
Our tribute to beleaguered director Elaine May closes with a look at the movie that ruined her career, 1987's Ishtar. Is it the worst film ever made?
May biographer Elizabeth Alsop joins Kristen to break down the infamous flop and what went wrong. The pair discuss Warren Beatty as the Patient Zero for everything, debunking established stories, and if telling the truth really is a dangerous business.
Works Cited:
The Road to Ishtar by David Blum
Editor William Reynolds (American CinemaEditor Magazine)
Elaine May in Conversation With Mike Nichols
Madness in Morocco: The Road to Ishtar by Peter Biskind
Buy Elizabeth's book Elaine May (Contemporary Directors) at this link.
I have a new book dropping on July 28th! Preorder But Have You Read the Book: Romance Edition here.
You can now watch episodes of Ticklish Business over on our YouTube channel! Be sure to like and subscribe to stay in the know on our latest videos.
Be sure to follow us via social media at @ticklish_biz on X and @ticklishbiz everywhere else. Also like and subscribe to us on all podcast apps and, if you love us, leave us a review.
Find Kristen books wherever you buy books. Kristen's latest, Popcorn Disabilities, is available to buy now!
• Love T shirts, pins, and other merch? The merch shop is live!
• ICMYI, the best way to support Ticklish Biz is to become a Patron:
• Follow Kristen's Instagram
This episode was created thanks to our Patrons:
Ali Moore
Danny
David Floyd
Gates
mcf
Shawn Goodreau
Richard Silver
A Button Called Smalls
Chris McKay
Jacob Haller
Peter Blitstein
Debbie Lynne
Peter Bryant
Reyna Moya-James
Linda Lindley
Erin
Bridget M. Hester
Cat Cooper
Daniel Tafoya
David Baxter
Diana Madden
Harry Holland
Lucy Soles
Nick Weerts
Kate G
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
May 27
56 min

We have a great bonus episode! Friend of the podcast Ann Foster joins us to talk about her new book Rebel of the Regency (a must-read for history buffs). But we aren't just talking about Ann's fabulous book. We're also talking about the 1940 take on Pride & Prejudice, breaking down Laurence Olivier's uncomfortable Mr. Darcy, costume inauthenticity, and whether this adaptation does anything for the book.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
May 20
54 min

The sun's out and we're kicking off our Elaine in May series! The entire month is devoted to the female filmmaker and we're kicking things off with a look at her 1971 debut feature A New Leaf with May biographer Carrie Courogen.
Courogen discusses May's foray into directing, the challenges of making her debut feature, and how it started to show the cracks that would see May exit Hollywood. We also talk about her mad brilliance and the humor of Walter Matthau.
Buy Miss May Does Not Exist at this link.
I have a new book dropping on July 28th! Preorder But Have You Read the Book: Romance Edition here.
You can now watch episodes of Ticklish Business over on our YouTube channel! Be sure to like and subscribe to stay in the know on our latest videos.
Be sure to follow us via social media at @ticklish_biz on X and @ticklishbiz everywhere else. Also like and subscribe to us on all podcast apps and, if you love us, leave us a review.
Find Kristen books wherever you buy books. Kristen's latest, Popcorn Disabilities, is available to buy now!
• Love T shirts, pins, and other merch? The merch shop is live!
• ICMYI, the best way to support Ticklish Biz is to become a Patron:
• Follow Kristen's Instagram
This episode was created thanks to our Patrons:
Ali Moore
Danny
David Floyd
Gates
mcf
Shawn Goodreau
Richard Silver
A Button Called Smalls
Chris McKay
Jacob Haller
Peter Blitstein
Debbie Lynne
Peter Bryant
Reyna Moya-James
Linda Lindley
Erin
Bridget M. Hester
Cat Cooper
Daniel Tafoya
David Baxter
Diana Madden
Harry Holland
Lucy Soles
Nick Weerts
Kate G
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
May 13
51 min

The TCM Classic Film Festival is upon us and we're honoring both a movie playing at the festival and one celebrating its 80th (!) anniversary: 1946's The Best Years of Our Lives. Giving insight alongside Kristen is author Alison Macor, author of Making the Best Years of Our Livesand who will be introducing the movie at the festival. Kristen and Alison talk about the movie's legacy, including its dual Oscar-winner, and disabled actor, Harold Russell.
Buy Alison's book Making the Best Years of Our Lives at this link.
Buy Kristen's book Popcorn Disabilities here.
You can now watch episodes of Ticklish Business over on our YouTube channel! Be sure to like and subscribe to stay in the know on our latest videos.
Be sure to follow us via social media at @ticklish_biz on X and @ticklishbiz everywhere else. Also like and subscribe to us on all podcast apps and, if you love us, leave us a review.
Find Kristen books wherever you buy books. Kristen's latest, Popcorn Disabilities, is available to buy now! Preorder But Have You Read the Book: Romance Edition here.
• Love T shirts, pins, and other merch? The merch shop is live!
• ICMYI, the best way to support Ticklish Biz is to become a Patron:
• Follow Kristen's Instagram
This episode was created thanks to our Patrons:
Ali Moore
Danny
David Floyd
Gates
mcf
Shawn Goodreau
Richard Silver
A Button Called Smalls
Chris McKay
Jacob Haller
Peter Blitstein
Debbie Lynne
Peter Bryant
Reyna Moya-James
Linda Lindley
Erin
Bridget M. Hester
Cat Cooper
Daniel Tafoya
David Baxter
Diana Madden
Harry Holland
Lucy Soles
Nick Weerts
Kate G
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Apr 29
53 min

