character In?
1:11:34 Which 3 items would you put in a Time Capsule?
1:15:55 Watching SANDITON & Pocast Credits
1:16:27 Disclaimer
Re transcripts: PLEASE NOTE: TRANSCRIPTS ARE GENERATED USING A COMBINATION OF SPEECH RECOGNITION SOFTWARE AND HUMAN TRANSCRIBERS, AND MAY CONTAIN ERRORS.
STAY ENGAGED with HISTORICAL DRAMA WITH THE BOSTON SISTERS
LISTEN to past podcasts
SIGN UP for our mailing list
SUBSCRIBE to the podcast on your favorite podcast platform
You can SUPPORT this podcast on Spotify or SHOP THE PODCAST on our affiliate bookstore
Thank you for listening!
BONUS Episode 7 | TIME TRAVEL 2023
“If you could travel back in time, where would you go and why?”
This is our 2nd TIME TRAVEL Bonus episode. We picked 5 guest responses to our time travel question from the 2nd season of the podcast. Go back in time with:
NAHIR OTAÑO GRACIA, Medievalist and scholar who joined us for a conversation about the Netflix series VIKINGS VALHALLA;
PEARL MACKIE who appears in the PBS MASTERPIECE series’s reimagining of British author Henry Fielding’s 18th century comic novel, TOM JONES;
JULIAN LEDFORD, a french literature and language professor who shared his thoughts on the film CHEVALIER and the real-life composer Joseph Bologne the Chevalier de Saint George;
GAYLE WALD, English professor and biographer of Sister Rosetta Tharpe, one of the rock and roll trailblazers of the 20th century depicted in the biopic ELVIS;
and JOHN VALADEZ, a Peabody Award-winning filmmaker whose 2007 documentary THE HEAD OF JOAQUIN MURIETA just happens to be the same title and topic of the 2023 western drama series on Amazon Prime about the legendary Mexican outlaw Joaquin Murieta.
Time Stamps
0:08 Intro
0:49 Time Travel Lightning Round
2:34 Nahir Ortaño Gracia/Middle Ages, A Time of Possibility
6:50 Pearl Mackie/Civil Rights Movement, A Time of Power
9:20 Julien Ledford/18th Century Musicologist
11:24 Gayle Wald/To See the Blues Queens On Stage For Real
13:57 John Valadez/Going Into the Great Unknown
19:03 Audience/Tell Us Where You Would Time Travel
19:38 How to Contact
20:46 Disclaimer
TRANSCRIPT AVAILABLE AT THIS LINK - PLEASE NOTE: TRANSCRIPTS ARE GENERATED USING A COMBINATION OF SPEECH RECOGNITION SOFTWARE AND HUMAN TRANSCRIBERS, AND MAY CONTAIN ERRORS.
STAY ENGAGED with HISTORICAL DRAMA WITH THE BOSTON SISTERS
LISTEN to past podcasts starting with the guests featured in this bonus episode
SIGN UP for our mailing list
SUBSCRIBE to the podcast on your favorite podcast platform
You can SUPPORT this podcast with a monthly donation on Spotify or SHOP THE PODCAST on our affiliate bookstore
Thank you for listening!
From Page to Screen (Ep. 37)
In Episode 37, the Boston Sisters (Michon and Taquiena) wrap up their second podcast season with 5 great Book/Film recommendations for Summer reading and watch lists. Film and series adaptations premiere this fall through 2024, with a few titles available for streaming now!
DAISY JONES & THE SIX (streaming on Amazon)
PACHINKO (part 1 is streaming on Apple TV+, part 2 in 2024)
KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON (coming to theaters in October)
THE COLOR PURPLE movie musical (coming to theaters in December)
A GENTLEMAN IN MOSCOW (in production, anticipated to stream in 2024)
Scroll to the end of this podcast description for the transcript link.
0:08 Intro to Historical Drama with The Boston Sisters
0:47 Page to Screen Podcast Synopsis
2:38 “Daisy Jones & the Six” by Taylor Jenkins Reid
13:11 “Pachinko” by Min Jin Lee
23:45 Page vs Screen
25:08 “Killers of the Flower” Moon by David Grann
31:40 “The Color Purple” musical adapted from novel by Alice Walker
39:33 Representation Controversies in “The Color Purple”
41:58 “A Gentleman in Moscow” by Amor Towles
52:00 For More Book Information for Affiliate Bookstore Purchases
54:11 Disclaimer
PODCAST NOTES: The Boston Sisters were born and live in Washington, DC. We like to acknowledge persons from our hometown which include Taraji P. Henson, and Corey Hawkins in our discussion about THE COLOR PURPLE. Henson is an alum of Howard University (like Taquiena), and Hawkins is an alum of the Duke Ellington School of the Arts (like Michon).
J. Edgar Hoover (1895-1972), mentioned in our discussion about KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON, was also born in DC and graduated in 1913 from the then segregated (for white students only) Central High School known today as Cardozo.
We mention Billy Taylor and Charles Kuralt in our conversation about “The Color Purple” author Alice Walker. The Sisterfire music festival was produced by DC-based Roadwork Productions. Michon was doing PR for the festival and invited jazz composer, performer and then CBS “Sunday Morning” television correspondent Billy Taylor (1921-2010) to feature one of the festival’s performing groups on the CBS magazine show. Taylor’s colleague, CBS “Sunday Morning” host, journalist and author Charles Kuralt (1934-1997), was seen at the festival that year. Alice Walker was also at the festival.
Re transcripts: PLEASE NOTE: TRANSCRIPTS ARE GENERATED USING A COMBINATION OF SPEECH RECOGNITION SOFTWARE AND HUMAN TRANSCRIBERS, AND MAY CONTAIN ERRORS.
STAY ENGAGED with HISTORICAL DRAMA WITH THE BOSTON SISTERS
LISTEN to past podcasts
SIGN UP for our mailing list
SUBSCRIBE to the podcast on your favorite podcast platform
You can SUPPORT this podcast on SpotifyforPodcasters or SHOP THE PODCAST for the books mentioned in this podcast and past episodes on our affiliate bookstore
Thank you for listening!
CHEVALIER (Ep. 36)
Professor of French and French Studies (University of the South) JULIAN LEDFORD brings to life the historical Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-George who is dramatized in the film CHEVALIER by Kelvin Harrison Junior in the title role. CHEVALIER highlights Joseph Bologne’s improbable rise in French society as a celebrated violinist-composer, horseman, and fencer. Saint-George is bestowed the title of Chevalier by the French Royal Court and is a favorite of Marie Antoinette Ledford shines the light on the many accomplishments and provides the social and cultural context in which Chevalier de Saint-George was acclaimed, including his transcendence of France’s racial codes in the 18th century.
Julian Ledford, Assistant Professor of French and French Studies at the University of the South in Sewanee, Tennessee. Professor Ledford specializes in early-modern French and Francophone literature with a particular focus on Joseph Bologne, the Chevalier de Saint-George, and 18th-century women writers' contributions to discussions on masculinities.
Professor Ledford’s additional research interests include ethnic, racial, and sexual alterity in the early 18th century; French Baroque opera; and second language teaching and learning. Professor Ledford’s article “Joseph Boulogne, the Chevalier de Saint-George and the Problem With Black Mozart” appeared in the Journal of Black Studies in 2019.
TIMESTAMPS
0:08 - Intro to Historical Drama with The Boston Sisters (Podcast Intro)
1:27 - CHEVALIER Film synopsis
3:46 - Julian Ledford Introduction
4:45 - Discovering Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-George
11:39 - The Problem with “Black Mozart”
18:22 - Saint-George’s Musical Contemporaries
23:32 - The Magnetism of Saint-George
29:08 - Break
29:39 - Africans and Black Codes in 18th Century France
35:33 - Saint-George and “Black Excellence”
41:58 - Saint-George’s Contributions to Classical Music
43:57 - Student Reactions to CHEVALIER
47:36 - “Ernestine,” Saint-George’s First Opera
50:10 - Impact of the CHEVALIER Film
52: 55 - Lightning Round: Becoming Saint-George's Musicologist, Historian, Documenter
Jamaican Flag, Music Note, Compass
57:30 - Where to Watch CHEVALIER Online (CHEVALIER available for streaming June 2023)
57:57 - Connect with Historical Drama with The Boston Sisters
59:25 - Podcast Credits and Disclaimers
STAY ENGAGED with HISTORICAL DRAMA WITH THE BOSTON SISTERS
LISTEN to past podcasts
SIGN UP for our mailing list
SUBSCRIBE to the podcast on your favorite podcast platform
You can SUPPORT this podcast on Anchor or SHOP THE PODCAST on our affiliate bookstore
Thank you for listening!
