Shows
The Dream FactoryThe Harvey Girls - On the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe (Part 4)If The Harvey Girls is remembered for anything it’s the incredible music number “On the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe.” Conor and I discuss the entire 8.5 minute cinematic extravaganza in detail, highlighting the cast and musical geniuses behind the scenes who make this rousing, Oscar-winning moment come to life onscreen. The term “deep dive” was invented for episodes like this as we explore unsung performers like Dorothy Tuttle, Ben Carter, Eleanor Bailey, Dorothy Raye, all of whom have their moments in this big musical number that culminates in an incredible Garland solo. This moment is p...2025-07-2752 minThe Dream FactoryThe Harvey Girls - A Chillicothe Sandwich (Part 3)Our deep dive into the 1946 MGM musical The Harvey Girls continues with the first few scenes of the film where we meet the bulk of the cast and the Harvey girls themselves! Hear about some of the actresses who filled these roles and the character building moments that ensue from matrimonial ads to saloon girls to chicken sandwiches.Conor Grant from the @thegarlandgab and I also discuss what it took to be an actual Harvey Girl in the 19th century and what brought some of these women out west at that time. We also...2025-07-2047 minThe Dream FactoryThe Harvey Girls - Main Title/In the Valley (Part 2)Thanks for listening to the Dream Factory! This week we’re finally entering into the film itself chatting about the main titles of The Harvey Girls as well as Judy’s first musical number “In the Valley” which she sings hanging off the back of a moving train!Conor (@gethappyconor from @thegarlandgab) and I love talking about our leading lady and her unparalleled voice and lipsyncing abilities. We also get into some of the more technical aspects of how main titles worked in the old Hollywood era as well as a geeky di...2025-07-1354 minThe Dream FactoryThe Harvey Girls - Pre-Production (Part 1)Welcome to the first episode of our breakdown of the 1946 film The Harvey Girls. Starring our favourite gal Judy Garland, this Technicolor fun-fest has everything we love about MGM musicals; great songs, colourful settings and wonderful performers. Set in the 1890s American west, a group of wholesome waitresses attempt to “settle” a wild frontier town with just the help of some steak, coffee and some singing and dancing!Conor Grant from The Garland Gab joins me for our initial thoughts and pre-production history of The Harvey Girls. We delve into how the movie ended up a...2025-07-0641 minThe Dream FactoryGet Happy!: Judy Garland at MGM (Part 2)In our second of two episodes discussing the amazing legacy of Judy Garland's MGM career, Conor from the Garland Gab and I pick up in the mid-40s and break down her most difficult years at MGM culminating in her leaving the studio in 1950 under a cloud. These overview episodes are to provide a wider context as our next episodes we will do in-depth breakdowns of the production of two Garland Technicolor classics.Thanks for listening! Derek Instagram: @thedreamfactorypod bio.site/thedreamfactorypod 2025-06-2950 minThe Dream FactoryNobody's Baby: Judy Garland at MGM (Part 1)Before we get super nerdy with our movie breakdown episodes, I am joined by Conor of the fabulous podcast The Garland Gab for part one of our overview of Judy Garland's 15 years working at MGM. To start our season focused on two of the movies from the one-of-a-kind talent Judy Garland, we are going to get chatty about her full movie career while at MGM. We start with our first introductions to Judy then trace here career from her first auditions with the the studio to her biggest hit while at MGM, the musical classic Meet Me i...2025-06-2250 minThe Dream FactoryMGM History (Part 3)For our third and final MGM history episode, Nate and I conclude our look at a movie company that was a small city unto itself in Culver City. Riding high in the mid-40s, the studio faced external forces that threaten its existence by the end of the decade.New stars like Lana Turner, Hedy Lamarr and Van Johnson enter the scene after the exit of MGM stars like Garbo, Shearer and Crawford and the tone of MGM changes with the war. At this time producer Arthur Freed forever puts MGM musicals on the map with the...2025-06-151h 15The Dream FactoryMGM History (Part 2)Episode two of our deep dive into the history of movie factory MGM is here! I am once again joined by Nate and together we