This week, we’re talking about Chulas Fronteras (1976), Les Blank’s vibrant, soulful documentary celebrating the music, culture, and communities of the Texas Mexico borderlands, and we’re joined by Maureen Gosling, whose work as a filmmaker and editor was instrumental in shaping the film itself. More than a music documentary, Chulas Fronteras captures a living cultural tradition in motion. Through performances by artists like Flaco Jiménez and Lydia Mendoza, the film becomes a record of identity, migration, and creative exchange, all observed with care and curiosity rather than explanation. It’s no surprise the film was added to the National Film Registry. It preserves not just songs, but a way of life. Our conversation with Maureen Gosling offers a rare, firsthand perspective on the making of the film: how it came together, what it meant to document these musicians at that moment in time, and why the film continues to resonate decades later. It’s a reminder of how preservation isn’t only about images on screen, but about honoring voices, traditions, and communities that deserve to be seen and heard on their own terms.

"My mother thanks you, my father thanks you, my sister thanks you, and I thank you." Dr. Vaughn Joy joins us on the show to talk about the musical biopic that won James Cagney his Academy Award, the patriotic propaganda piece Yankee Doodle Dandy. We talk George M. Cohan's cultural significance, the film's seemingly waning place in the consensus cinematic canon, and how the film laid the groundwork for the type of Hollywood pro-American propaganda films of the Cold War (the subject of Dr. Joy's new book, Selling Out Santa).

“All I want is a place to live and a job.” – Nothing But a Man (1964) This week, we’re taking time to honor the life and legacy of filmmaker Michael Roemer, who passed away in May 2025. Roemer’s work has always stood apart as quiet, honest, deeply human, and we start with the film that introduced so many people to his voice: Nothing But a Man. It’s a landmark in independent cinema, a National Film Registry inductee, and one of the most compassionate portrayals of Black working-class life ever put on screen. From there, we spend some time with Roemer’s other major works, Vengeance Is Mine and Dying. Each of these films shows a different side of what made him such a singular filmmaker: his empathy, his curiosity, and his ability to sit with people at their most vulnerable without ever forcing sentiment or judgment. This episode is both a reflection and a celebration: an appreciation of a filmmaker whose perspective mattered, and whose films continue to resonate in ways that feel as immediate now as they did when he first made them.

A quick update on an upcoming absence

"The Year's Wildest, Wittiest Whirlwind of a Love Battle... Outrageously Racy... Sparkling... Gay!" Bella Zaydenberg returns to the show to talk about the beloved Howard Hawks screwball comedy, His Girl Friday (1940). We'll talk about journalism, rom-coms, and weddngs. Wait, weddings? Why weddings? Listen to find the worst kept secret in the history of our show!

In this episode, Dr. Will Dodson joins us to take a look at Eaux d'Artifice, an early inductee in the registry from avant-garde legend Kenneth Anger. We discuss why the seemingly tranquil film has a lot going on beneath the surface (including the salacious) and tackle an overview of the controversial provocateur's whole film-making career to determine whether Eaux d'Artifice's subversive subtext was missed by the Registry's selection board, or if that was precisely why they picked it.

"Dead men tell no tales!" For this episode, we've recorded a feature length commentary track for the big-budget blockbuster that solidified Douglas Fairbanks' Hollywood immortality, 1926's The Black Pirate. Watch our upload on YouTube (in its original colorized version, done at Fairbanks' insistence), sync it up with your own copy, or just listen along as producer Kyle Lampar takes the lead to discuss his admiration for Hollywood's original swashbuckling action star.

"Time...marches on..." Josh Shepperd, author of Shadow of the New Deal, joins the show to talk about the powerful propaganda piece Inside Nazi Germany, an installment of the influential newsreel series The March of Time. The first major Hollywood film to take an explicitly anti-Nazi stance, the short stands as a testament to the power of the visual medium during wartime, and its ability to both present, and manipulate, the truth.

"Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer" "A rock? These little bears are nuts" That's right, folks. It's a Patrick Cotnoir episode. This time, for his fifth appearance, we're talking The Godfather Part II, and...some Ewok movie. Nobody is really sure which one, honestly. It's been five years of this, guys. You know what you're getting here.

"I know something about this dog. She's going somewhere - she's on her way." Hunter Robinson, the host of the Tumbleweeds and TV Cowboys podcast, joins the show to talk about one of the biggest movie stars in cinema history. No, not John Wayne, it's Lassie. We'll talk about the massive Lassie franchise, the dog star at the heart of the film, and even share a personal family connection to the four-legged hero of Hollywood.

“I like the dark. It's friendly.” – Cat People (1942) This week, we turn the lights low with special guest Rebecca Rozenberg, Publicity Manager at Simon & Schuster, who brings insight honed from working with bestselling authors and deep industry experience. Together, we dive into Jacques Tourneur and Val Lewton’s Cat People, a landmark psychological horror film that uses suggestion, shadow, and sound to terrify far more than it shows. Rebecca helps us unpack how this low-budget classic redefined horror through restraint, atmosphere, and subtext, and why its themes of transformation, identity, and repression still echo today. Cat People continues to loom large over genre filmmaking and remains revered for its chilling economy.