Pearl Mackie Reimagines Honour in TOM JONES (Ep. 35)
In episode 35 we’re talking with actor PEARL MACKIE (THE DIPLOMAT, DOCTOR WHO) about the PBS MASTERPIECE mini series TOM JONES. Pearl Mackie plays Honour Newton, the worldly-wise trusted lady’s maid of Sophia Western (Sophie Wilde) in a 4-part reimagining of Henry Fielding’s comic novel, "The History of Tom Jones, A Foundling," published in 1749. We discuss the dynamics of Honour and Sophia’s relationship, the challenge of riding a horse while wearing a corset, and living as two Black women from different social standings in mid-18th century England.
TIMESTAMPS: 0:08 Historical Drama with The Boston Sisters generic intro; 1:14 Episode Synopsis; 1:41 TOM JONES Synopsis; 2:15 PEARL MACKIE bio/credits; 3:38 Playing Honour Newton, Lady’s Maid; 8:42 Corsets and Horses; 12:40 Honour and Sophia in TOM JONES; 13:52 Black Women in Historical Drama; 20:41 Honour Assesses Tom Jones’s Character; 24:47 Podcast Break; 25:18 Listening to Actors; 30:47 Black Women Actors and Maid Roles; 41:28 Inclusive Casting in Historical Drama; 45:10 Lighting Round Questions; 45:31 Time Travel (1960S Civil Rights and Medieval Shield Maidens); 45:49 Pearl Mackie’s Time Capsule (Spice Girls, Tamagotchi, and Blow-Up Chairs) ; 48:00 Where to Watch TOM JONES; 49:17 Podcast Closing Credits; 50:18 Disclaimer
STAY ENGAGED with HISTORICAL DRAMA WITH THE BOSTON SISTERS
LISTEN to past podcasts
SIGN UP for our mailing list
SUBSCRIBE to the podcast on your favorite podcast platform
You can SUPPORT this podcast on Anchor or SHOP THE PODCAST on our affiliate bookstore
Thank you for listening!
THE HEAD OF JOAQUÍN MURRIETA -- How The West Was Lost (Ep. 34)
In episode 34 Peabody award-winning documentary filmmaker JOHN VALADEZ joins us for a conversation about THE HEAD OF JOAQUÍN MURRIETA, the Amazon Prime Western action drama series that shares the same title as Valadez’s 2017 PBS documentary. In his film Valadez believes he has the actual head of Joaquín Murrieta, the legendary Mexican outlaw who blazed a trail of revenge across California until he was caught and decapitated in 1853. Valadez talks about the violent untold stories of the Gold Rush years after the U.S. Mexico war which serves as the backdrop for the 8-part drama featuring Juan Manuel Bernal as a mischievous Joaquín Murrieta. Viewer Note: The Amazon Prime 8-part series, THE HEAD OF JOAQUIN MURRIETA, is rated 18+ for violence, language, nudity. The series is in Spanish (original language) with subtitles (set for language). English track is available
A link to John Valadez's PBS documentary "The Head of Joaquin Murrieta" is available on the HISTORICAL DRAMA WITH THE BOSTON SISTERS podcast webpage (for a limited time). Go to the link for Episode 34.
TIMESTAMPS
0:08 Historical Drama with The Boston Sisters podcast open; 1:17 Introducing John Valadez, documentary filmmaker; 3:13 The Head of Joaquin Murrieta synopsis; 4:39 Joaquin Murrieta, Icon of Chicano Pride; 6:07 The Mexican American Story in U.S. History; 8:29 Mexican Americans and Race; 10:18 Myths vs History of the American West; 17:02 What's Missing in School History Classes; 19:28 U.S. History from Multiple Perspectives; 25:28 History -- Darn Good Stories; 26:47 BREAK; 27:57 Mexican American Lynchings History; 32:45 Creating A New American Story (or America Was Never White); 37:54 History and Documentary Filmmaking (or Teaching History in Documentary Filmmaking); 49:26 Lightning Round: Visiting the Future, Talking to Ancestors, Film Time Capsule; 50:15 Traveling to the Future; 50:38 Talking to Ancestors; 53:56 John Valadez's Time Capsule; 56:31 Historical Drama with The Boston Sisters Close, Credits and Disclaimer
STAY ENGAGED with HISTORICAL DRAMA WITH THE BOSTON SISTERS
LISTEN to past podcasts
SIGN UP for our mailing list
SUBSCRIBE to the podcast on your favorite podcast platform
You can SUPPORT this podcast on Anchor or SHOP THE PODCAST on our affiliate bookstore
Thank you for listening!
SANDITON Wrap Up! Part 2 (Ep. 33)
In Part 2 of our SANDITON Wrap-Up!, we talk about Georgiana Lambe, the heiress from Antigua who, in season 3, must defend and secure her inheritance as well as her reputation. Joining us in this conversation is SHARON D. JOHNSON, depth psychologist and story consultant to SANDITON.
Georgiana has been on a dedicated search for her mother, who was an enslaved African woman sold away by Georgiana’s father, a white wealthy sugar planter separating mother and daughter. The heiress’s search comes to an end in season 3, and Georgiana’s longings for her mother shed new light on where her true love resides.
DOWNLOAD TRANSCRIPT
Timestamps:
0:08 Podcast Opening; 1:16 Georgiana Lambe; 3:13 Court Battle for Georgiana's Inheritance; 5:59 Georgiana's Quest -- to Find Mother; 12:01 Mrs. Wheatley and Family Connections; 16:29 Introduction to Agnes Harmon; 17:52 Daughter and Mother Healing; 32:48 What's Next for Sharon D. Johnson; 35:14 Where to watch SANDITON; 35:34 Stay Connected to Historical Drama with The Boston Sisters
Link to Part 1/Episode 32 (Marriage, Friendship, and Love) of our SANDITON Wrap Up!
STAY ENGAGED with HISTORICAL DRAMA WITH THE BOSTON SISTERS
- LISTEN to past podcasts
- SIGN UP for our mailing list
- SUBSCRIBE to the podcast on your favorite podcast platform
- You can SUPPORT this podcast on Anchor or SHOP THE PODCAST on our affiliate bookstore
Thank you for listening!
SANDITON Wrap Up! Part 1 (Ep. 32)
The Boston Sisters welcome back SHARON D. JOHNSON, script and story consultant for MASTERPIECE and SANDITON. In part 1 of a 2-part conversation, we focus on the themes of Marriage, Love, and Friendship between new and familiar characters over the past 3 seasons of the series based on Jane Austen’s unfinished novel written a few months before her death in 1817. SANDITON is the story of independent-minded women making their way in a world where a woman’s social and economic status centers on making a good match in marriage. The series is available on PBS MASTERPIECE.
0:08 - Podcast Opening; 1:27 Sanditon Part 1 Intro; 1:58 SHARON D. JOHNSON Intro; 2:22 SANDITON Season 1 Synopsis; 3:49 SANDITON Season 2 Synopsis; 4:53 SANDITON Season 3 Preview; 7:09 Emotions of Coming to the End of SANDITON; 11:18 Love and Myth Busting in SANDITON 3; 17:47 Charlotte and Ralph Starling; 21:38 Tom and Mary Parker or Displacement, People and Profit in SANDITON; 29:46 Podcast generic BREAK; 30:45 Charlotte and Georgiana's Friendship; 35:11 Edward Denham's Conversion; 42:35 What Would Jane Austen Say About SANDITON?; 47:34 Preview for SANDITON Part 2 with Sharon D. Johnson; 48:21 Where to Watch SANDITON; 48:40 How to Like, Share, Subscribe to the podcast
STAY ENGAGED with HISTORICAL DRAMA WITH THE BOSTON SISTERS
LISTEN to past podcasts
SIGN UP for our mailing list
SUBSCRIBE to the podcast on your favorite podcast platform
You can SUPPORT this podcast on Anchor or SHOP THE PODCAST on our affiliate bookstore
Thank you for listening!