travel back to the Culver City of over 80 years and further explore who were the artists who created these movies throughout Metro's reign as a film giant.The shock of Thalberg's death in 1936 rocked the studio and paved the way for L.B. Mayer's to be the singular leader of MGM into the profitable late '30s and into the war years. Mayer's vision changes the direction of the MGM's films from l...2025-06-081h 05The Dream FactoryMGM History (Part 1)Welcome to the Dream Factory! For our first episodes we are taking a documentary style approach to the history of the first 50 years of MGM. I am joined by movie buff Nate Hallett to explore the history of the people and films that were the backbone of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer during Hollywood's Golden Age. We start before the establishment of the studio in 1924 to the events and people who made the creation possible. We trace early MGM successes and the bumpy transition to the talkies into its heyday of the 1930s, where lavish and glamorous productions thrived under the co...2025-06-011h 30
Down the Yellow Brick PodWicked: Part I - Welcome to Shiz Breakdown with Derek Lajeunesse and Nate Hallett (Part 2)Send us a textTara and EmKay continue their journey into the bulk of season 6: breaking down each scene of "Wicked: Part I"! In this episode they are joined by Patreons Derek Lajeunesse and Nate Hallett to continue their dive into the Shiz exposition scene! Rabbit holes include construction of the Shiz set, changes from the original Broadway show, Oz cameos, and so much more.Stay tuned for Part 2 dropping this Wednesday!Show notes:"Wicked The Musical" - The Movie (2024/2025) - DTYBP@thedreamfactorypodThe Slippers documentaryMargaret Hamilton From Cleveland, Ohio to...2025-05-281h 03
Down the Yellow Brick PodWicked: Part I - Welcome to Shiz Breakdown with Derek Lajeunesse and Nate Hallett (Part 1)Send us a textTara and EmKay continue their journey into the bulk of season 6: breaking down each scene of "Wicked: Part I"! In this episode they are joined by Patreons Derek Lajeunesse and Nate Hallett to dive into the Shiz exposition scene! Rabbit holes include construction of the Shiz set, changes from the original Broadway show, Oz cameos, and so much more.Stay tuned for Part 2 dropping this Wednesday!Show notes:"Wicked The Musical" - The Movie (2024/2025) - DTYBPHow ‘Wicked’ Built Immersive Real-Life Sets, From Shiz To Emerald City@thed...2025-05-251h 10The Dream FactoryTEASER! The Dream Factory is coming soon.Coming in early June 2025...The Dream Factory! Please enjoy this excerpt from an upcoming episode.Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer was an exceptional movie studio that existed at a special moment in film history, the classic Hollywood era of the 1920s-1950s.This new podcast is a chatty deep dive into the whirling world of MGM in its heyday. Known today primarily for their fabulous output of musicals, MGM was a dominant force in old Hollywood where the greatest stars of the era were matched by an unparalleled level of moviemaking. And all of it created in a factory-like...2025-05-1111 min
Down the Yellow Brick PodSlipperhood Series: Rhys Thomas & Derek Lajeunesse ("The Ruby Slippers of Oz" & "The Slippers")Send us a textTara and EmKay fangirl as authors and ruby slipper experts Rhys Thomas & Derek Lajeunesse kick off season three's Slipperhood series! Rhys and Derek share about their respective journeys into the entertainment and film industry, Derek shares about co-creating "The Slippers" documentary, Rhys shares of writing his book "The Ruby Slippers of Oz," and so much more!Show Notes:The Ruby Slippers of Oz: Thirty Years Later by Rhys ThomasDerek LajeunesseThe Slippers (2016 Documentary)@724artGood Witch of NYC - EtsyInstagram: @downtheyellowbrickpod#DownTheYBPTara: @ta...2023-08-302h 07
Vegan Radio45: NY's Capital Region Vegetarian ExpoFor our 45th episode we sneak into the studio on an off week, dragging along two of the members of Shokazoba, our local Afrobeat Battalion. Singer Hodges is a vegan anarchist running for "Vegan of the Year" (in Northampton, MA). Wendell Rheinheimer is one of the band's guitarists and also the veggie oil mechanic for The Vegan Bus. We talk about Afrobeat, politics and conspiracy theories, among other sordid things. Also on the show we play interviews from New York's Capital Region Vegetarian Expo. Included are interviews with organizer Kristin Lajeunesse, Jews for Animal Rights, Friends of Animals, Lee...2007-10-191h 07