It's not everyday you get to interview one of the sons of the most famous actress in Hollywood. Ferrer sits down with Kristen to discuss the release of the book, Intimate Audrey, an authorized biography of the star that seeks to go beyond the films she starred in. Ferrer also talks about growing up as one of Audrey's sons, the current state of filmmaking, and Old Hollywood AI.
Buy Intimate Audrey at this link.
You can now watch episodes of Ticklish Business over on our YouTube channel! Be sure to like and subscribe to stay in the know on our latest videos.
Be sure to follow us via social media at @ticklish_biz on X and @ticklishbiz everywhere else. Also like and subscribe to us on all podcast apps and, if you love us, leave us a review.
Find Kristen books wherever you buy books. Kristen's latest, Popcorn Disabilities, is available to buy now! Preorder But Have You Read the Book: Romance Edition here.
• Love T shirts, pins, and other merch? The merch shop is live!
• ICMYI, the best way to support Ticklish Biz is to become a Patron:
• Follow Kristen's Instagram
This episode was created thanks to our Patrons:
Ali Moore
Danny
David Floyd
Gates
mcf
Shawn Goodreau
Richard Silver
A Button Called Smalls
Chris McKay
Jacob Haller
Peter Blitstein
Debbie Lynne
Peter Bryant
Reyna Moya-James
Linda Lindley
Erin
Bridget M. Hester
Cat Cooper
Daniel Tafoya
David Baxter
Diana Madden
Harry Holland
Lucy Soles
Nick Weerts
Kate G
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Apr 15
48 min

Director Bill Malone, former owner of Robby the Robot, joins Kristen to go deep into space for a discussion on 1956's Forbidden Planet.
Kristen and Bill discuss the movie's production history, why Walter Pidgeon wasn't a fan, and why Robby became the de facto star. Bill also gives some great backstory on how he came to obtain Robby, and spending time on the dying MGM lot back in the 1970s.
Follow Bill's YouTube channel here.
Works Referenced:
Apocalypse Then: Benefits of the Bomb in Fifties Science Fiction Films by Robert Torry
From Trauma to Paranoia: Nuclear Weapons, Science Fiction, and History by Cyndy Hendershot
You can now watch episodes of Ticklish Business over on our YouTube channel! Be sure to like and subscribe to stay in the know on our latest videos.
Be sure to follow us via social media at @ticklish_biz on X and @ticklishbiz everywhere else. Also like and subscribe to us on all podcast apps and, if you love us, leave us a review.
Find Kristen books wherever you buy books. Kristen's latest, Popcorn Disabilities, is available to buy now! Preorder But Have You Read the Book: Romance Edition here.
• Love T shirts, pins, and other merch? The merch shop is live!
• ICMYI, the best way to support Ticklish Biz is to become a Patron:
• Follow Kristen's Instagram
This episode was created thanks to our Patrons:
Ali Moore
Danny
David Floyd
Gates
mcf
Shawn Goodreau
Richard Silver
A Button Called Smalls
Chris McKay
Jacob Haller
Peter Blitstein
Debbie Lynne
Peter Bryant
Reyna Moya-James
Linda Lindley
Erin
Bridget M. Hester
Cat Cooper
Daniel Tafoya
David Baxter
Diana Madden
Harry Holland
Lucy Soles
Nick Weerts
Kate G
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Apr 1
47 min

