The Warner Brothers studio was in fact founded by four brothers named Warner. The youngest of them, Jack L. Warner ran the studio for over forty years.
The studio released the first all-talking picture, The Jazz Singer, in 1927, and this technological breakthrough made it into one of the majors. In the Thirties, it was known primarily for its crime dramas. In the early Forties, the studio released two of the greatest American films ever made: The Maltese Falcon and Casablanca.
- Listen now:
Playlist:
Fanfare
Opening War Theme
“Geschichten aus dem Wienerwald” (“Tales from the Vienna Woods”)
Composed in 1868 by Johann Strauss II. Public domain.
Performed by The United States Air Force Band. Public domain recording. Source.
Closing War Theme
Except when otherwise indicated, the contents of this podcast are © and ℗ 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, and 2025 by Mark Painter, all rights reserved. Some music and sound effects used by arrangement with Pond 5.
Great as usual. I especially loved the Casablanca references. When I was in college, the film society showed a double header. They seamlessly segued from Casablanca’s closing scene to Woody Allen’s Play it again, Sam.
I had a professor who, when he thought I was on the right track on a patient evaluation, would say “round up the usual suspects” and hang up the phone.
Then many years later, when I was going in for major cancer surgery, I told my wife- “we’ll always have Paris”, turns out she didn’t recognize the movie quote, but we had been to Paris the year prior and couldn’t figure out why I mentioned that.
I have really missed these non war related episodes! While WWII is an important subject, and I love that you get to do something that you seem passionate about, I’m getting outright bored when hearing about troop movements. I love to hear you rant about this stuff!
(And if you love troop movements, then keep on doing what you love. I will still listen, because I love your work, but don’t quiz me on the forty-eleventh lower-north divisions movements.)
The war has to end someday, so hang in there!
Apropos Casablanca, you may mention Woody Allen’s “play it again, Sam”, the great comedy where Clark Gabel instructs the hero how to be real man.