Not ready to say goodbye to Western month yet? Good! Neither are we! It's the last week of our cast takeover and we’re lucky enough to have a cheeky fifth Thursday – which means it's time for Amy & After Dark! These are the late-night episodes where we get cosy and yap about all the things that don't fit into our regular podcast schedule.

At the behest of Amy, our holidaying host, we tucked into some popcorn and s'mores with all the table manners of a band of backwoodsmen and sat down to watch Seven Brides for Seven Brothers. This 1954 technicolour Western (directed byStanley Donen, with music and lyrics by Gene de Paul and Johnny Mercer, and starring Howard Keel, Jane Powell and, crucially, Julie Newmar as our dear Dorcas) is an Academy Award–winning smash hit from the golden age of Hollywood studio musicals.

For some of us, it's a classic comfort watch and for others it was a brand new experience but, bless our beautiful hides, boy do we have a lot to say about it! In this episode we chat about everything from barn raising dance battles, to the cultural and political climate of 1950s USA, to the colonial impulses at the heart of Hollywood’s fascination with Ancient Rome.

 

MENTIONS

🎬 FILM: Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (1954); Raise Your Voice (2004); High School Musical (2006); Braveheart (1995)

🎭 THEATRE: Seussical the Musical; The Book of Mormon; Mamma Mia!; Cats; Stomp; Hadestown; Six

📺 TELEVISION: Ru Paul’s Drag Race/“The Rusical”

📚 LITERATURE: “The Sobbin’ Women”, Stephen Vincent Benét; Parallel Lives, “Life of Romulus”, Plutarch; Ab Urbe Condita, Titus Livy; Ars Amatoria, Ovid

🎓 SCHOLARSHIP: “Two Hundred Years of Changes to Native Peoples of Western Oregon”, David Lewis; “The Australian Convict Prostitute Romance: Narrating Social and Sexual Justice for ‘Damned Whores’”, Hsu-Ming Teo; “Ancient Allusions and Modern Anxieties in Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (1954)”, Christopher M. McDonough; “Livy’s Sabine Women and the Ideal of Concordia”, Robert Brown; “Hunks, History, and Homophobia: Masculinity and Politics in ‘Braveheart’ and ‘Edward II’”, Sid Ray; 100 Film Musicals, Douglas Pye & Jim Hilliery

🏛️: ON-CALL CLASSICIST/ARTIST: Gemma Neall / 🎨 IG: @gememberthat

 

LINKS
Our BOTM is Seven Brides for Beau McBride by Amy Barry
Watch the Live Bookclub on YouTube: @AmyAndPodcast
Follow the Amy & Podcast on IG: @amyandpodcast
Join the Amy & Bookclub: Amy & Bookclub
Follow Amy Matthews on IG: @amymatthewsauthor
Follow Amy Barry on IG: @amybarryauthor
Our theme music is by Mass Wisteria. Stream their single "Same Old" here.

