The Patrick Coffin Show | Interviews with influencers | Commentary about culture | Tools for transformation

This is episode is my first to feature two guests on the same topic, although Episode 34 included Jordan Peterson and Senator Don Plett at the same time in separate cities. This week's show topic is the enduring cultural impact of Frank Capra's It's a Wonderful Life (1947) through the eyes of two women close to its creation. I say "Frank Capra's" because that's how the movie was marketed (it's now called the vanity credit) and may help explain why the film got only a so-so reception when it was first released. Most of Mr. Capra's pre-World War II movies were so sweet-hearted that they later earned the not-quite-complimentary moniker "Capra-corn." It's a Wonderful Life is one of the most critically acclaimed films ever made. Nominated for five Academy Awards including Best Picture, recognized by the American Film Institute as one of the 100 best American films ever made, and placed number 11 on its initial 1998 greatest movie list, it also ranked number one on its list of the most inspirational American films of all time. Think about that, in light of the hundreds of thousands of movies ever made. By the end of the War, though, the mood of the movie-going public had shifted, as I wrote about the making of the movie in National Review a few years ago here The next day after it was published, an appreciative email from a woman named Mary Owen arrived in my inbox. Turns out, Mary is the daughter of actress Donna Reed, who played Mary Bailey, the wife of James Stewart's George Bailey. I thanked her for the lovely email and we had a few back-and-forths. After my podcast was up on two feet and spreading around the world (11o countries and counting), I thought it would be fun to have her on the show to talk about her mother's role in this now-international favorite Christmas movie and to learn some back story to her mother's career and her commitment to writing back to the G.I's who wrote to her from the trenches and the gun turrets of World War II. (Oh, by the way, she was not named for the character her mother played in the Capra movie.) The interview segues nicely into the next one, a rich conversation with actress Karolyn Grimes who played Zuzu, one of the four Bailey kids. Remember Zuzu's petals? This was a real treat for me who loves the movie so well, and I know it will be for you as well. I learned, among other things, how much Mrs. Grimes suffered as a teen when her mother died and then the next year her father was killed and she became a ward of the state—then "rescued" by an aunt and uncle in Missouri. An unhappy home situation after an abrupt end to her budding acting career (she also played Debbie, the daughter of David Niven and Loretta Young in another Christmas favorite, The Bishop's Wife). For those of us who can't gobble up enough trivia and true stories about It's a Wonderful Life, Mrs. Grimes is a treasure trove of first hand memories and insights! In this episode you will learn How Donna Reed's work represents the best of the Golden Age of television and movies Why she made sure she was "just a regular mom" with Mary and her other real-life children The story of how Reed's children found a shoebox full of correspondence with American soldiers from the War in her Bel Air home 65 years later Why Owens thinks the movie that made her mother a household name has such enduring appeal Who is the oldest living cast member (hint: it's not one of the child actors) What it was like to be on set with Frank Capra and to appear with Jimmy Stewart The ways in which It's a Wonderful Life touched the lives of the cast and crew forever. Resources mentioned in this episode Blu-Ray of It's a Wonderful Life Blu-Ray of The Bishop's Wife It's a Wonderful Life Book edited by Jeanine Basinger Additional resources It's a Wonderful Life: A Memory Book by Stephen Cox. The Essential It's a Wonderful Life: A Scene-by-Scene Guide to the Classic Film by Michael Willian The Name Above the Title: An Autobiography by Frank Capra Don't forget to subscribe, rate and review the podcast!

Tony Esolen is both a sage and a survivor of the culture war. He knows there's a war over which camp gets to determine the default setting narrative, and he knows the cost of warfare. He also knows it's not a military war (at least not yet) but a war of ideas and moral stances. Esolen suffered a bumpy and very public exit from Providence College last year, where he taught English and classics since 1990 -- their youngest full tenured professor ever. But the diversity demon took hold and Esolen fought back manfully. In the end, he stepped away from the salary, the tenure, the sabbatical, and the sundry perks and joined the faculty of Thomas More College of Liberal Arts in Merrimack, NH. Like Ferdinand the Bull at the end of the Munro Leaf story, Esolen is happy. Our interview covered the story behind his departure from Providence not in a literary gossip way but in a What Went Wrong With Catholic Colleges way. We talk about the new Center for the Restoration of Christian Culture and the importance of getting in the game of reclaiming our cultural heritage. In this episode you will learn: Why the need to rebuild culture NOW is so urgent A sample of the books we ought to read to guide us The importance of beautiful and reverent liturgy The reasons why parents need to take back, as best they can, the education of their children from the education establishment bureaucrats The difference literacy makes in the lives of children and family life Resources mentioned in this episode: The Death of Christian Culture by John Senior The Restoration of Christian Culture by John Senior Out of the Ashes: Rebuilding American Culture by Anthony Esolen Two Years Before the Mast by Richard Henry Dana The Counter-Revolution by Thomas Molnar Join the Conversation: Question of the week: What small thing can I do as a family to restore the Christian culture? Comment below. Don't forget to Subscribe to the show in YouTube, as well as the podcast so you can get the weekly show updates. Check the podcast in iTunes and other podcast directories, please leave an honest review. Ratings and reviews are extremely helpful and greatly appreciated!

