Since we both live in the Washington, D.C. area, this film based on the true story of Eugene Allen, who worked as a butler at the White House through eight presidential administrations, was especially compelling to us. Much of our research around it was on local black history, and below, we’re happy to share some …
Continue reading “Ep. 18: “Lee Daniels’ ‘The Butler’” (2013)”
We both grew up with this movie and have strong feelings about it – so it was interesting to investigate it with a historian’s eye! Below, a few resources for further reading: *This (as always) excellent three-part Lucy Worsley documentary gave us a good overview of the Romanov dynasty. *This article from the Migration Policy …
We are closing out Spooky October with this very dark film that stars two men and an aggressive number of seagulls. Below is your further reading for this week: *This is a great short primer on the many perils of lighthouse life. If you’re interested in a fuller story, both we and the filmmakers relied …
Did Abe use his famous ax for more than chopping trees? This surprisingly enjoyable film says yes. Below, find a few resources for further reading: *The Library of Congress offers this extremely detailed timeline of Lincoln’s personal and political life. *More about William Johnson’s life and career, as well as a record of his burial …
This 1996 film based on the 1953 based on the Salem Witch Trials takes some liberties with this historical record. Below, check out a selection of our sources and some further reading. *Historian Margo Burns, associate editor of Records of the Salem Witch-Hunt (Cambridge University Press) offers her review of the inaccuracies in Arthur Miller’s …
Welcome to Spooky October at Costume Drama Rewind! All month long, we’ll be tackling historical films that have a supernatural element. We kicked it off with “The Abominable Bride,” the Sherlock episode that returns its characters to their 1890s origins. *Learn about how the Victorians invented – or at least perfected – the modern ghost …
It’s our first TV series! The Bletchley Circle follows the lives of a group of former code-crackers living life and solving mysteries in Austerity-era Britain. A few notes we found interesting: *The BBC offers some resources covering the Austerity years here, and you can enjoy a history of SPAM in the UK here. You can …
This week, we were off to turn-of-the-century New York with Christian Bale and friends, in a story inspired by the real-life Newboys’ Strike of 1899. A few notes and links for you: *The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History (which now sponsors programs to help schoolkids learn history via Hamilton) provides some historical background on …
“Captain, we’ve got whales, sir!” —Star Trek: The Voyage Home And in this episode, we’ve got whale facts! the 2015 film In the Heart of the Sea is based on this excellent book by Nantucket-based historian Nathaniel Philbrick. Below, check out a few of our sources and some further reading: *This poem by Herman Melville …
*This New York Times review has provided us with a new life motto. *Learn more about the real Ivor Novello, “the much-better-looking Andrew Lloyd Webber of his day.” *Read up on contemporary investigations into war profiteering (but without Laura’s 1930s radio announcer voice). *We cited this Lucy Worsley book and highly recommend it. Lucy is …
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