VIKINGS: VALHALLA Beyond the Unknown Viking World (Ep. 31)
In Episode 31 our conversation about VIKINGS VALHALLA continues with NAHIR OTAÑO GRACIA, a medieval scholar whose “Global North Atlantic” extends the Viking story from the North Sea to the Iberian Peninsula, Mediterranean, and the tip of North Africa. We talk about how the Vikings’s travels and encounters changed their culture and destinies as seen in VIKINGS: VALHALLA.
Nahir Otaño Gracia, is Assistant Professor of English at the University of New Mexico and a Member of the Institute for Advanced Studies located in Princeton, NJ (IAS). Her theoretical frameworks include Critical Race Studies, Translation Theory and Practice, and the Global North Atlantic—extending the North Atlantic to include the Iberian Peninsula and Africa. She has published several articles on literatures written in Middle English, Old Castilian, Old Catalan, Old Irish, and Old Norse-Icelandic, and they have appeared in journals such as "Arthuriana," "Comitatus," "Enarratio," "English Language Notes," and "Viator." Her essay, “Towards a Decentered Global North Atlantic,” won the 2022 Medieval Academy of America Article Prize in Critical Race Studies.
0:08 - Intro to Historical Drama with The Boston Sisters ((generic open); 1:20 - VIKINGS: VALHALLA Seasons 1 & 2 Recap; 2:47 - Nahir Otaño Gracia & Her Journey to Medieval Scholarship (Medieval Studies); 5:28 - Mapping the Global North Atlantic; 8:36 - Recovering Medieval History -- Not Just White and Male; 12:37 - Port Cities and Cultural Encounters; 17:26 - Shield Maidens, Scholars and Queens (Medieval Womanhood)
22:37 - Break
23:08- Religious Conflicts in the Middle Ages; 32:01 - Mariam, Muslim Scholar in Vikings: Valhalla; 35:17 - Middle Ages: A Time of Possibility
38:24 LIGHTNING ROUND Questions
STAY ENGAGED with HISTORICAL DRAMA WITH THE BOSTON SISTERS
LISTEN to past podcasts
SIGN UP for our mailing list
SUBSCRIBE to the podcast on your favorite podcast platform
You can SUPPORT this podcast on Anchor or SHOP THE PODCAST on our affiliate bookstore
Thank you for listening!
VIKINGS: VALHALLA Fires Up Viking History (Ep. 30)
Ep. 30 gives you a “watchers guide” to Viking dramas available for streaming starting with VIKINGS: VALHALLA now in its second season on Netflix. Alex Chisnall, host of the popular business podcast Screw It Just Do It, is our guest and guide. We met Alex via the Clubhouse social media app where he gave podcasters like us the incentive, courage, and a road map to just do it and launch Historical Drama with The Boston Sisters. Alex, who is close to Viking history in the UK and shares our enthusiasm for history, got us curious about VIKINGS: VALHALLA, and other Viking-themed dramas (see below) currently available on streaming services.
Alex Chisnall started his audio career with BBC Radio in the 1990s before deciding to travel the world working for Virgin Atlantic Airlines. He founded his podcast agency, Podpreneur, after the success of his own podcast literally changed his life. Alex Chisnall's podcast Screw It Just Do It is a #1 rated business show downloaded in over 180+ countries from the UK to Uganda. (Recorded 2/20/23)
Set over a thousand years ago in the early 11th century, VIKINGS: VALHALLA chronicles the exploits of some of the most famous Vikings from history — the legendary explorer Leif Eriksson (Sam Corlett), his courageous warrior sister Freydis Eriksdotter (Frida Gustavsson), and the ambitious Nordic prince Harald Sigurdsson (Leo Suter). Season Two begins after the tragic fall of Kattegat; an event that has shattered the main characters’ dreams and altered their destinies. Finding themselves suddenly fugitives in Scandinavia Leif , Harald, and Freydis are forced to test their ambitions and courage in worlds beyond the fjords of Kattegat. VIKINGS: VALHALLA is a sequel to the HIstory Channel’s VIKINGS series helmed by Michael Hirst. Created by Jeb Stuart (Die Hard, The Fugitive), VIKINGS: VALHALLA is set 100 years later towards the end of the Viking era 1066.
Ep. 30 Time stamps
1:22 Vikings: Valhalla synopsis; 2:27: Alex Chisnall, podpreneur and Vikings enthusiast; 3:51 Vikings in UK History; 6:34 King Canute in VIKINGS: VALHALLA and the Real King Cnut the Great; 11:13 Leadership styles of Viking and Saxon Monarchs; 15:19 Leif Erikson; 18:55 Watchers Guide to Vikings Series: Where to Begin ; 23:17 Lightning Round Questions; 28:15 Where to Watch Vikings Dramas; 29:15 Episode 31 Preview (VIKINGS: VALHALLA continues) with Nahir Ortaño Gracia; 29:47 Closing and Credits
STAY ENGAGED with HISTORICAL DRAMA WITH THE BOSTON SISTERS
LISTEN to past podcasts
SIGN UP for our mailing list
SUBSCRIBE to the podcast on your favorite podcast platform
You can SUPPORT this podcast on Anchor or SHOP THE PODCAST on our affiliate bookstore
Thank you for listening!
Beale Street Roots in "ELVIS" (Ep. 29)
In Ep, 29 we talk about the Baz Luhrmann film ELVIS with GAYLE WALD, George Washington University professor of American Studies and author of Shout, Sister, Shout! The Untold Story of Rock-and-Roll Trailblazer Sister Rosetta Tharpe. Our conversation extends to Black musicians and music traditions that shaped Elvis Presley’s music and how that aspect of Elvis’s story is dramatized in this 2022 biopic.
Wald's Rosetta Tharpe biography has been adapted into a musical, "Shout Sister Shout!," with book by Cheryl L. West, premiering at Ford's Theater in Washington, DC in March 2023. You can purchase Wald's "Shout, Sister, Shout!..." book from the podcast's affiliate bookstore on bookshop.org. This conversation was recorded 2/13/23.
TIME STAMPS
0:08 Historical Drama...generic open
1:17 Introduction to ELVIS podcast
1:54: ELVIS, the movie, synopsis
3:11 Austin Butler's performance
3:46 Gayle Wald introduction
7:30 Family, Race, and Music in ELVIS
9:30 Memphis and Nashville Music Hubs (Gospel, Blues, Rock-and-Roll, Country)
12:07 Black Music Traditions in ELVIS
16:23 BB King and Elvis Presley's relationship
20:45 Sister Rosetta Tharpe
26:09 Gospel Music and Social Commentary
31:01 BREAK
31:38 Little Richard -- Pushing Gender Boundaries
34:19 Elvis Presley Smashing Conventions (Austin Butler)
37:31 Elvis and Colonel Tom Parker: Popular Music and Commerce
40:52 Elvis and the Black Community
46:14 Black Music Today: Impacts of Gospel, Blues, Rock-and-Roll
47:58 Lightning Round Questions
53:20 Ep. 29 Outro
54:34 Historical Drama generic Outro
------
STAY ENGAGED with HISTORICAL DRAMA WITH THE BOSTON SISTERS
LISTEN to past podcasts
SIGN UP for our mailing list
SUBSCRIBE to the podcast on your favorite podcast platform
You can SUPPORT this podcast on Anchor or SHOP THE PODCAST on our affiliate bookstore
Thank you for listening!
"Black Gotham" in "THE GILDED AGE" (Ep. 28)
Episode 28 features a conversation with CARLA L. PETERSON, author of the 2011 book “Black Gotham: A Family History of African Americans in Nineteenth-Century New York City.” Professor Peterson’s book served as a resource for the creation of the characters, story, and the Black community in HBO’s THE GILDED AGE.
Part detective tale, part social and cultural narrative, "Black Gotham" is Carla Peterson's riveting account of her quest to reconstruct the lives of her nineteenth-century ancestors. As she shares their stories and those of their friends, neighbors, and business associates, she illuminates the greater history of African-American elites in New York City. (Source: Yale University Press)
Carla L. Peterson is professor emerita in the Department of English at the University of Maryland, College Park, and a specialist in nineteenth-century African American literary and cultural studies. In addition to "Black Gotham: A Family History of African Americans in Nineteenth-Century New York City" (published in 2011) she has published numerous essays and a second book "Doers of the Word: African-American Women Speakers and Writers in the North, 1830-1880" (1995). Carla Peterson is currently at work on a new project, "Urbanity and Taste: The Making of African American Modernity in Antebellum New York and Philadelphia."