It's that time of year again when we review the notable "holiday" movies for their adherence to the real meaning of Christmas, production quality, and merits and demerits. Who better than the founder of Decent Films, Steven Greydanus? Steve is not only the father of seven and a permanent deacon with the Archdiocese of Newark, he is a prolific movie critic and newly minted member of the elite New York Film Critics' Circle. Ever since the first A Christmas Carol silent film came out in 1901 (!), Christmas and movies have gone together like Bob Cracthit and Tiny Tim. Since then, there have been over 30 adaptations of the Dickens original to the big or small screen. In this episode, here is a sample of the Christmas themed movies Steven and I talk about in this episode: Elf, starring Will Farrell, produced by my friend Todd Komarnicki, who appeared in Episode 25 of the show Die Hard starring Bruce Willis. Is it really a Christmas movie? Discuss. And we do! A Midnight Clear C starring Gary Sinese. Biblical allusion galore in this tragically little known war movie set at Christmas. Joyeux Noel, a multi-country co-production about the true story of a Christmas Eve impromptu cease-fire between the Germans and the Allies. It's a Wonderful Life, starring James Stewart. For my money the greatest film ever made. If you disagree, we can't be friends. Want the story behind the story? Read this. It's what got the attention of my upcoming guest Mary Owen, daughter of actress Donna Reed, the incandescent Mary Bailey, wife of George. Meet John Doe starring Gary Cooper. The other Frank Capra movie about a good man tempted to suicide on Christmas Eve. Bizarrely forgotten classic, as I point out here. We also talked about the bad ones, like Ron Howard's super-lousy How the Grinch Stole Christmas and a few other rancid things disguised as movies. Since this is a respectable joint—I ain't linking to 'em.

Is the threat of terrorism from the Islamic world a clear and present danger? Is there a way to broach this uncomfortable topic in a balanced and charitable way? Is it Islamophobic to even pose these questions? Author and founder of Jihad Watch, Robert Spencer has been writing and speaking about the foundational documents of Islam, the Qur'an and the Hadith, for over 15 years. It doesn't matter that his books, 17 in all so far, carefully distinguish between Muslims who do not follow the literal sense of the Qu'ran and those who do. He still gets repeatedly branded as a hate-monger and, the shame label du jour, "Islamophobe." Spencer has finally embraced that label, with key caveats, in the title of his new book, Confessions of An Islamophobe. which is part memoir, and part catalogue of real-world applications of Islamic texts and traditions. There are few topics that are subject to more confusion and fuzzy thinking than Islam's relationship to modern liberal democracies, the explicit teachings of its holy books, and the relationship between Christianity and Islam. For his troubles in writing about jihad-inspired attacks throughout the UK, Spencer is still banned in the UK (by then-Home Secretary now Prime Minister Theresa May) and remains a persona non grata in many circles. One word very rarely used against him is wrong. (I believe he did make one error of fact in our interview, although of the benign variety, in saying that Israel is the only place in the Middle East where Christians are increasing in number.) There is an Advent tie-in here, straight from Archbishop Fulton Sheen's 1951 classic The World's First Love.The chapter, "Mary and the Moslems," is worth the book price. Prophetic insights into how our Lady of Fatima has a role to play in the conversion of Muslims to Christ. In his latest book, Spencer meticulously outlines the various groups who are under special threat today by the Sharia-minded ethos, from women and homosexuals, to Jews and Christians. In this candid interview, you will discover: How to respond when people claim that the Catholic Church officially teaches that Islam is a religion of peace The rationale the jihadis give for their violence How the far Left and militant Islam are strange bedfellows How to talk about Islamic-inspired evil while respecting and speaking with ordinary Muslims who also abhor that evil Why the West needs a serious, loud, and urgent wake-up call to what's coming next. Question of the Week: How much has political correctness undermined our willingness to talk candidly about Islamic terrorism?

