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The Leonard Lopate Show

Friday, August 11, 2006
  • American Movie Critics
    American Movie Critics

    Critical Perspectives

    On today's show, Leonard's brother Phillip Lopate pays tribute to the art of American film criticism. Later on, Francine Prose tells us about the disturbing 1929 novel A High Wind in Jamaica, on our summer Underappreciated Literature series. Then, we’ll look back to the heyday of Schrafft’s restaurants. And General Anthony Zinni argues that everything the U.S. military learned in the past 40 years has been ignored in Iraq.

The Art of Film Criticism

Since the early 20th century, movies have captured the imaginations of many Americans…especially writers. Phillip Lopate pays tribute to the new art form they created--film criticism--in American Movie Critics.

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A High Wind in Jamaica

Underappreciated Literature: Richard Hughes

The 1929 Richard Hughes novel A High Wind in Jamaica has all the trappings of a summer blockbuster: earthquakes, hurricanes, murder, and pirates. It’s also great literature—a book about five British children, and what their misadventures reveal about human nature. Francine Prose, who wrote the introduction for an edition of the book published by the New York Review of Books, joins us on today’s edition of our summer Underappreciated Literature series.

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When Everybody Ate at Schrafft’s

Joan Kanel Slomanson reminisces about a favorite New York institution: Schrafft’s restaurants. Her new book is When Everybody Ate at Schrafft’s.

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Military Lessons from a Military Man

General Tony Zinni, the former head of US Central Command, argues that the military ignored the lessons of the past when the US invaded Iraq. In The Battle for Peace: A Frontline Vision of America's Power and Purpose, he explains why he believes Donald Rumsfeld should be held accountable.

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Bill Richardson on Diplomacy

The Leonard Lopate Show

New Mexico governor Bill Richardson will be joining Obama’s cabinet as Commerce Secretary. You can hear him talk about his experience in foreign policy and diplomacy on the Lopate Show in April 2007.

Plaxico Burress on the Lopate Show

The Leonard Lopate Show

NY Giants star Plaxico Burress is in the headlines this week for his self-inflicted gunshot wound. You can hear him on the Leonard Lopate Show in July 2008 talk about his life on and off the football field, and what it was like to win the 2007 Super Bowl.

Tom Daschle on Fixing America’s Health Care System

The Leonard Lopate Show

Former U.S. Sen. Tom Daschle has accepted President-Elect Barack Obama’s offer to be Secretary of Health and Human Services. You can hear Tom Daschle talk about his prescriptions for fixing American’s health care crisis on the Leonard Lopate Show in March 2008.

Barack Obama, Circa 2004

The Leonard Lopate Show

Listen to President-Elect Barack Obama on the Leonard Lopate Show in November 2004. He had recently won a seat in the U.S. Senate, and only a few months before, his rousing speech during the 2004 Democratic National Convention catapulted him into the national spotlight.

Guest Picks

The Leonard Lopate Show

Find out surprising facts about some recent guests on the Leonard Lopate Show. Check out our Guest Picks section! Did you know that football star Herschel Walker loves Judge Judy, Laurie Anderson is a big fan of agility training for dogs, and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi likes Johnny Depp?