Recorded 1/13/23
Download the transcript for Ep. 28 from this link.
TIMESTAMPS
0:08 Podcast Generic Open
1:21 Introduction to Black Gotham and The Gilded Age Conversation
3:55 Carla Peterson Introduction
5:07 Black Family History
12:42 Historical Resources and Detective Work
22:00 New York's Black Cosmopolitans
29:42 Southern Slave Economy and Northern White Wealth
38:26 Break
29:03 The Scott Family in HBO's "The Gilded Age"
44:11 Peggy and Arthur Scott: Class, Gender, and Generational Conflict
47:41 Who Has Taste? Black Education, Peggy Scott and Agnes van Rhijn
54:41 Lightning Round: Conversation with Ancestors, Thomas Downing, Interracial Stories, and Stories of the Black Elite
1:06:07 Stay Connected with Historical Drama with The Boston Sisters
1:07 Boilerplate Closing
STAY ENGAGED with HISTORICAL DRAMA WITH THE BOSTON SISTERS
LISTEN to past podcasts including bonus episodes, "Women & Power in THE GILDED AGE" part 1 and part 2.
SIGN UP for our mailing list
SUBSCRIBE to the podcast on your favorite podcast platform
You can SUPPORT this podcast on Anchor or SHOP THE PODCAST on our affiliate bookstore.
Thank you for listening!
Ben Vanstone: ALL CREATURES GREAT AND SMALL (Ep. 27)
Episode 27 features a conversation with BEN VANSTONE, showrunner and writer for ALL CREATURES GREAT AND SMALL, about the making of the series currently in its 3rd season on the PBS drama series MASTERPIECE.
ALL CREATURES GREAT & SMALL is the recent adaptation of the books written by veterinarian James Alfred Wight (who wrote under the pen name James Herriot) about a trio of veterinarian surgeons in the Yorkshire Dales in the late 1930s. The series features Nicholas Ralph as James Herriot, Samuel West as Siegfried Farnon, Anna Madeley as Mrs. Hall, Callum Woodhouse as Tristan Farnon, and Rachel Shenton as Helen Alderson.
TIME STAMPS
0:08 Generic Open
0:46 Introduction to Episode
1:09 Ben Vanstone Introduction
2:07 Synopsis: “All Creatures Great and Small” series
6:24 Finding Diverse and Inclusive Community in Yorkshire Dales
7:11 The Chapman Family: Anne, Bert and Tom Chapman
9:55 The Pandhi Family: Florence, George and Joyce Pandhi
12:14 On Location
15:56 Agrarian Setting as Character and Story
17:55 Reflections on World War 2
21:04 Deaf Volunteers in Auxiliary Women's Service
23:33 Podcast generic break
24:23 Writing for Animals
27:21 Recasting Mrs. Pumphrey after the passing of Diana Rigg
28:51 Stories of love and its complications in the series
32:17 Country life, yesterday and today, ideal and reality
35:35 Lightning Round: Time Travel to the Dinosaur Age; Time Capsule
39:06 Where to Watch All Creatures Great and Small
40:09 Generic Close
STAY ENGAGED with HISTORICAL DRAMA WITH THE BOSTON SISTERS
LISTEN to past podcasts
SIGN UP for our mailing list
SUBSCRIBE to the podcast on your favorite podcast platform
You can SUPPORT this podcast on Anchor or SHOP THE PODCAST on our affiliate bookstore
Meet The Boston Sisters Part 2 (Ep. 26)
In episode 26 Michon and Taquiena look back on the highlights and a-ha’s of the first year of “Historical Drama with The Boston Sisters.” Included are historical dramas The Boston Sisters look forward to watching and talking about in 2023. There will be more opportunities for you to join live conversations with The Boston Sisters, and other historical drama activities when you sign up for the podcast mailing list.
TIMESTAMPS
0:58 Generic Intro + Episode 26 Synopsis
3:21 Year One Impacts and A-ha's
5:25 Summer Book Club highlights, MRS. HARRIS GOES TO PARIS and the House of Dior
10:16 The CROWN Season 5 Chat-up highlights
16:28 "BELLE By Request" and listener/subscriber recommendations for podcasts
19:08 Untold Histories: MR. SUNSHINE, BRIDGERTON 2, and THE WOMAN KING
23:33 How Story Matters
24:33 Looking Ahead to 2023
29:24 Subscriber Benefits
30:56 Closing
STAY ENGAGED with HISTORICAL DRAMA WITH THE BOSTON SISTERS
LISTEN to past podcasts
SIGN UP for our mailing list
SUBSCRIBE to the podcast on your favorite podcast platform
You can SUPPORT this podcast on Anchor or SHOP THE PODCAST on our affiliate bookstore
Thank you for listening!
"BELLE" by Request (Ep. 25)
In episode 25 The Boston Sisters feature Amma Asante’s feature film BELLE by listener request from JOANNE FORT, an attorney living in Atlanta, Georgia. Joanne shares why she wanted the podcast to feature BELLE. We invited London-based figurative painter GLORY SAMJOLLY, to talk about the film and the story behind the portrait of the real-life Dido Elizabeth Belle (with her cousin Elizabeth). As founder of the social media platform Black Aristocrat Art, Glory brings her insights on depictions of Black women and men of the aristocracy in historical European art.
BELLE is based on the true story of Dido Elizabeth Belle Lindsay (Gugu Mbatha-Raw), a mixed-race daughter of Admiral Sir John Lindsay (Matthew Goode) and an enslaved African woman who is raised by her aristocratic great-uncle Lord Mansfield (Tom Wilkinson) and his wife (Emily Watson) in 18th century England. Belle’s lineage affords her certain privileges, yet her status prevents her from receiving the benefits of noble social standing. Note: BELLE was released in the UK in 2013; in the U.S. in 2014.
TIMESTAMPS
1:19 Intro to BELLE by Request
1:56 Belle Film Synopsis
3:11 Listener Joanne Fort - what makes Belle special
5:34 Glory Samjolly, Black Aristocrat Art
6:44 Glory's introduction to Dido Elizabeth Belle film and portrait
9:16 Black presence in European portraiture
13:40 Interpreting Belle's portrait
20:03 Joanne Fort's Turban Question for Glory Samjolly
21:32 Exoticizing the Black Image in European Portraiture
29:06 Break
30:00 Interpreting the Mysteries of Black Portraiture
37:15 Learning Black History in the UK
41:23 Glory's Dream: A Black Aristocrat Portrait Gallery
45:10 Special Commission: Painting A History Globe
49:15 Art to Change the Psychology of Black History
52:02 Lightning Round: Bourgeoisie fashion in 18th Century France, Headphones, Paint Brush, Turpentine
57:05 Where to Find Amma Asante's “Belle” (2014) Film
58:05 Historical Drama with The Boston Sisters Contact Info
Note: BELLE was released in the UK in 2013, and in the U.S. in 2014.
-------
STAY ENGAGED with HISTORICAL DRAMA WITH THE BOSTON SISTERS
LISTEN to past podcasts
SIGN UP for our mailing list
SUBSCRIBE to the podcast on your favorite podcast platform
You can SUPPORT this podcast on Anchor or SHOP THE PODCAST on our affiliate bookstore
Thank you for listening!
THE CROWN - Where Duty Rules (Ep. 24)
The Boston Sisters talk with REV. DR. TERASA COOLEY, author of "Transforming Conflict," about leadership portrayals of Queen Elizabeth II, Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, and Princess Diana in the NETFLIX drama series THE CROWN now in its 5th season.THE CROWN is a fictional drama inspired by real events during the reign of Queen Elizabeth II (1926 - 2022) in the last half of the 20th century. The series is created by Peter Morgan based on his play, "The Audience." Morgan also wrote the screenplay for THE QUEEN directed by Stephen Frears.