"Dr. J" to her tribe, this influencer as a PhD and teaching experience at Yale, and George Brown University. An economist by training, she has invaluable insights into the wreckage we see around us caused by the failed Sexual Revolution. The organization she founded, The Ruth Institute, exists to help survivors of this very public shipwreck. With the Obergefel v Hodges (2015) decision redefining marriage at the federal level, we have reached a legal tipping point. Most Americans support marriage as it's been defined for millennia, as the lifelong union of one man and one woman with openness to children. Culture is one thing, laws are another. If you want practical insights into how to talk about this and other challenges such as our collective no-fault divorce attitude (yes, it has infected "good Catholic" circles), and the forgotten players known as children, this is the interview for you. You will learn: Proven strategies for framing the arguments How to avoid taking the bait offered by anti-marriage activists The importance of keeping the conversation where it needs to be: on the linking of children to their parents. How to articulate reasons for supporting marriage without reference to either homosexual behavior on the one hand, or religious tenets on the other. Question of the week (for the married): When people look at your marriage, how likely are they to say, "I want a marriage like that"? (For the unmarried): What is a good question to ask your boyfriend or girlfriend that would either qualify or disqualify them as a good candidate for marriage? Resources recommended in this episode: 101 Tips for a Happier Marriage: Simple Ways for Couples to Grow Closer to God and to Each Other by Jennifer Roback-Morse and Betsy Kerekes Sex Au Naturel: What It Is and Why It's Good For Your Marriage, by Patrick Coffin Additional resources: Go to ruthinstitute.org for more from Dr. J. Truth Overruled: The Future of Marriage and Religious Freedom by Ryan Anderson Getting the Marriage Conversation Right: A Guide for Effective Dialogue by William May Don't forget to Subscribe to the show in YouTube, as well as the podcast so you can get the weekly show updates. Check the podcast in iTunes and other podcast directories, please leave an honest review. Ratings and reviews are extremely helpful and greatly appreciated!

Get your C.S. Lewis on! Lovers of the works of Clive Staples Lewis (+1963), especially The Chronicles of Narnia septet will not want to miss this interview with Lewis scholar and Catholic convert, Dr. Michael Ward of Oxford and Houston Baptist University. The Narnia series has been one of the most critically analyzed book series in history since it was penned over 60 years ago. My guest in this episode has discovered a interpretative framework to the seven books that eluded the Lewisphere for decades and now has them abuzz. It's all about the seven planets of the medieval cosmos. Even if you've re-read the books many times, Dr. Ward's insights will bring you a whole new depth and wonder to C.S. Lewis's best known work. And because he is English (I say, the inventors of the language you're now reading) his prose will expand your vocabulary as well! I should note one thing. At the end of the interview, I jokingly asked him about his work for Q under Her Majesty the Queen. This is because he had a walk-on part in the James Bond film The World Is Never Enough. (He's the bespectacled, white lab-coated assistant to Q in this funny scene, handing 007 his X-ray glasses at 1:20: ) In this episode you will learn: What subtle, overarching symbolic framework governs the seven-fold story of the Narnia books (hint: think planets, not sacraments) That John Williams's Star Wars theme, shall we say, borrowed promiscuously from Gustav Holst's "Mars: Bringer of War" The meaning of the words etiolated, valitudinarian, and aestival—handy for use at cocktail parties... Some important background on what inspired Lewis The importance of atmosphere or "tone" in great works of literature and why it resembles the mystery in music. Resources recommended in this episode: Planet Narnia: The Seven Heavens in the Imagination of C.S. Lewis by Michael Ward Gustav Holst, The Planets (music CD) S. Lewis: A Complete Guide to His Life & Works by Walter Hooper The Cambridge Companion to C. S. Lewis ed. By Michael Ward and Robert MacSwain The World Is Not Enough, James Bond film DVD starring Pierce Brosnan, co-starring….Michael Ward. Don't forget to Subscribe to the show in YouTube, as well as the podcast so you can get the weekly show updates. Check the podcast in iTunes and other podcast directories, please leave an honest review. Ratings and reviews are extremely helpful and greatly appreciated!

The last couple of shows have been on the intellectual-nerd side. Here's another one! Father Thomas J. White, OP, of the Dominican House of Studies in Washington, DC, has distilled the essential of Catholicism into a single volume, The Light of Christ: An Introduction to Catholicism. I devoured the book (insofar as you can devour a work that relies on Thomas Aquinas's methods and language) in a few days despite being a slow reader. His style is accessible and his prose elegant with a whiff of humor here and there. All of that comes through in this interview, as Father White gets down to basics of foundations of Catholicism. After listening, you will know: What the gospel really is The philosophical and biblical basis for the Catholic Church's main claim to be founded by Christ What Scripture is and why we can trust the New Testament as an historical document A simple way to explain the Trinity Question of the week: How would you finish the sentence, "I"m Catholic because….." Or, "I'm not Catholic because…." Resources recommended in this episode: The Light of Christ: An Introduction to Catholicism by Father White, OP Theology and Sanity by Frank Sheed Ignatius Study Bible, RSV Second Catholic Edition by the Holy Spirit and the sacred authors. Don't forget to subscribe, rate and review!

