Film

Film critic Bill Van Wert joins the show for a review of the film "The Stunt Man."

Terry Robinson was a physical trainer to the stars, working at MGM. He was Mario Lanza's trainer and close friend. He has recently written a biography of the tenor "Lanza, His Tragic Life."

Al Malmfelt is the current head of the Theatre of the Living Arts (TLA} cinema on South Street in Philadelphia. The theater was recently threatened with closure in order for Steven Starr to build a nightclub. The TLA has escaped that fate for now. Malmfelt discusses the cinema's founding and current situation, as well as doing business on South Street.

Film critic Amos Vogel is a journalist and professor at the University of Pennsylvania. He is the author of "Film as a Subversive Art." His new television series "Reel Philadelphia: An Unusual Film Series" will highlight Philadelphian filmmakers.

Film critic Bill Van Wert joins the show with a review of the film "Rockers."

Wes Craven discusses violence in motion pictures and his film "The Last House on the Left."

Irving Stone who writes biographical novels joins the show to discuss his novels and their adaptations. His latest book "Origin" is about Charles Darwin.

George T. Nierenberg made the documentary No Maps on My Taps, which captures the history of jazz and tap dancing. One of Nierenberg's subjects, Sandman Sims, tells Terry Gross about his career as a dancer.

Sammy Cahn is a prolific lyricist who wrote countless classic songs, including for musicals and films. He explains how he hears words in melodies and shares anecdotes about his many collaborations over the years.

Film critic Bill Van Wert tells Terry Gross about his opinions on the Jodie Foster film The Foxes and the politics of the Academy Awards.

Known for her roles in The Last Picture Show and Taxi Driver, Cybill Shepherd has refocused her career and is now making her name as a jazz singer.

Documentary filmmaker Robert Drew has revolutionized the genre by dispensing with narrators and adopting a more dramatic, theatrical approach. His best known movie, Primary, follows the presidential run of John F. Kennedy and Hubert Humphrey.

Scott Tucker of the Lavender Left, director of the Philadelphia Lesbian and Gay Task Force Rita Addessa, and Women Against Violence Against Women Member Peggy O'Donnell address the controversy behind William Friedkin's film Cruising, which stars Al Pacino as an undercover cop infiltrating the gay S&M scene in New York. The guests take a close look at the film's exaggerated and dehumanizing portrayal of gay people and discuss their planned protests. Fresh Air listeners call in with their questions and comments.

Actor, singer, and dancer Donald O'Connor is best known for this role in the film Singin' in the Rain. He talks about the making of that movie, the changing tastes in musical films, and the off-screen work he pursues to sustain his career.

Actor Meinhardt Raabe tells Terry Gross about his experiences as a little person, how he earned a living in carnivals and circuses, and what it was like to portray a Munchkin in the film The Wizard of Oz.

Michael Korda recalls his memory of his uncle, filmmaker Sir Alexander Korda. He and Terry Gross later talk about the current state of book publishing.

Writer and cartoonist Jules Feiffer recently published a novel called Tantrum, which follows the story of a middle-aged father who becomes a two-year-old. He shares his take on the culture of the 1970s and writing the screenplay of the upcoming Popeye film.

New York Times columnist Vincent Canby discusses the role of the film critic.

Garrett Brown invented the Steadicam, a technological innovation which earned him an Oscar. He tells Terry Gross about its effect on cinematography as well as his brief tenure in the folk band Brown and Dana, and his career in advertising.

Steve Rash recently directed his first film, The Buddy Holly Story, about the late rock and roll progenitor.