Ep. 24 TIME STAMPS
0:08 (boilerplate) Podcast Open
1:45 Rev. Dr. Terasa Cooley Intro
2:21 The Crown Recap Seasons 1 - 4
4:38 The Crown Season 5 Description
6:10 American Fascination with British Aristocracy
7:16 Duty and Adaptive Leadership
11:05 The Queen, PM Thatcher and Princess Diana
17:17. Symbolic Leadership
22:19 Change, Loss, and Leading
23:15 Commonwealth as Family
27:01 Foxtrot Diplomacy
30:28 Break
31:58 Transforming Conflict
35:23 Cooking for the Cabinet
38:47 Class Conflict and Parlor Games
47:17 Celebrity and Leadership
51:17 Why We Deify and Demonize Leaders
53:34 Lightning Round: World War I, Winston Churchill, Time Capsule
-----------
STAY ENGAGED with HISTORICAL DRAMA WITH THE BOSTON SISTERS
LISTEN to past podcasts
SIGN UP for our mailing list
SUBSCRIBE to the podcast on your favorite podcast platform
SUPPORT this podcast on Anchor or SHOP THE PODCAST on our affiliate bookstore
Thank you for listening!
The Real-Life Home of LITTLE WOMEN (Ep. 23)
Orchard House (in Concord, MA) is most notable as the home where Louisa May Alcott wrote and set her iconic novel Little Women in 1868. In this podcast we talk with JAN TURNQUIST, executive director of Orchard House where visitors can go back in time to the world of the Alcott family as well as Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy March. Recreations of Orchard House can be seen in recent adaptations of Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women the 2017 BBC PBS MASTERPIECE limited series, directed by Vanessa Caswill, and the 2019 film directed by Greta Gerwig.
1:18 - Jan Turnquist, Executive Director of Orchard House (bio)
3:41 - Orchard House History
7:45 - Discovering "Little Women"
8:57 - Enduring Appeal of "Little Women"
13:50 - The Alcotts and The March Family
15:19 - Civil War Backdrop of "Little Women"
17:00 - "Little Women" Adaptations (Page to Screen)
18:22 - Recreating New England in Ireland (BBC/PBS 2017)
22:08 - Recreating Orchard House and Concord MA (Greta Gerwig 2019)
26:03 - Fidelity to Novel vs Retaining the Heart of the Story
29:48 - Podcast Break
30:20 - Revolution, Literary Movement & Transcendentalists in Concord MA
36:27 - Louisa May Alcott's Feminism
37:19 - What is an American?
38:13 - International Appeal of Little Women
40:48 - Quintessential American
41:09 - Abba May "Marmee" Alcott -- Pragmatic and Progressive Parent
45:53 - Reenacting Louisa May Alcott (Jan Turnquist)
51:23 - Sharing Orchard House
52:26 - Orchard House Legacy and Impact
58:09 - Lightning Round
1:06 - Wrap Up
STAY ENGAGED with HISTORICAL DRAMA WITH THE BOSTON SISTERS
LISTEN to past podcasts
SIGN UP for our mailing list
SUBSCRIBE to the podcast on your favorite podcast platform
You can SUPPORT this podcast with a donation on Anchor or SHOP THE PODCAST on our affiliate bookstore
Thank you for listening!
Women of MYSTERY!: MISS SCARLET AND THE DUKE (Ep. 22)
SUSANNE SIMPSON, executive producer of the award-winning PBS drama series MASTERPIECE joins us for a conversation about the second season of Miss Scarlet and the Duke and other women of MYSTERY! along with a preview of MASTERPIECE’s 2022-23 season.
Miss Scarlet and the Duke features Kate Phillips as Eliza Scarlet, the headstrong, first-ever female detective in Victorian London, who won’t let any naysayers stop her from keeping her father’s business running. Stuart Martin stars as her childhood friend, professional colleague, and potential love interest, Scotland Yard Detective Inspector William Wellington, a.k.a., The Duke. The series is created by Rachel New.
TIME STAMPS
2:58 "Miss Scarlet and the Duke" Series Popularity
4:48 Eliza Scarlet and Today's Women
8:52 Female Detective in a Male-Dominated Profession
11:46 Rachel New, "Miss Scarlet and the Duke’s" Creator and Writer
13:42 Broadening Moses's Background Story
14:25 From Miss Marple to Mystery's Contemporary Women Detectives
16:47 Lesley Manville Kudos as editor turned detective in “Magpie Murders”
19:03 Inspirational Women in “Miss Scarlet and the Duke”
20:57 Characters Moses, Clementine and the Role of Outsiders in “Miss Scarlet and the Duke”
29:07 Language, Accessibility and “The Downton Abbey” Accent
34:03 Podcast Break
34:35 History: Questions and Reimagining
44:07 MASTERPIECE and Lifelong Learning
49:06 More Season 2022-23 Previews
53:16 Last Words: Eliza Scarlet's BFF
56:09 Where to Watch MASTERPIECE and MASTERPIECE MYSTERY!
Check out previous podcasts featuring Susanne Simpson (Episode 3), and other MASTERPIECE and MASTERPIECE MYSTERY! conversations:
- Episode11 - Enjoy our conversation with Sanditon’s Crystal Clarke who plays Georgiana Lambe
- Episode 13 - Take a deep dive into the historical backdrop of Sanditon with story consultant Sharon D. Johnson, Ph.D.
- Episode 18 - Rev. Dr. Rob Hardies talks about adulting as seen in the MASTERPIECE MYSTERY! series Endeavour.
STAY ENGAGED with HISTORICAL DRAMA WITH THE BOSTON SISTERS
LISTEN to past podcasts
SIGN UP for our mailing list
SUBSCRIBE to the podcast on your favorite podcast platform
You can SUPPORT this podcast on Anchor or SHOP THE PODCAST on our affiliate bookstore
Thank you for listening!
Searching for Healing in THE WOMAN KING (Ep. 21)
Episode 21 takes a deep dive with Sharon D. Johnson, Ph.D into the feature film THE WOMAN KING. You may remember Dr. Johnson from the podcast “SANDITON Regency Fiction and Racial History” (episode 13)
In this podcast we talk about:
- THE WOMAN KING as an example of how historical film offers a form of “medicine” for healing of historical wounds and trauma
- The impact of centering “highly melanated” women in the story and on screen
- Sisterhood among the Agojie women as depicted in the film
NOTE: Spoilers in this episode (in case you haven't seen the film)
Dr. Johnson is a screenwriter, journalist, depth psychologist, and scholar of television, film, and African American arts, literature, and culture. She is also a story consultant for the PBS drama series MASTERPIECE.
THE WOMAN KING is the story of the Agojie, the all-female warriors who protected the African Kingdom of Dahomey in the 1800s with skills and a fierceness unlike anything the world has ever seen. Inspired by true events, The Woman King follows the emotionally epic journey of General Nanisca (Viola Davis) as she inspires the King to take on Dahomey Kingdom’s enemies who are determined to violate their honor and destroy their way of life. On this journey Nanisca meets a young woman named Nawi (Thuso Mbedu) who challenges Nanisca’s authority but is committed to becoming part of the Agojie warriors.
THE WOMAN KING is directed by Gina Prince Bythewood, with screenplay by Dana Stevens, and story by Dana Stevens and Maria Bello.
Episode 21 TIMESTAMPS
0:08 - Podcast Intro
1:09 - Sharon D. Johnson guest intro
2:03 - The Woman King synopsis
3:05 - Reaction to The Woman King film (Sharon D. Johnson)
6:30 - The Agojie Warriors (historical accuracy and narrative film)
13:09 - Pain Points, Forgiveness, and Healing (the Africa and the Slave Trade)
24:24 - Why do we glorigy empire?
28:24 - Healing historical traumas and wounds
31:08 - Seeking ancestry stories
34:11 - BREAK content
34:42 - Centering Women's Relationships
44:02 - No "white saviors" in THE WOMAN KING/we are our own liberators
49:00 - Depictions of Dark Skinned Black Women
55:12 - Giving Viola Davis her due
58:45 - Lightning Round -- who would you be in The Woman King?
1:03:13 - Close
----
STAY ENGAGED with HISTORICAL DRAMA WITH THE BOSTON SISTERS
LISTEN to past podcasts.
SIGN UP for our mailing list
SUBSCRIBE to the podcast on your favorite podcast platform
You can SUPPORT this podcast on Anchor or SHOP THE PODCAST on our affiliate bookstore
Thank you for listening!
