
Talking Pictures
From Turner Classic Movies and Max, Talking Pictures is a podcast about movies, memories, and all the life that happens in between. Join host Ben Mankiewicz as he sits down with some of Hollywood’s most influential actors and filmmakers to discuss the movies that inspired them, touched them, and made them laugh. They swap stories, jokes, surprising moments, and endless movie recommendations then watch some of those very same films on the streaming service Max.
Latest episodes

Nov 19, 2024 • 58min
Bridget Everett
Comedian, actor, and cabaret performer Bridget Everett and new fan Ben Mankiewicz chat about her Peabody Award-winning HBO show Somebody Somewhere as well as her outrageously fun cabaret act. Everett and Ben talk dogs, famous great uncles, and walk through the highs and lows of Everett’s endlessly promising career. Everett’s Super 8 questionnaire is a staff favorite, full of stories, inspiration, and a touching story about Turner Classic Movies. Films Mentioned
Somebody Somewhere *
Bridget Everett: Gynecological Wonder
All About Eve
A Letter to Three Wives
Sex and the City*
The Sound of Music
The Wizard of Oz *
Mommie Dearest
Magic Mike XXL
Rudy
Let the Good Times Roll
Dancer in the Dark
Young Frankenstein *Available on Max as of 11/19 (Availability of titles subject to change) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Nov 12, 2024 • 1h 5min
Bill Murray
Season two of Talking Pictures is here! Bill Murray doesn’t do a lot of podcasts, but he was game to talk movies with host Ben Mankiewicz. They dive into his comedies (Stripes, Caddyshack, Groundhog Day) and discuss the directors Murray works with repeatedly (Wes Anderson, Jim Jarmusch). Murray remembers growing up a “bad boy” in a house with eight siblings and how success impacted his mom. Finally, our Super 8 returns and you don’t want to miss the prop Bill Murray says he would steal for his personal collection. Films Mentioned:
Meatballs
Ghostbusters
Stripes
Caddyshack
Groundhog Day
Broken Flowers
Lost in Translation
Rushmore
Red River
Frankenstein
Dracula
The Fugitive
Going My Way
Bells of Saint Mary's
Yankee Doodle Dandy
The Sound of Music
The Razor's Edge
Mad Dog and Glory
Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer
Olive Kitteridge *
Moonrise Kingdom
The Royal Tenenbaums
The Grand Budapest Hotel
Coffee and Cigarettes *
The Limits of Control
The Dead Don’t Die
Bottle Rocket
Asteroid City
Barry Lyndon
Gallipoli
Ninotchka
Old Yeller
The Man with Two Brains
Nothing but Trouble
*Available on Max as of 11/12 (Availability of titles subject to change) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Oct 30, 2024 • 3min
Coming Soon: Season 2 Talking Pictures
Talking Pictures is back for its second season, filled with new guests and new stories about how movies shape us, change us – and make us laugh. This season, host Ben Mankiewicz sits down with some of the funniest stars in Hollywood, folks like Bill Murray, Margot Robbie, Carol Burnett, Henry Winkler and many more. Comedy legends open up about their toughest struggles, their wildest moments, and the twists of fate that made them famous. Each episode culminates with the Super 8, where they reveal their most cherished movie memories and film favorites.From TCM and MAX, this is Season 2 of Talking Pictures: A Movie Memories Podcast, hosted by Ben Mankiewicz. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Apr 26, 2024 • 1h 5min
Bonus Episode: Mario Cantone
In a special bonus episode of Talking Pictures recorded live at the Turner Classic Movies Film Festival in Hollywood, host Ben Mankiewicz interviews actor, comedian, and classic movie lover, Mario Cantone. They discuss Mario’s life before acting, his role in HBO’s “Sex and the City” and the Max series “And Just Like That…,” and Ben challenges Mario to the Super 8 movie questionnaire. Films Mentioned:
Sex and the City
And Just Like That…
Hello Dolly
Blazing Saddles
Lady Sings the Blues
The Lady Gambles
Slap Shot
Chinatown
Network
Quiz Show
All About Eve
Guys and Dolls
My Cousin Vinny
The Thorn Birds
New York, New York
Looking For Mr. Goodbar
Pollyanna
Bambi
West Side Story (1961)
Cleopatra
The Wizard of Oz
A Star is Born (1954)
The Godfather
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Mar 19, 2024 • 59min
Bill Hader
Bill Hader, a talented actor, director, and former SNL star, shares his passion for film and insights on directing his acclaimed series, Barry. He discusses his cinematic heroes, including Kubrick and the Coen brothers, revealing how their work influenced his own creative journey. Hader delves into the art of screenwriting, emphasizing emotional honesty, and reflects on memorable movie moments that shaped his love for cinema. Expect a few hilarious impressions along the way, showcasing his unique comedic flair!

