Ann Arbor District Library podcastit

In this installment, the Judge invites young Wallace, who is running off with the Judge's wife, to share a bottle of wine, which he just may have poisoned. In stories pitting young and old rivals, one or the other invariably comes to a tragic end. But which one in this story?

In this installment, Stephen Fontaine is a prisoner, saddled with an "Oregon Boot," a manacle around his ankle. He is sure that he can convince police Sgt. Rockwell to free him for $50,000 but things do not go as planned.

In this special installment, Al takes a look at the Hitchcock film that came out in the middle of the show's second season; a film very much like "Alfred Hitchcock Presents" in tone, look, and feeling.

In this installment, Richard Ross murders his brother's political rival, then can't believe that his district attorney brother doesn't appreciate it. There's nothing else to do but threaten the life of his brother's wife to make him cooperate.

In this installment, Harry has a nightmare in 4D, then helps to clean up a murder in 3D. So where does the nightmare end and reality begin?

In this installment, newlyweds Meg and Ray encounter Mr. Moon who may be a dangerous crackpot. On the other hand, he may be something else.

In this installment, how do Harold and Vera get her husband John Brown out of the way? Easy. They commit him to a rest home. But maybe that isn't the best idea.

In this installment, Babs Fenton hasn't ever seen her new neighbor, Mrs. Blanchard, and wonders whether Mr. Blanchard has done away with her. Al and Amy completely disagree on the merits of "Mr. Blanchard's Secret" and even on whether Mr. Blanchard HAS a secret. Alfred Hitchcock directs.

In this installment, Miss Julia has written a murder mystery that appears to take place in her house. Did a murder actually take place in her house, too? And, Al looks at "Dial M For Murder," which, as does this episode, features John Williams.

In this installment, mobster Louis "King" Koster wants to find out who his wife's lover is so he can have him bumped off. The answer is likely more of a surprise to King than it is to us.

In this installment, Gil wants to know how his stepmother, Rosine, managed to murder his father, Jonathan. Little does he know that he had something to do with it himself.

In this installment, Mason Bridges has always been an honest man...except once when, thanks to poker, for a few hours, he was a thief. But when is a thief a thief?

Nick has a conversation with Roger Rapoport, writer/producer of 'Coming Up For Air', about shooting in West Michigan, writing about mental health, the difficulties of filming high divers, and so much more. Roger will attend a screening of the film on Friday, September 30 with writer/actress Deborah Staples, actor Chase Yi, and mental health profess…

In this installment, Cissy's sister wants to murder Mr. Brenner. She poisons him but things are not what they seem. For one thing, Mr. Brenner isn't dead. For another, Cissy's sister isn't her sister.

Nick has a conversation with Matt Schwarz and Jordan Frank of the band Quasar Wut-Wut and Olivia Babler of the Chicago Film Archives about 'The First Degree', a silent film long believed to have been lost that will screen at the Michigan Theater on Saturday, Sept. 17 with live accompaniment of an original score by the band. Olivia describes how the…

In this installment, Georgie has bumped off his old rival Lucky and is sure to be the prime suspect unless he can come up with an alibi. But from who, Who, WHO???

Nick talks to actor, filmmaker and author Greg Sestero, "oh hi, Mark", of The Room. The two discuss his ongoing tour of the cult classic (coming to the Michigan Theater on Friday, September 2), what makes The Room different from other "bad movies", his thoughts on Tommy Wiseau as an actor and director, and much more.…

In this installment, Albert has prepared an apartment for his long-lost love Edwina whom he hasn't seen for twenty years, but she shows up with a baby named Toby. Or maybe not.

Alfred Hitchcock appeared on the cover of TV Guide magazine four different times. The first was the October 27-November 2, 1956 issue with a listing for episode 44 "None Are So Blind" and an article about Hitch. Here's a short look at that magazine.

In our last installment, Hitch promoted a new magazine that would soon be the source of many episodes. Here is a look at that first issue, along with the first story to find its way from the magazine to the series.

In this installment, Seymour plans to disguise himself to murder his Aunt Muriel. But there's one crucial blip in his plan that he just refuses to see.

In this surprise installment, Al and Tom Elliott, the host of the Award-Winning "The Twilight Zone Podcast," discuss Richard Matheson's sentimental Amazing Stories tale. The surprise is that it has nothing to do with Alfred Hitchcock except that the 80s AHP was on at the same time.

Nick discusses the upcoming Summer Classics series at the Michigan Theater with some fun facts about the films coming up, context and background, and why they were programmed this year.

In this installment, Fitz and Katherine invite the homeless Mr. Jorgy into their home. They plan to kill him but they may as well kill him with kindness.

In this installment, short story writer John Collier and teleplay writer Francis Cockrell put a different spin on Collier's "Back for Christmas"in which a man digs a hole in his cellar to bury his murdered wife. Here, the Prof fills a cellar hole with concrete, but has he murdered his wife? His friends think he did.…

In this installment, Mary is always frightened but it is not until Ted, an escaped psychiatric patient, breaks into her home that she finds out what she actually is afraid of.

Nick talks with writer/director Anna Baumgarten and producer Danny Mooney of the film 'Disfluency' about its origins from short to feature, filming and editing during the pandemic, and more!You can see the film at the Michigan Theater on Tuesday, March 8, at which they will both be in attendance for a post-film Q and A.…

Nick and Sarah welcome Ellen for her first time on the podcast! The three discuss the recent Oscar nominations, including what they're happy to see, what they're disappointed didn't make the cut, and what they predict to happen on March 27. And as always, they conclude with their Movie Magic Moments of the Week.…

In this installment, Millicent has committed murder but her father is not going to let that stand in the way of the family's reputation. Enter Captain Smollett, the perfect fall guy.