“He was the most trigger-happy man I had ever met.” – Badlands (1973) This week, we hit the open road with guest Tom Augustine to explore Terrence Malick’s stunning debut, Badlands. Based loosely on the real-life killing spree of Charles Starkweather and Caril Ann Fugate, the film casts Martin Sheen and Sissy Spacek as drifting outsiders caught between detachment and violence, beauty and brutality. With its lyrical narration, haunting imagery, and philosophical detachment, Badlands marked the arrival of a singular voice in American cinema. Tom joins us to discuss Malick’s influence, the film’s unsettling calm, and how it carved a new path for the American New Wave.

“If only the wind would stop!” – The Wind (1928) This week, we return to the silent era with a full-length commentary track for Victor Sjöström’s haunting 1928 drama The Wind. Starring Lillian Gish in one of her most intense and vulnerable performances, the film tells the story of a woman slowly unraveling on the harsh, wind-swept plains of the American frontier. As we watch along, we unpack the film’s eerie atmosphere, groundbreaking visual effects, and the psychological complexity that makes The Wind one of the final—and finest—masterpieces of the silent era. It’s a slow-burn descent into isolation, madness, and survival, and a striking example of how silent cinema could deliver deeply cinematic storytelling without a single spoken word.

This week, we saddle up for a conversation about Shane (1953) with screenwriter, producer, and podcast host Kenny Neibart. A formative Western and a film that helped define American masculinity on screen, Shane gives us plenty to dig into, from its mythic final shot to the complex tension between pacifism and violence. Kenny joins us to unpack the genre tropes, cultural context, and emotional resonance that make Shane a cornerstone of classic cinema, and why its legacy still rides on today.

“I just had the unpleasant sensation of hearing you referred to as my husband.” – It Happened One Night (1934) This week, returning guest Andrew Daniels joins us to break down the original screwball sensation: Frank Capra’s It Happened One Night. As the first film to ever sweep the “Big Five” Oscars, this charming romantic comedy set the template for the genre, with pitch-perfect performances from Clark Gable and Claudette Colbert, and enough innuendo, wit, and roadside bickering to fuel decades of imitators. We explore how Capra’s Depression-era romance struck a chord with audiences, changed the course of Hollywood stardom, and remains as irresistibly funny and tender today as it was in 1934.

“The film you have just seen was an improvisation.” – Shadows (1959) This week, returning guest Robert Bellissimo joins us for a conversation on John Cassavetes’ Shadows,, a landmark of American independent cinema. Shot on the streets of New York with a semi-improvised style and a raw, jazz-infused energy, Shadows broke all the rules and opened new possibilities for personal filmmaking in the U.S. We explore how Cassavetes challenged Hollywood norms, foregrounded race and identity in ways ahead of its time, and crafted a film that still feels immediate and alive decades later. Shadows isn’t just a turning point in film history, it’s the spark that lit the indie movement.

In this special bonus episode, we sit down with Congressman Robert Mrazek, the man whose legislation led to the creation of the National Film Preservation Board. Without his efforts, the National Film Registry as we know it wouldn’t exist. Mrazek shares the inside story of how film preservation became a congressional priority, the cultural battles that shaped the legislation, and why preserving America’s cinematic heritage is a matter of national importance. From the first films selected to the political resistance he faced, this conversation is an essential companion to everything we cover on You’re Missing Out. If you’ve ever wondered how movies like Do the Right Thing, The Godfather, or Meshes of the Afternoon ended up in the National Film Registry, this is where it all started.

“He was some kind of a man. What does it matter what you say about people?” – Touch of Evil (1958) This week, we’re crossing into the shadowy borderlands of noir with special guest Ryan Luis Rodriguez to unpack Orson Welles’ Touch of Evil. From its legendary opening tracking shot to Welles’ haunting turn as the corrupt Hank Quinlan, the film stands as a dark, complex swan song to the classic noir era. Together, we explore the film’s bold visual language, its controversial casting choices, and the fascinating story behind the restored cut that finally honored Welles’ original vision. Touch of Evil isn’t just a masterwork of style—it’s a film that continues to challenge how we think about authority, morality, and the boundaries we draw.

“’S Wonderful! ’S Marvelous!” – An American in Paris (1951) This week, we step into the dreamlike Technicolor world of An American in Paris with special guest Arlene Hellerman. A Publications Associate for Broadway Licensing Global, Arlene brings a multifaceted perspective shaped by a career spanning theatre, film, television, broadcast news, and print journalism. Together, we explore how Vincente Minnelli’s 1951 musical turned Gershwin’s music and Gene Kelly’s choreography into a lavish cinematic spectacle—culminating in one of the most ambitious ballet sequences in film history.