Arguments for God's existence are all the rage, as Ed Feser exemplified well in the last two episodes. But what about us? What's our nature as humans? Do we have a soul? How can we know that the soul is immortal and not just a few pounds of electric meat between our ears that produces cool experiences like a mythical God? Very few modern thinkers are devoting a lot of time to the question of the soul and whether it's immortal. Plato thought so, as it most Greek philosophers. Certainly the Bible affirms it. Dr. Michael Augros has written a new book called The Immortal In You. How Human Nature Is More Than Science Can Say. We talked about the finer points in my interview with him. You'll learn a ton, as I did, about: In this episode, you'll learn: Your own body-soul nature, made by God, destined for heaven, in peril of hell. How to distinguish between what God reveals about the soul and what reason does The difference between the body and the soul How to argue with someone who thinks science is a magical truth-dispensing religion Resources mentioned in this episode: The Immortal In You. How Human Nature Is More Than Science Can Say by Dr. Michael Augros Who Designed the Designer: A Rediscovered Path to God's Existence, by Dr. Michael Augros The Republic, by Plato Don't forget to Subscribe to the show in YouTube, as well as the podcast so you can get the weekly show updates. Check the podcast in iTunes and other podcast directories, please leave an honest review. Ratings and reviews are extremely helpful and greatly appreciated!

This episode continues the energetic exchange of last week's live interview with philosopher Ed Feser. After the show proper, we turned the mikes over to the audience. This week's special Part II show is the result! Remember, Dr. Feser is the man that professor emeritus of Oxford, Dr. Richard Dawkins, does not want to debate. You can see why in this lively Q&A session, held at St. John the Baptist in Costa Mesa, CA. Feser is sharp, clear, funny, and engages the issues in a way that resonates with young people especially. In this episode, you'll learn: How to answer basic (and more complex) questions about theism Effective ways to listen before giving answers even true and accurate answers Additional sources of information and formation for Christians looking to improve their communication skills with atheists The importance of patience and humility in the process Resources mentioned in this episode: Five Proofs of God's Existence by Edward Feser I Burned For Your Peace: Augustine's Confessions Unpacked by Peter Kreeft. By Man Shall His Blood Be Shed: A Catholic Defense of Capital Punishment by Ed Feser and Joseph Bessette Aquinas: A Beginner's Guide by Ed Feser The Last Superstition: A Refutation of the New Atheism, by Edward Feser Other recommended resources: How to Talk to Atheists CD Set by Patrick Coffin Join the Conversation Question of the week: What is your biggest take away from this episode?

A recent Pew Research Center poll found that the number of atheists has doubled in the United States. Atheism is definitely in the rise. Is God's existence a matter of faith only? Is there a way we can come to a certain knowledge of God apart from the Bible or the Church's teaching? If you have friends or family who say they stopped believing in God, this is the interview to share with them. Philosopher and writer Dr. Edward Feser is the author of The Last Superstition, Aquinas, and other books of philosophy. This special episode of The Patrick Coffin Show, taped before a live audience at St.John the Baptist church in Costa Mesa, CA. In this episode, you'll learn: The right questions to ask atheists That there are strong reasons for believing in God apart from divine revelation Science itself cannot disprove God How to really listen to the atheist objection and provide a great answer in reply Dr. Feser is the man that professor emeritus of Oxford, Dr. Richard Dawkins, does not want to debate. You can see why in this lively exchange. Feser is sharp, clear, funny, and engages the issues in a way that resonates with young people especially. Resources mentioned in this episode: Five Proofs of God's Existence by Edward Feser The Last Superstition: A Refutation of the New Atheism, by Edward Feser Other recommended resources: How to Talk to Atheists CD Set by Patrick Coffin Don't miss next week's episode: Part II of this event -- the robust Q&A session afterward! Join the Conversation Question of the week: What tone should we adopt when talking to an atheist? Don't forget to Subscribe to the show in YouTube, as well as the podcast so you can get the weekly show updates. Check the podcast in iTunes and other podcast directories, please leave an honest review. Ratings and reviews are extremely helpful and greatly appreciated!