So, it's June of 1956, you've come to the end of the first season of "Alfred Hitchcock Presents" and you've seen all the repeats that are being shown through the summer. What do you do? Well, there's always that Hitchcock film starring James Stewart and Doris Day currently playing in the theaters.

In this special installment, Al talks to Jack Seabrook, the author of "The Hitchcock Project" blog, about the AHP first season, Batman of the 1980s, author Jack Finney, and the crazy number of hits Jack's blog of the later episode "A Bottle of Wine" gets.

In this installment, Dick Paine misses all the hints that would tell him that his wife Beth has already taken care of the errand that, instead, puts him on the road to murder. It's all a bit contrived which may be why they made it the last episode of the season.

In this installment, a mysterious killer known as the Creeper is strangling blonde women whose husbands work at night, leaving them alone. And as Ellen Grant's husband Steve realizes, "Ellen's alone and she's blonde."

In this installment, Gil Larkin is set up for murder. He is a "patsy, a fall guy, a clay pigeon." A decoy. He tries to find a witness that will clear him but instead finds the vulnerability that can accompany unrequited love.

Nick has a conversation about all things Hitchcock with Al Sjoerdsma, host of Presenting Alfred Hitchcock Presents from the Ann Arbor District Library. They discuss the research that goes into Al's show, some of his favorite episodes of Alfred Hitchcock Presents, the legacy of Hitchcock and the problematic points of his work, and a whole lot more. …

In this installment, Paula Hudson buys a mink stole at the "too good to be true" price of $400, getting her in trouble with the law. Police Sgt. Delaney wonders "What's mink got for you women, anyway?" A question with broader social ramifications than he realizes.

In this installment, Al looks at the idle rich of Palm Beach as Prince Burhan of India romances "mousey little thing" Irene Cole, much to the surprise of their fellow visitors. But is it love? Or is it something else?

In this installment, Al looks at a Hitchcockian Shaggy Dog story as Dana Edwards uses total recall (with Arnold Schwarzenegger nowhere in sight) to track the hit and run driver who killed his fiancee. But like all Shaggy Dog stories, the ending is sure to be a letdown.

Nick has a conversation with Midge Costin, Bobette Buster and Karen Johnson, the team behind the documentary 'Making Waves: The Art of Cinema of Cinematic Sound'. The three discuss their intentions to make a documentary that highlights women in the industry, their decade long journey in making the film, anecdotes involving Steven Spielberg and Barb…

In this installment, Clint Ringle murders Walt Norton in a jealous rage because he wants to marry Walt's fiancee, Ellie. With a posse pursuing him, Clint knows just where to hide...in the belfry on the roof of the one-room schoolhouse, where Ellie is the schoolteacher.

Nick flashes back to February 2020, to our Direct from Sundance screenings of 'The Last Shift' and 'Dinner in America' where he spoke with directors Andrew Cohn and Adam Rehmeier. Andrew and Adam talk about their time growing up in metro Detroit, how their individual experiences shaped their films, and so much more! New episode next week!…

Nick and Makenzie discuss a couple of their favorite films from the 2021 Virtual Sundance Film Festival, covering 'Playing with Sharks', 'Together Together', 'Mass', 'Wild Indian', and 'Summer of Soul'. And as always, they conclude with the Movie Magic Moments of the Week!

Nick has a conversation with Joe Gantz, Emmy winning filmmaker for 'Taxi Cab Confessions' and director of 'The Race to Save the World', a new documentary playing in virtual cinemas about Climate Change activists. They talk about his life as an activist, his philosophies as a filmmaker, the protests that went into the making of his film, and more!…

In this installment, the woman for whom Lottie Slocum has been baby sitting has been murdered. Lottie seems to know something but, unfortunately, she doesn't tell the police, she doesn't tell her daughter, she doesn't tell anyone...including us!

Nick has a conversation with actor, producer, writer, director, and cult legend: Bruce Campbell. They discuss his early cinema experiences in Michigan, a bit about what informed his performances as Ash Williams, why he feels the character is still relevant today and a whole lot more.

Nick is joined by Sarah, Jared, and Ben for a discussion about the last year in programming, how the Virtual Cinema will continue as cinemas reopen, what they're looking forward to this Summer, and as always, they conclude with their Movie Magic Moments of the week.

Inspired by the virtual release of 'Her Name is Chef', Sarah Escalante, Director of Programming and Communications, has a virtual conversation and Q and A with local chefs: Abby Olitzky from Spencer, Allie Lyttle from Lala's, Ji Hye Kim from Miss Kim, and Eve Aronoff from Frita Batidos.

Sarah Escalante has a conversation with the filmmakers behind the documentary '17 Blocks': Director Davy Rothbart, born and raised in Ann Arbor, the subjects/filmmakers Cheryl and Smurf Sanford, and with music supervisor Mike DiBella.

In this installment, Howard Latimer, the Gentleman From America, makes a bet that he can spend the night in a room that is supposed to be haunted. It is a room that ends up haunting him, as well as the two men with whom he wagered.

In this installment, Karen wakes up, hungover, in a strange bed. Her memory vague, she tries to piece things together only for reality to be far worse than she ever imagined. A harrowing tale of alcohol and excess with a nasty kick of an ending.