BONUS Episode | “Bat Her Up: Mom’s Mabley watches Negro women play ball for their supper” by Toni Asante Lightfoot
In episode 20 of the podcast, we talk with author and poet TONI ASANTE LIGHTFOOT about the Amazon series A LEAGUE OF THEIR OWN. In this bonus podcast, Toni talks about and reads her baseball-inspired poem “Bat Her Up: Mom’s Mabley watches Negro women play ball for their supper."
JACKIE “MOMS” MABLEY (1897-1975) African American comedienne Loretta Mary Aiken created the elderly lady persona Jackie “Moms” Mabley. Mabley started out in the all-Black Theater Owners Booking Association or T.O.B.A. vaudeville circuit in the 1920s. She was the first female comedian to perform solo at the Apollo Theater in Harlem and headline Carnegie Hall. Moms Mabley emerged to become a mainstream stage and television star, pushing the boundaries of comedy by tackling topics such as gender, sex and racism.
Chosen Family in A LEAGUE OF THEIR OWN (Ep. 20)
In episode 20, we "chat up" the Amazon Prime series A LEAGUE OF THEIR OWN with author and poet Toni Asante Lightfoot about the character Max Chapman, her family including her trans uncle Bertie, best friend Clance, and Rockford's African American community as depicted in the series.
In the 1992 "A League of Their Own" feature film on which this series is based, you see the grit and romance of the game with the Rockford Peaches and women baseball teams that were part of the All American Professional Girls Baseball League during WWII. What was not prominent in the 1992 movie (more subtext) are untold stories of African American, Latina, and queer women baseball players and the lives they lived in the 1940s and 50s. These stories are highlighted in the Amazon Prime series.
A LEAGUE OF THEIR OWN (the 2022 series) is co-created by Abbi Jacobson (who plays Rockford Peaches player Carson Shaw) and Will Graham.
BONUS content: Toni Asante Lightfoot reads her poem “Bat Her Up: Mom’s Mabley watches Negro women play ball for their supper” (mentioned in Episode 20). You’ll find the bonus content at this LINK. Find out more about Toni Asante Lightfoot and Moms Mabley on our podcast webpage.
Timestamps for episode 20
1:12 “A League of Their Own” Overview
3:28 Toni Asante Lightfoot introductin
6:25 Negro Leagues and Black Baseball
10:19 Max Chapman's sexuality and family
14:48 Black hair and family intimacy
19:29 Podcast Break
19:57 Community: “Black Joy in the Midst of Black Terror”
31:07 Max and Clance Sister Friends
33:47 Women challenging sexism in 1940s
38:07 Modern language in historical drama
45:01 How untold stories heal
49:43 Toni Asante Lightfoot’s favorite baseball team(s) and why (Baseball and the Working Class)
51:57 Lightning Round Questions
56:15 Final thoughts about Clance (Max’s best friend)
56:38 Closing
STAY ENGAGED with HISTORICAL DRAMA WITH THE BOSTON SISTERS
LISTEN to past podcasts.
SIGN UP for our mailing list
SUBSCRIBE to the podcast on your favorite podcast platform
You can SUPPORT this podcast on Anchor or SHOP THE PODCAST on our affiliate bookstore
Thank you for listening!
When Couture Goes Global - inspired by MRS. HARRIS GOES TO PARIS (Ep. 19)
This episode of Historical Drama with The Boston Sisters is devoted to fashion – past and present – inspired by the film Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris. The conversation covers luxury fashion and couture as a global phenomenon influenced by contemporary concerns about sustainability of people and planet, as well as how clothes help us recall special memories and can represent life changing adventures.
Our guest is SHAZIA SALEEM, designer and cofounder of Pop London Boutique with her sister Menissa. Shazia is regarded as an expert in ethical and sustainable fashion. She has represented the UK on international design projects and is a regular contributor to BBC Radio. Shazia is also a participant in the bonus podcast “Brideshead Re-Revisited.”
Mrs. Harris Goes To Paris is based on the 1958 novella of the same name by Paul Gallico. Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris is the enchanting tale of a seemingly ordinary British housekeeper named Ada Harris, played by Lesley Manville, whose dream is to own a couture Christian Dior gown. The dream takes Mrs. Harris on an extraordinary adventure to Paris and the exclusive House of Dior.
The film was released in July 2022 and is directed by Anthony Fabian (Skin, Good Hope), with script by Fabian, Carroll Cartwright, Keith Thompson, and Olivia Hetreed.
TIME STAMPS
- 0:48 Introduction of Episode/Welcome to Season 2
- 2:07 Shazia Saleem Intro
- 3:55 Fashion Memory -- A Special Dress
- 9:54 Pop London Boutique & Sustainable Fashion
- 12:59 Exclusivity and Inclusivity in Luxury Fashion
- 19:12 Break
- 19:58 (Conversation Continues): Luxury Fashion, Global Artisans & Sustainability
- 25:38 Traditions of Handmade Clothing
- 28:40 Fashion as Industry
- 30:01 What Makes Fashion Sustainable?
- 35:52: Pandemic Impact on Fashion
- 39:00 Fashion Capitals and Fashion Weeks
- 48:19 Lightning Round
- 53:12 Connecting with Shazia Saleem
- 53:58 Connecting with Historical Drama with The Boston Sisters
STAY ENGAGED with HISTORICAL DRAMA WITH THE BOSTON SISTERS
LISTEN to past podcasts
SIGN UP for our mailing list
SUBSCRIBE to the podcast on your favorite podcast platform
You can SUPPORT this podcast on Anchor or SHOPPING THE PODCAST on our affiliate bookstore
Thank you for listening!
BONUS Episode | TIME TRAVEL
In each episode of Historical Drama with The Boston Sisters we wrap up our conversations with guests where we ask our LIGHTNING ROUND questions related to the podcast themes.
One of the questions is “If you could travel back in time, where would you go and why?”
We picked 5 guest responses to our time travel question from the 18 past podcasts for this BONUS episode.
In addition to our Boston Sisters answers to the time travel question, we have recorded answers from
- JANET CAM, wine, food, and restaurant consultant, speaking in Episode 12, What We Love About Julia (HBO Max)
- CRYSTAL CLARKE, actor in Masterpiece’s Sanditon adaptation of Jane Austen’s unfinished novel, Episode 11, Becoming Georgiana Lambe
- SHARON D. JOHNSON, PH.D. (story and script consultant for Masterpiece), Episode 13, Regency Fiction and Racial History
- Writer/Director PSALMAYENE 24, Episode 7 Chadwick Boseman: History X Purpose = Destiny
- Unitarian minister REV. DR. ROB HARDIES, Episode 18, Endeavor’s Hidden Grief (Masterpiece Mystery)
TIME STAMPS
General Intro 0:08
Episode Intro 0:46
Time Travel segments
1:50 MICHON & TAQUIENA BOSTON (episode 1)
5:36 Intro to Guests and Time Travel questions
6:17 JANET CAM episode 12)
7:59 CRYSTAL CLARKE (episode 11)
9:25 SHARON D. JOHNSON, PH.D. (episode 13)
13:07 PSALMAYENE 24 (featured in episode 7)
14:45 REV DR. ROB HARDIES (episode 18)
Episode Outro 16:07
STAY ENGAGED with HISTORICAL DRAMA WITH THE BOSTON SISTERS
- LISTEN to past podcasts with the guests featured in this bonus episode
- SIGN UP for our mailing list
- SUBSCRIBE to the podcast on your favorite podcast platform
- You can SUPPORT this podcast on Spotify or SHOP THE PODCAST on our affiliate bookstore
Thank you for listening!
BONUS Episode | BRIDESHEAD [RE] REVISITED 40th Anniversary
BRIDESHEAD REVISITED was the DOWNTON ABBEY of its time. The miniseries premiered in the UK in 1981 and the U.S. in 1982 on PBS “Great Performances.”
This bonus podcast, “Brideshead [Re] Revisited,” features the recording from a Clubhouse conversation on January 21, 2022 where friends gathered to talk about Brideshead Revisited and why it resonates 40 years later. In the recording you’ll hear:
- Wine recommendations from food, wine, and restaurant consultant Janet Cam to recreate a taste of the Brideshead era (Janet is featured in episode 12 of the podcast, “What We Love About Julia”).
- Pop London boutique owner Shazia Saleem talk about fashion, influences and trends to watch for in Brideshead Revisited
- Taquiena’s take on coming of age stories with the main characters
- Memories of high school/college friends (Michon and Dawn E. Robinson) about watching Brideshead and meeting one of the actors in person.
