Studio Executives Did Not Want Marlon Brando for the Title Role in ‘The Godfather’
On the film’s 50th anniversary, a Smithsonian historian reflects on the cultural phenomenon of the blockbuster hit
This Missouri Company Still Makes Cassette Tapes, and They Are Flying Off the Factory Floor
National Audio Company is the largest manufacturer in the world for this retro sound
The Most Anticipated Museum Openings of 2022
Scheduled to open this year are new institutions dedicated to African American history, electronic music and Nordic art
Celebrating the Viral ‘Encanto’ Soundtrack’s Colombian Roots
Grammy-winning artist Carlos Vives sings the title song, which honors the rich traditions underlying the film’s music
Eight Historic Movie Theaters With Interesting Second Acts
In a new book, photographers Yves Marchand and Romain Meffre honor the remains—and the creative reuses—of North America’s iconic 20th century cinemas
Irma Thomas’ Rendition of ‘O Holy Night’ Is a Marvel From Beginning to End
Soulful Christmas music is an obsession for Bill Adler, so he interviewed the singer of one of his favorite songs
The Little-Known Recording of Louis Armstrong Reciting ‘The Night Before Christmas’
Shortly before he died, the jazz legend offered his own rendition of the classic holiday poem
How ‘Scream’ Explored the Exploitative Nature of the Nightly News
Twenty-five years ago, the first installment of the horror franchise hit theaters just as a national debate about on-screen violence reached a fever pitch
The 1980 Slasher Movie ‘Friday the 13th’ Was Filmed at This Boy Scout Camp in New Jersey
In the off-season, Camp-No-Be-Bo-Sco alumni bring in props and lead tours for freaked-out fans
The South African Town Where Penguins Rule
A colony of 1,000 breeding pairs of African penguins nests on the beaches and in the gardens of Simon’s Town
‘Shaft,’ ‘Super Fly’ and the Birth of Blaxploitation
In this excerpt from ‘Music Is History,’ the drummer for the Roots and all-around music ambassador looks at a year when everything changed
Follow Ian Fleming’s Footsteps Through Jamaica
Discover the author’s favorite places—as the 25th James Bond movie hits theaters
Inside the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures
The L.A. institution finally opens, inviting visitors to learn about film history—even the not so glittery bits—and to contemplate the industry’s future
Who Was the Real James Bond?
Author Ian Fleming named his 007 after an influential ornithologist
How Artificial Intelligence Completed Beethoven’s Unfinished Tenth Symphony
On October 9, the work will be performed in Bonn, Germany, and a recording will be released
The Heart-Wrenching History of the Breakup Album
From Joni Mitchell’s ‘Blue’ to Olivia Rodrigo’s ‘Sour,’ love and loss has an ever evolving soundtrack
Groundbreaking Archaeologist Ann Axtell Morris Finally Gets the Cinematic Treatment
Nearly a century after Morris excavated ancestral Native lands, filmmakers return with an inclusive approach that brings Navajo Nation onto the big screen
At an Old Juke Joint in Mississippi, the Blues Are Alive
Jimmy Holmes is the last in a line of music legends as he seeks to keep a singular American art form thriving
Disney’s Dusty Crophopper—the Little Airplane that Could—Comes to the Smithsonian
Iconic Air Tractor aircraft on display at the Udvar-Hazy Center this Saturday
‘Reservation Dogs’ Marks a Breakthrough for Indigenous Representation Onscreen
“Thor: Ragnarok” director Taika Waititi and Sterlin Harjo developed a comedy about Native American teens in Oklahoma that stars four young Native actors
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