Bruce David Klein, director of Liza: A Truly Terrific Absolutely True Story, joins Kristen to celebrate the 80th anniversary of the iconic actress. The two talk about Minnelli's struggles, both personal and professional, her connections to her mother, and why she remains a legend today.
You can now watch episodes of Ticklish Business over on our YouTube channel! Be sure to like and subscribe to stay in the know on our latest videos.
Be sure to follow us via social media at @ticklish_biz on X and @ticklishbiz everywhere else. Also like and subscribe to us on all podcast apps and, if you love us, leave us a review.
Find Kristen and Emily's books wherever you buy books. Kristen's latest, Popcorn Disabilities, is available to buy now!
• Love T shirts, pins, and other merch? The merch shop is live!
• ICMYI, the best way to support Ticklish Biz is to become a Patron:
• Follow Emily's Instagram
• Follow Kristen's Instagram
This episode was created thanks to our Patrons:
Ali Moore
Danny
David Floyd
Gates
mcf
Shawn Goodreau
Richard Silver
A Button Called Smalls
Chris McKay
Jacob Haller
Peter Blitstein
Debbie Lynne
Peter Bryant
Reyna Moya-James
Linda Lindley
Erin
Bridget M. Hester
Cat Cooper
Daniel Tafoya
David Baxter
Diana Madden
Harry Holland
Lucy Soles
Nick Weerts
Kate G
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Mar 18
45 min

It's Oscar time and we've got guests Kim Luperi and Danny Reid, author of the great Pre-Code Essentials, talking with us. The duo lay out how the Oscars, still at their origin era, navigated the pre-Code landscape. We also talk about some where Oscar nominations that could have only existed at that time.
Buy Kim and Danny's book here.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Mar 13
49 min

Kristen is back to flying solo and she didn't burn the joint down!
We're celebrating the life and career of the great Diane Keaton, looking at her career-changing performance in 1987's Baby Boom. Joining Kristen is James Spader superfan and '80s lover, Kate Hagen! Kate and Kristen talk about women of the '80s, the Charles Shyer/Nancy Meyers ouevre, and Diane Keaton's best moments in this movie.
Are you a Diane Keaton fan? What's your go-to movie?
WORKS CITED IN THIS EPISODE
Susan Faludi's Backlash: The Undeclared War Against American Women
How Serfdom Saved the Women's Movement by Caitlin Flanagan
You can now watch episodes of Ticklish Business over on our YouTube channel! Be sure to like and subscribe to stay in the know on our latest videos.
Be sure to follow us via social media at @ticklish_biz on X and @ticklishbiz everywhere else. Also like and subscribe to us on all podcast apps and, if you love us, leave us a review.
Find Kristen and Emily's books wherever you buy books. Kristen's latest, Popcorn Disabilities, is available to buy now!
• Love T shirts, pins, and other merch? The merch shop is live!
• ICMYI, the best way to support Ticklish Biz is to become a Patron:
• Follow Emily's Instagram
• Follow Kristen's Instagram
This episode was created thanks to our Patrons:
Ali Moore
Danny
David Floyd
Gates
mcf
Shawn Goodreau
Richard Silver
A Button Called Smalls
Chris McKay
Jacob Haller
Peter Blitstein
Debbie Lynne
Peter Bryant
Reyna Moya-James
Linda Lindley
Erin
Bridget M. Hester
Cat Cooper
Daniel Tafoya
David Baxter
Diana Madden
Harry Holland
Lucy Soles
Nick Weerts
Kate G
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Mar 4
55 min

The listeners spoke and you wanted Kristen and Emily on the Moors to talk about Heathcliff, Cathy, and 1939's Wuthering Heights.
But we couldn't just talk about the movie and Emily Bronte. We needed a Bronte expert. And who better to join us as a guest than the director of the Emily Bronte biopic Emily: Frances O'Connor! O'Connor, Kristen and Emily discuss Bronte's life, whether Heathcliff was a person of color, and why we love this petty story (and why Emily doesn't love it).
Emily also has a bittersweet announcement to make this episode.
Next Time: We're honoring the life and career of Diane Keaton with a discussion on 1987's Baby Boom.
You can now watch episodes of Ticklish Business over on our YouTube channel! Be sure to like and subscribe to stay in the know on our latest videos.
Be sure to follow us via social media at @ticklish_biz on X and @ticklishbiz everywhere else. Also like and subscribe to us on all podcast apps and, if you love us, leave us a review.
Find Kristen and Emily's books wherever you buy books. Kristen's latest, Popcorn Disabilities, is available to buy now!
• Love T shirts, pins, and other merch? The merch shop is live!
• ICMYI, the best way to support Ticklish Biz is to become a Patron:
• Follow Emily's Instagram
• Follow Kristen's Instagram
This episode was created thanks to our Patrons:
Ali Moore
Danny
David Floyd
Gates
mcf
Shawn Goodreau
Richard Silver
A Button Called Smalls
Chris McKay
Jacob Haller
Peter Blitstein
Debbie Lynne
Peter Bryant
Reyna Moya-James
Linda Lindley
Erin
Bridget M. Hester
Cat Cooper
Daniel Tafoya
David Baxter
Diana Madden
Harry Holland
Lucy Soles
Nick Weerts
Patrick Seals
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Feb 18
1 hr 1 min
Load more