Note: audio levels may vary.
Based on the 1945 novel by Evelyn Waugh, BRIDESHEAD REVISITED spans from the 1920s to the 1940s centering on the romantic attraction of Charles Ryder (Jeremy Irons) to the wealthy Anglo Catholic yet self-destructive Flyte family. Charles is seduced by the family’s charm through a close friendship with the 2nd son, Sebastian Flyte (Anthony Andrews), when Charles and Sebastian are both students at Oxford University.
Timestamps:
0:53 "Brideshead" 40th Anniversary
3:53 "Brideshead" U.S. premiere
5:31 "Brideshead" theme music by composer Geoffrey Burgon
7:22 (Historical) Wine Tasting in "Brideshead"
11:05 (Janet Cam's) Virtual Wine Tastings during Lock Down
14:40 Strawberries and Wine Pairings
17:11 "Brideshead" in the U.K.
20:11 Evelyn Waugh, "Brideshead" author
20:22 Oxford (University) Culture
23:17 "Brideshead" fashion
26:18 "Brideshead" Themes: Religion, Friendship,Coming of Age
35:55 Religion in "Brideshead"
40:36 Favorite Characters (Lord Marchmain's mistress Cara, Anthony “Antoine” Blanche, Flyte siblings Sebastian and Cordelia)
43:37 Dangerous Charm of the Flyte Family
49:32 Meeting "Brideshead" Actor Charles Keating (Rex Mottram)
51:53 "Brideshead" Factoids
Brideshead Revisited (miniseries) is currently available on Britbox, Amazon (subject to change)
ENDEAVOUR's Hidden Grief (Ep. 18)
Created by Russell Lewis, ENDEAVOUR is the prequel to the INSPECTOR MORSE television series inspired by characters in Colin Dexter’s detective novels. In season 8, the year is 1971. We see the impact of events from season 7 where Endeavour Morse (Shaun Evans) suffered a major loss that sets off a grieving process triggering self-doubt, alcohol abuse, and a cynic’s perspective that puts him at odds with his mentor, Fred Thursday.
In this podcast we talk with preacher, teacher, counselor and activist REV. DR. ROB HARDIES about the challenges of becoming an adult through Endeavour Morse's experiences with:
- His mentor/mentee relationship with DCI Fred Thursday (Roger Allam)
- Grief, loss, and self-doubt
- Balancing justice and compassion
The 3-episode season 8 premiered on PBS MASTERPIECE Mystery! June 19, 2022. More information including streaming sources are available on the podcast webpage.
TIME STAMPS
:52 -- ENDEAVOUR series background
2:24 -- Rev. Dr. Rob Hardies Intro
3:18 -- ENDEAVOUR Series 8 (Adulting, Loss, Grief, Self-Doubt)
8:02 -- Adulting 1971 and Today
12:29 -- Series 8/Episode 1- “Striker” - Endeavour is tasked with guarding the life of a beloved football team's star striker.
13:24 -- Mentor Relationship: Endeavor Morse and DCI Fred Thursday
16:27 -- Episode 3 (“Termius”) Endeavor Morse transitions from idealist to snob
19:35 -- Pathways Through Grief & Loss (Isolation & Connection)
23:39 -- Detective Chief Inspector Thursday as Mentor and Father Figure
28:59 -- Endeavor as Name and Character
30:40 -- Three [male] expressions of grief: Morse, Thursday, and Chief Inspector Bright
36:21 -- Trauma and Moral Injury
37:30 Music Break
38:02 -- Law Enforcement Past & Present
43:38 -- Questions of Right & Wrong/Justice & Compassion
49:44 Endeavor Theme song/soundtrack -- Music as a storyteller in ENDEAVOUR and INSPECTOR MORSE series
52:54 -- Lightning Round with Rev. Dr. Rob Hardies
- 53:10 -- Where would you travel back in time? If you could travel back in time, where would you take yourself and why?
- 53:56 -- Fictional Character - If you could be a fictional character in an historical film or series, who would you be?
- 55:36 -- Time Capsule - What 3 items would you include in a time capsule that represents the times you’ve lived through?
- 57:39 -- Historical Drama -- Window to the Past/Mirror of the Present?
Historical Drama with the Boston Sisters will be taking a summer break in August. We have two bonus podcasts planned, and then we press the pause button until September when we talk about our Summer Movie/Book, Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris, and other historical drama highlights from the summer and coming in the fall. Stay up-to-date by signing up for the mailing list and/or subscribe to the podcast on this platform.
MR. SUNSHINE: K-Drama's Binge-Worthy Epic (Ep. 17)
The award-winning K-drama MR. SUNSHINE was released in 2018 and became the 6th highest ranking drama in South Korean cable history, and is still trending on Netflix in the United States and around the globe.
- What makes MR. SUNSHINE a binge-worthy epic?
- Why are audiences outside South Korea connecting with this historical drama of love, revenge, and revolution?
- How does MR. SUNSHINE inspire curiosity to learn more about the history behind the story, and at the same time mirrors our present-day realities?
K-Drama blogger KAT TURNER shares some insights on MR. SUNSHINE and today’s K-Drama phenomenon in episode 17 of the Historical Drama with The Boston Sisters podcast.
EP. 17 Timestamps
1:26 MR. SUNSHINE Series Recap
3:49 Kat Turner, K-Drama blogger introduction
5:38 Kat's introduction to K-Drama
9:59 Asian Representation
12:24 KDramatics Club/Clubhouse
13:03 MR. SUNSHINE Conversation
20:31 K-Drama Storytelling and Character Development
29:06 Break (MUSIC)
29:31 Identification and Representation
30:31 K-Drama Acting Ensemble
35:27 Lee Byung-hun (Choi Yu-jin/Eugene Choi)
37:33 Lee Byung-hun American acting experience
39:16 (Revealing) Pre-1950s U.S. and Korean History
46:25 Social Hierarchy in K-Drama
53:21 K-Drama Romance & Love Triangle in MR. SUNSHINE
1:03:26 Lightning Round
Subscribe to the podcast newsletter for updates, bonus content and activities related to the podcast and historical drama. Visit our webpage for MR. SUNSHINE for more information about what's discussed in this podcast and previous podcast episodes.
MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS: Mystery's Moral Compass (Ep. 16)
When a murder occurs of an American tycoon on the luxurious Orient Express train on which he’s traveling, detective Hercule Poirot is recruited to solve the case. But does solving the murder really close the case, especially for Poirot’s conscience? It’s been said that murder mysteries satisfy our need to feel that there is justice in the world and a moral order, which is expressed in the character of Agatha Christie’s genius detective Hercule Poirot.
In episode 16 we talk about three film/tv movie adaptations and themes of Agatha Christie’s 1934 novel MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS:
- The 1974 film, directed by Sidney Lumet, as a story of revenge and vigilante justice.
- The 2010 film (for the Poirot television series directed by Philip Martin), a story of a murder perpetrated by persons who feel that the rule of law and even God have failed to deliver justice.
- Kenneth Branagh’s 2017 film where Hercule Poirot describes the crime of murder as an act carried out by “wounded souls,” and concludes that the scales of justice cannot always be evenly weighed.
Spoiler Alert: Some of the suspects and conclusions are revealed.
Time Stamps
:58 Intro to Episode
3:35 MOTOE film recap
6:40 Crime Novels -- Psychological Truth and Moral Ambiguity
8:40 Agatha Christie Novel -- fact informs fiction (Christie, Lindberg Baby Kidnapping, Orient Express)
12:55 Morality, Conscience and Justice
14:33 1974 Revenge Story (Albert Finney/Sidney Lumet) version
21:09 Setting and costume
22:43 Albert Finney monologue
26:56 2010 Moral Ambiguity in Poirot (David Suchet/Philip Martin) version
32:33 2017 Broken Lives and Wounded Souls (Kenneth Branagh) version
49:26 Wrap up
50:40 Let Historical Drama with The Boston Sisters Know Your Thoughts
More information about Agatha Christie and her characters are available on the official Agatha Christie website.
Visit our MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS webpage for this podcast with a list of the full cast and links to additional resources.
Subscribe to the podcast newsletter for updates, bonus content and activities related to the podcast and historical drama.
