A Piece of Pie: The Queer Film Podcast

Paul and Chris return to the pod to bring their expertise on classic Hollywood. In 1934, Will Hays, then the president of the Motion Picture Producers and Distributors of America, began strenuously enforcing the Production Code. This code was a guideline used to determine what films could depict on screen and the behavior of characters. These included drug use, promiscuity, and yes, homosexuality. Despite limiting these things, it inspired creative filmmakers to work around the code and find new and clever ways to challenge it. The films we chose, She Done Him Wrong and Baby Face were each released in 1933, and a case could be made that they led to stricter enforcement of the code. Baby Face stars Barbara Stanwyck as Lily, a woman who escapes her evil father and makes her way in the city, quite literally sleeping her way to the top of high society. She Done Him Wrong is based on Mae West's own play, and she plays a nightclub owner who must contend with a jealous ex who escapes from prison, and a young Cary Grant, a police captain. 
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Brian welcomes back Keegon and Chris as they discuss this year's Oscar night. 
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We’re continuing our series examining the films of 90’s auteurs, Quentin Tarantino and Paul Thomas Anderson! This time Brian and Max are joined by playwright and our newest contributor, Keegon Schuett. We discuss the legacy of Philip Seymour Hoffman, Amy Adams’ questionable handjobs and, as always, the problematic behavior of Quentin Tarantino. Is this his most relaxed film, or his most baldly depraved? 
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This week, Raina Deerwater from GLAAD returns to the pod to discuss two nominees of the 2026 GLAAD Media Awards. On Swift Horses and Hedda were nominated for Outstanding Film (Wide release). Each film tackles queer characters in mid-century America. On Swift Horses is about a war veteran returning to the states where he reunites with his brother, while Hedda is a queer adaptation of the play, "Hedda Gabler" starring Tessa Thompson. Raina and Brian discuss queer representation in films, then and now, and take a look at two different films taking place in similar eras examining queer lives in a time when it was a secret to be hidden. 
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For our 150th Episode, Brian decided to highlight one of his favorite films, Ferris Bueller's Day Off. 
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