Not ready to say goodbye to Western month yet? Good! Neither are we! It's the last week of our cast takeover and we&rsquo;re lucky enough to have a cheeky fifth Thursday &ndash; which means it's time for Amy &amp; After Dark! These are the late-night episodes where we get cosy and yap about all the things that don't fit into our regular podcast schedule.
At the behest of Amy, our holidaying host, we tucked into some popcorn and s'mores with all the table manners of a band of backwoodsmen and sat down to watch&nbsp;Seven Brides for Seven Brothers. This 1954 technicolour Western (directed by Stanley Donen, with music and lyrics by Gene de Paul and Johnny Mercer, and starring Howard Keel, Jane Powell and, crucially, Julie Newmar as our dear Dorcas) is an Academy Award&ndash;winning smash hit from the golden age of Hollywood studio musicals.
For some of us, it's a classic comfort watch and for others it was a brand new experience but, bless our beautiful hides, boy do we have a lot to say about it! In this episode we chat about everything from barn raising dance battles, to the cultural and political climate of 1950s USA, to the colonial impulses at the heart of Hollywood&rsquo;s fascination with Ancient Rome.
&nbsp;
MENTIONS
🎬 FILM: Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (1954); Raise Your Voice (2004); High School Musical (2006); Braveheart (1995)
🎭 THEATRE: Seussical the Musical; The Book of Mormon; Mamma Mia!; Cats; Stomp; Hadestown; Six
📺 TELEVISION: Ru Paul&rsquo;s Drag Race/&ldquo;The Rusical&rdquo;
📚 LITERATURE: &ldquo;<a href="https://www.libraryofshortstories.com/onlinereader/the-sobbin-women">The Sobbin&rsquo; Women</a>&rdquo;, Stephen Vincent Ben&eacute;t; Parallel Lives, &ldquo;Life of Romulus&rdquo;, Plutarch; Ab Urbe Condita, Titus Livy; Ars Amatoria, Ovid
🎓 SCHOLARSHIP: &ldquo;<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0KWhsTghHtA">Two Hundred Years of Changes to Native Peoples of Western Oregon</a>&rdquo;, David Lewis; &ldquo;The Australian Convict Prostitute Romance: Narrating Social and Sexual Justice for &lsquo;Damned Whores&rsquo;&rdquo;, Hsu-Ming Teo; &ldquo;Ancient Allusions and Modern Anxieties in Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (1954)&rdquo;, Christopher M. McDonough; &ldquo;Livy&rsquo;s Sabine Women and the Ideal of Concordia&rdquo;, Robert Brown; &ldquo;Hunks, History, and Homophobia: Masculinity and Politics in &lsquo;Braveheart&rsquo; and &lsquo;Edward II&rsquo;&rdquo;, Sid Ray; 100 Film Musicals, Douglas Pye &amp; Jim Hilliery
🏛️: ON-CALL CLASSICIST/ARTIST: Gemma Neall / 🎨 IG:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.instagram.com/gememberthat/">@gememberthat</a>
&nbsp;
LINKS
<ul>
<li>Our BOTM is <a href="https://www.simonandschuster.com.au/books/Seven-Brides-for-Beau-McBride/Amy-Barry/The-McBrides-of-Montana/9781761631078">Seven Brides for Beau McBride</a> by Amy Barry</li>
<li>Watch the Live Bookclub on YouTube:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.youtube.com/@AmyAndPodcast">@AmyAndPodcast</a></li>
<li>Follow the Amy &amp; Podcast on IG: <a href="https://www.instagram.com/amyandpodcast/">@amyandpodcast</a></li>
<li>Join the Amy &amp; Bookclub:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.facebook.com/share/g/169K69qXsh/">Amy &amp; Bookclub</a></li>
<li>Follow Amy Matthews on IG:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.instagram.com/amymatthewsauthor/">@amymatthewsauthor</a></li>
<li>Follow Amy Barry on IG:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.instagram.com/amybarryauthor/">@amybarryauthor</a></li>
<li>Our theme music is by Mass Wisteria. Stream their single "Same Old"&nbsp;<a href="https://open.spotify.com/track/7tmb12L3NfS3utyBbazqiR">here.</a></li>
</ul>

Amy & Book Club is a bookish podcast with benefits. Amy Matthews is joined by series regulars Justina Ashman, Abby Guy, Millie Heffernan, Payton Hogan and Harry Stewart and by a cast of guesties, both special and specialer. Featuring genre deep dives, author Q&As, and a live book club with a signature cocktail/mocktail, we’re your new favourite interactive book club with an accessibly academic flair. Listen to the pod, embrace the community on socials, and tune in to the livestream for the monthly book club – whether you’re a new book lover or a seasoned bibliophile, we can’t wait to meet you!

Amy &amp; Book Club is a bookish podcast with benefits. <a href="https://auscastnetwork.com/talent-profiles/dr-amy-matthews/">Amy Matthews</a> is joined by series regulars <a href="https://x.com/justinaashman">Justina Ashman</a>, <a href="https://au.linkedin.com/in/aabbyguy">Abby Guy</a>,<a href="https://www.facebook.com/Milzilla"> Millie Heffernan</a>, <a href="https://www.paytonhogan.com/">Payton Hogan</a> and <a href="https://au.linkedin.com/in/harrison-stewart-7a29a021b">Harry Stewart</a> and by a cast of guesties, both special and specialer. Featuring genre deep dives, author Q&amp;As, and a live book club with a signature cocktail/mocktail, we&rsquo;re your new favourite interactive book club with an accessibly academic flair. Listen to the pod, embrace the community on socials, and tune in to the livestream for the monthly book club &ndash; whether you&rsquo;re a new book lover or a seasoned bibliophile, we can&rsquo;t wait to meet you!