BRIDGERTON 2: Marriage, MONEY, and the Sharma Family (Ep. 15)
In part 2 (Episode 15) of our BRIDGERTON deep dive, Cornell University history professor Durba Ghosh (author of Sex and the Family in Colonial India: The Making of Empire) and The Boston Sisters look at the questions:
• Where does the Bridgerton family's wealth come from?
• How does money influence the Sharmas's choices in marriage?
• What is the role of colonial capitalism in the fortunes of Bridgerton's Regency?
Plus our RECAP of Bridgerton Season 2 at the top (Spoiler alert if you haven't watched the series)
And finally our️ LIGHTNING ROUND ️with Durba Ghosh
Shondaland's Bridgerton (Netflix) presents a Regency Britain where people of diverse colors, races, and cultural backgrounds meet and mate through choreographed matchmaking in grand ballrooms and frolicking country estates of "the ton."
Time Stamps (approx.):
- 1:34 Intro
- 2:00 Bridgerton Season 2 Plot (or Story) Recap
- 8:25 The What If World of Bridgerton
- 10:07 Follow the Money: British Wealth and Colonial Economy
- 19:39 Women's Sexual Knowledge (British/Indian) in Bridgerton
- 25:52 British Father/Indian Mother -- Anthony & Kate's Children
- 32:22 Mr. Sharma, the Indian Clerk: Class, Race, and the Sheffields
- 38:21 Lightning Round 4 Questions
- 45:15 Historical Drama as Mirror of the Present
Sign up for The Historical Drama with The Boston Sisters mailing list to stay up-to-date on future podcasts, recommended resources to dive deeper, bonus episodes, activities, and live events.
BRIDGERTON 2: Marriage, Sex, and the Sharma Family (Ep. 14)
Shondaland's BRIDGERTON (Netflix), inspired by Julia Quinn’s novels, presents a Regency Britain where people of diverse colors, races, and cultural backgrounds meet and mate through choreographed matchmaking in grand ballrooms and frolicking country estates of "the ton." In this 2-part podcast DURBA GHOSH, Cornell professor of history and author of “Sex and Family in Colonial India: The Making of Empire,” talks with The Boston Sisters about how the entrance of the Sharma Family, an Indian family from Bombay, into the ton's marriage season brings South Asian words, rituals, costuming elements, and Bollywood into the "What If" world of BRIDGERTON (Season 2).
Episode 14 (part 1) looks at casting and culture in Season 2 of the series. Professor Ghosh gives cultural insights into South Asian audiences' reception of Indian characters in Bridgerton, particularly casting darker-skinned women as Kate Sharma (Ashley Simpson) and Edwina Sharma (Charithra Chandron), and speculates on how these casting choices could influence Indian film and television narratives.
Time Stamps
1:31 Professor Ghosh/speaker background
06:06 East India Company History
9:32 Bridgerton, Sharma Family, and British Colonial History
14:06 Marriage Plot (Bridgerton, Regency Fantasy and Historical Accuracy)
19:37 Bracelets Motif -- Indian Rituals and Cultural References in Bridgerton
28:06 Significance of Casting Dark-skinned Actresses as Sharmas
33:17 Music break point
34:52 U.S. and India Relations (and Globalization)
37:48 Globalization in Bridgerton
39:58 Love, Marriage and Social Status
46:42 Kate Sharma -- competitive woman
50:33 Bridgerton's Impact on Bombay Filmmaking
55:31 Preview: Episode 15/Part 2 BRIDGERTON 2 and the Sharmas
Sign up for The Historical Drama with The Boston Sisters mailing list to stay up-to-date on future podcasts, recommended resources to dive deeper, bonus episodes, and live events.
SANDITON Regency Fiction and Racial History (Ep. 13)
Part 2/2 of our SANDITON “deep dive” features a conversation with SHARON D. JOHNSON, Ph.D. script and story consultant to PBS MASTERPIECE. Dr. Johnson describes how her experiences as cultural historian, screenwriter, and academic with background in depth psychology contributes to bringing authenticity to the presence and stories of Georgiana Lambe (Sanditon) and other people of color in historical drama. The podcast explores:
1. Racial representation and authenticity in historical drama
2. Facing uncomfortable truths in period adaptations
3. The collaborative process of inclusive storytelling
AUDIO NOTE: There are some audio blips on the guest speaker’s track due to a weak WiFi connection. There’s also soft jingling sounds (jewelry). There’s still much of our fascinating conversation with Dr. Johnson included in the podcast for the enjoyment of our listeners.
TIME STAMPS:
:58 Recap of SANDITON Seasons 1 and 2
2:30 Sharon Johnson, Ph.D. bio
3:52 MASTERPIECE -- combining literature, film, depth psychology culture, race
5:34 Diversity and Representation in MASTERPIECE (historical drama)
6:46 Georgiana Lambe (and the Slave Trade) -- Keeping the Story Honest
8:11 Cowrie Shells, Sons of Africa, Abolition (Cultural Authenticity)
12:00 Psychology and Storytelling
12:48 Diversity and Uncomfortable Truths
15:42 Jane Austen, Abolitionism, and Georgiana Lambe
19:35 Sugar Boycott
21:23 Impact and Authenticity (Working with MASTERPIECE executive producer Susanne Simpson)
25:14 Black Women's Hair and Historical Drama
28:00 Music
28:34 Regency England, Race, Womanhood, Wealth and Society
33:50 Sugar Boycott and Sons of Africa
44:03 Lightning Round
Part 1/2 of our PBS MASTERPIECE Sanditon “deep dive” features a conversation with actress Crystal Clarke who portrays Georgiana Lambe in the series. More information and podcast link available here.
Sign up for The Historical Drama with The Boston Sisters mailing list to stay up-to-date on future podcasts, recommended resources to dive deeper, bonus episodes, and live events (plans are underway).
What We Love About JULIA (Ep. 12)
HBO Max's Julia is inspired by Julia Child's extraordinary life and her long running public television series, The French Chef, which pioneered the modern cooking show.
In this podcast, The Boston Sisters (Michon and Taquiena) riff on impressions of the HBO Max series and Julia Child's impact on American cooks, public television, and our own palates with restaurant consultant and wine expert, Janet Cam (a co-founder of Le Pavillon, the first nouvelle cuisine restaurant in America). This podcast explores food, culture, and identity as examples of the "joie de vivre" that Julia Child inspired through her cooking shows and cook books as well as how her life demonstrates that it's never too late to become who you are meant to be.
1:10 Episode Introduction (Julia description)
3:44 Introducing Janet Cam
5:00 First Impressions of Julia, HBO Max Series
9:56 Personal Julie Child Stories
26:25 What Julia Teaches About Persevering
34:08 Coq Au Vin and Classical French Cooking (Or Coq Au Vin and Julia's French Cooking Influences)
46:45 Julia's Passion and Reinvention (Or Julia Child on Being Relevant)
54:14 Julia Succeeding in a Man's World
1:00:54 Sharing Food and Joie de Vivre
1:09:20 Lightning Round Questions
Sign up for The Historical Drama with The Boston Sisters mailing list to stay up-to-date on future podcasts, recommended resources to dive deeper, bonus episodes, and live events (plans are underway).
Women & Power in THE GILDED AGE (Special Edition - part 2)
In January HBO premiered The Gilded Age, a series set in 1882 New York City created and written by Downton Abbey creator Julian Fellowes.
In this bonus edition of Historical Drama with the Boston Sisters, Michon and Taquiena look at the series through the lens of women and power -- recapping the series and imagining what Season Two could look like in the battle between "Old New York," new money families, and the striving professional and immigrant classes.
This two-part conversation covers how women in the series take control of their lives and destinies at a time when women were not allowed to vote, Jim Crow laws and practices were impeding progress for Black Americans, immigrant labor got exploited, and the gap between rich and poor widened.
Part 2 - Bonus episode
How women exercise power through...
- Professional Work (Peggy Scott, Mabel Ainsley);
- Causes (Clara Barton);
- Creating spaces for creativity (Sylvia Chamberlain);
- Domestic service, a tiny door to the inside (Mrs. Bruce, Mrs. Bauer);
- Physical appearance and seduction (Turner);
What The Gilded Age women would be in our social circle? What The Boston Sisters would like to see in Season 2 of The Gilded Age
Sign up for The Historical Drama with The Boston Sisters mailing list to stay up-to-date on future podcasts, bonus episodes, recommended resources to dive deeper, and future live events.