Mar 12, 2024 • 1h 1min
Patty Jenkins
Host Ben Mankiewicz visits with director Patty Jenkins (Wonder Woman, Monster) and her mother (!!) to talk superheroes, female serial killers, and gets her take on being a female director in Hollywood. Patty surprises Ben with stories about her friendship with singer Steve Perry and she talks about that rumored Star Wars script. Plus, an impressive Super 8 for your movie list.Films Mentioned:
Wonder Woman*
Wonder Woman 1984*
Monster
Midnight Cowboy
The Devil's Advocate
Superman (1978)*
Reds
What Have I Done To Deserve This?
I Know Where I’m Going
A Matter of Life and Death
Moulin Rouge
The Red Balloon*
Charade
Bridge Over the River Kwai
The Best Years of Our Lives
Doctor Zhivago
*Available on Max as of 3/12 (Availability of titles subject to change) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Mar 5, 2024 • 55min
Errol Morris
Legendary documentarian and filmmaker Errol Morris (The Thin Blue Line, The Fog of War, The Pigeon Tunnel) and host Ben Mankiewicz have a charged conversation about interviewing, serial killers, grave robbing and, yes, movies. Morris gives the longest, most original (and most surprising!) answer to our Super 8 question about movie props. Plus, he reveals the movie that changed his life.Films Mentioned:
The Fog of War
The Thin Blue Line
American Dharma
The Unknown Known
Psycho
The Pigeon Tunnel
Gates of Heaven
Vernon, Florida
Conan the Barbarian
Creature From The Black Lagoon
This Island Earth
Tarnished Angels
Imitation of Life
Les Enfants du Paradis
Au Hasard Balthazar
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Feb 27, 2024 • 57min
Damien Chazelle
Director Damien Chazelle ( La La Land, First Man) describes his childhood as a budding filmmaker inspired by Walt Disney, his path to getting his first film made (Whiplash), and how the pandemic impacted casting for his recent epic Babylon. Chazelle surprises – and delights – host Ben Mankiewicz as they discuss his parents’ favorite films and which movies always make him cry. Films Mentioned:
La La Land
Whiplash
Jurassic Park
Guy and Madeline on a Park Bench
Annie Hall
Speed
Volcano
Lethal Weapon
Taken
The Last Exorcism Part 2
10 Cloverfield Lane
Ouija
Paranormal Activity*
The Umbrellas of Cherbourg*
West Side Story
Singin’ in the Rain*
The Sound of Music
An American in Paris
First Man
Babylon
Peter Pan
Full Metal Jacket*
Paths of Glory
City Lights*
Make Way For Tomorrow
Black and Tan
St. Louis Blues
The Emperor Jones*
Vertigo
La Grande Vadrouille
The Red Circle
The 400 Blows*
The 13th Warrior
*Available on Max as of 2/27 (Availability of titles subject to change) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Feb 20, 2024 • 1h
Alexander Payne
Director Alexander Payne (Election, Sideways, About Schmidt) talks about the inspiration for his new film The Holdovers, what it’s like working with actors Paul Giamatti and George Clooney, and addresses the rumors of an Election sequel. He also shares the movie forever associated with one of his more awkward teenage dates. Plus, terrific answers to the Super 8!Films Mentioned:
Election*
Sideways
About Schmidt
Nebraska
The Holdovers
Paper Moon*
Citizen Ruth
Seconds
Something's Gotta Give
The Descendants
The Passion of Martin
Inspector Gadget
Citizen Kane*
Downsizing
Meet The Parents
Jurassic Park 3
Pokemon Detective Pikachu
Modern Times*
Viridiana
Seven Samurai*
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
Annie Hall
Manhattan
Taxi Driver
A Special Day
City Lights*
Bicycle Thieves*
Ikiru
Red Beard*
Dersu Uzala
The Best Years of Our Lives
The Unknown Known
Cinema Paradiso
Gone With the Wind*
Doctor Zhivago
Casablanca*
The Garden of the Finzi Contini
The Two of Us
The Wolf of Wall Street
Out of the Past
The Friends of Eddie Coyle
*Available on Max as of 2/20 (Availability of titles subject to change) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Feb 13, 2024 • 38min
Mel Brooks
Host Ben Mankiewicz hangs out with his friend, 97-year-old legend Mel Brooks (The Producers, Blazing Saddles, Young Frankenstein) in this often hilarious and sometimes poignant episode. Mel reminisces about Gene Wilder, David Lynch, his wife Anne Bancroft, and best friend Carl Reiner. He also recounts a tremendously funny dinner with Alfred Hitchcock. Mel Brooks has spent a lifetime watching and making movies so you don’t want to miss his answers to our Super 8 questionnaire. Films Mentioned:
Blazing Saddles*
Young Frankenstein
The Producers
High Anxiety
Psycho
Vertigo
The Elephant Man
Eraserhead*
Frankenstein (1931)
Casablanca*
Swing Time
Top Hat
Broadway Melody of 1940
Ninotchka
The Gods Must Be Crazy
It Happened One Night
Spaceballs*
Random Harvest
Alexander’s Ragtime Band
*Available on Max as of 2/13 (Availability of titles subject to change) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices