A nurse who played a sister to Oprah Winfrey’s Sofia and an actor/massage therapist talk about the meaning of Steven Spielberg’s 1985 interpretation of Alice Walker’s novel and the impact the film had in their lives.

Set in rural Georgia during the early 1900s, THE COLOR PURPLE chronicles 40 years in the life of Celie, a young Black woman enduring severe abuse. Through letters to God and her sister Nettie, Celie navigates trauma, finds her self-worth through the love of singer Shug Avery, and achieves independence and empowerment. The film received wide acclaim and introduced the world to the talents of Whoopi Goldberg and Oprah Winfrey, and stars Danny Glover, Margaret Avery, Adolph Caesar, and Rae Dawn Chong.

Host/Creator: Tim Kirkman

Guests: Beverly Hamilton, Shayne Brakefield

Executive Producer: Mary Beth Grealey

Original Music by: John Crooke for Space Factory

Made in association with: Transylvania University

Reel Lives Substack

Find us on Facebook and Instagram

Marshville Museum of Cultural History

Special Thanks

Kim Hargett, Lakeysha Medlin, Margaret Pigg, Sarah Horne

Thank you for listening. If you enjoy the show, please subscribe, rate, review and share with your friends.

Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

A middle school drama teacher, a mother with bipolar disorder, a Minneapolis filmmaker/author, a former Jehovah’s Witness and a psychologist tell personal stories about the impact of Hal Ashby’s cult 1971 classic cult comedy, HAROLD AND MAUDE. Written by Collin Higgins and directed by Hal Ashby, HAROLD AND MAUDE explores the unconventional bond between two outsiders: Harold, a wealthy, death-obsessed young man who spends his time staging elaborate fake suicides and attending strangers' funerals and Maude (Ruth Gordon), a vibrant, eccentric 79-year-old woman who teaches him to embrace life and find joy in the world around him.

Host/Creator: Tim Kirkman

Episode Guests Rachel Barbanel-Fried, John Gaspard, Timothy King, Michael LaRocca, Nicki Nyne

Executive Producer Mary Beth Grealey

Original Music by John Crooke for Space Factory

Made in collaboration with Transylvania University

LINKS

Reel Lives Substack

Buy the Book HELD OVER by John Gaspard

Find us on Facebook and Instagram

Our website: Reel Lives Podcast

Find us on Facebook and Instagram

If you enjoy the show, please subscribe, rate, review and share with your friends.

Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

Academy Award nominated writer Nancy Oliver, musician Sean Alexander Bart, and psychologist Wendy Winograd tell personal stories about the 2007 film LARS AND THE REAL GIRL. Directed by Craig Gillespie, LARS AND THE REAL GIRL is the story of a Lars (Ryan Gosling), a socially awkward introvert who develops a delusional relationship with a life-sized doll named Bianca. Rather than staging an intervention, his supportive community agrees to treat the doll as a real person to help him work through his emotional trauma. Hosted by filmmaker Tim Kirkman.

Host/Creator: Tim Kirkman

Episode Guests Nancy Oliver, Wendy Winograd, Sean Bart

Executive Producer Mary Beth Grealey

Original Music by John Crooke for Space Factory

Made in collaboration with Transylvania University

LINKS

Reel Lives Substack

Find us on Facebook and Instagram

Our website: Reel Lives Podcast

If you enjoy the show, please subscribe, rate, review and share with your friends.

Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.