2 Complicated 4 History

Dr. Lynn Price Robbins and Isaac S. Loftus welcome retired New York Supreme Court judge and author Diane Kiesel to explore the scandalous romance between film icon Charlie Chaplin and young aspiring actress Joan Barry. The explosive courtroom drama that followed—set against Chaplin’s famously chaotic personal life—reveals much about fame, justice, and power in America. Please support this podcast by checking out our patreon:www.patreon.com/primarysourcemedia CHAPTERS:0:00 - Introductions3:06 - Charlie Chaplin: The Man Behind the Tramp6:30 - The Juicy Hollywood Story: Chaplin’s Relationships7:36 - The Legal Journey: How a Judge Writes a Biography10:25 - Joan Barry: The Woman Behind the Scandal13:44 - Charlie Chaplin’s Romantic History20:54 - The Complicated Relationship: Victim or Victimizer?24:15 -  The FBI Investigation: Politics and Scandal27:23 - The Complicated Relationship: Victim or Victimizer? PT.234:11 - The Media Circus of the Chaplin Trial39:59 - The Role of the Judge and Legal Maneuvering45:51 - Joan’s Paternity Lawsuit and It’s Implications54:38 - The Aftermath: Chaplin's Career and Joan's Struggles1:06:05 - Final Thoughts EPISODE LINKS:Diane Kiesel – https://www.dianekiesel.comWhen Charlie Met Joan – https://press.umich.edu/Books/W/When-Charlie-Met-Joan2Mary Louise Gribble (“Joan Barry”) – https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/150198409/mary_louise-baker2026 Prose Award in Biography – https://publishers.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/2026-PROSE-Awards-Finalists-and-Category-Winners-1.pdfKeystone Comedy – https://www.britannica.com/topic/Keystone-KopsMack Sennett – https://www.britannica.com/biography/Mack-SennettThe Little Tramp – https://www.theguardian.com/film/filmblog/2014/jan/27/charlie-chaplin-tramp-birth-heroThe Great Dictator – https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0032553/Modern Times – https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0027977/?ref_=fn_t_1Paulette Goddard – https://www.britannica.com/biography/Paulette-GoddardJ. Paul Getty – https://www.britannica.com/money/J-Paul-GettyTim Durant – https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0243885/The Gold Rush – https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0015864/?ref_=fn_t_1Oona O'Neill – https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0152253/The Mann Act – https://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/mann_actHedda Hopper – https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0394407/Fatty Arbuckle scandal – https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2021/10/11/fatty-arbuckle-and-the-birth-of-the-celebrity-scandalJerry Giesler – https://www.nytimes.com/1962/01/02/archives/jerry-giesler-75-lawyer-is-dead-he-won-fame-for-defending-hollywood.htmlJames Francis Thaddeus O'Connor – https://www.fjc.gov/history/judges/oconnor-james-francis-thaddeusCharles H. Carr – https://www.fjc.gov/node/1378866Samuel Marx – https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0555674/Joseph Scott – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Scott_(attorney)Monsieur Verdoux – https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0039631/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0_tt_4_nm_0_in_0_q_Monsieur%20Vodou%20PODCAST INFO:Podcast website: 2c4hpod.comApple Podcasts:https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/2-complicated-4-history/id1664183536Spotify:https://open.spotify.com/show/3svQpZfxhVQnYJMESpp842?si=514780ada34d4aab Full episodes playlist:   https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLX2x56DEw1y7EYWxfufgfSR951RrdsXet&si=TuDcpAjaeQx-vjkH SOCIAL:- Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/2c4hPodcast- Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/2c4h_podcast

Dr. Lynn Price Robbins and Isaac S. Loftus sit down with author and fine artist Chris Semtner to explore the lesser-known side of Edgar Allan Poe. Best remembered as the dark, brooding voice behind “The Raven,” Poe was far more than a master of the macabre. This episode reveals a witty, charming, and surprisingly scientific thinker whose personality—and ideas—challenge everything you thought you knew about him. Please support this podcast by checking out our patreon:www.patreon.com/primarysourcemedia EPISODE LINKS:Chris Semtner – https://chrissemtner.comHaunting Poe: His Afterlife in Richmond and Beyond - https://shop.poemuseum.org/Haunting-Poe-p458518272Edgar Allan Poe Museum - https://poemuseum.orgEdgar and Tib - https://www.instagram.com/poemuseumcats/Hop-Frog - https://poestories.com/read/hop-frogThe Cask of Amontillado - https://poestories.com/read/amontilladoThe Tell-Tale Heart - https://poestories.com/read/telltaleheartThree Sundays in a Week - https://www.eapoe.org/works/tales/sundyb.htmGodey’s Lady’s Magazine - https://web.colby.edu/bookhistory2020/2018/03/05/origins-of-godeys-ladys-magazine/Henry Wadsworth Longfellow - https://www.britannica.com/biography/Henry-Wadsworth-LongfellowC. Auguste Dupin - https://www.britannica.com/topic/C-Auguste-DupinMesmerism - https://dictionary.apa.org/mesmerismAndrew Jackson Davis - https://jonestown.sdsu.edu/?page_id=81671Edgar Cayce - https://www.theosophical.org/publications/quest-magazine/edgar-cayce-ordinary-man-extraordinary-messengerThe Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar - https://poestories.com/read/factsMesmer and Swedenborg - https://archive.org/details/mesmerswedenborg00bushTamerlane - https://poemuseum.org/tamerlane/Al Aaraaf - https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Al_Aaraaf,_Tamerlane_and_Minor_Poems/Al_AaraafEureka: A Prose Poem - https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/32037Horace Walpole - https://www.britannica.com/biography/Horace-WalpoleAnn Radcliffe - https://www.britannica.com/biography/Ann-Radcliffe-English-authorLigeia - https://poestories.com/read/ligeiaBerenice - https://poestories.com/read/bereniceMorella - https://www.eapoe.org/works/tales/mrllah.htmEleonora - https://poestories.com/read/eleonoraThe Colloquy of Monos and Una - https://poemuseum.org/the-colloquy-of-monos-and-una/Eulalie - https://poemuseum.org/eulalie/Portrait of Virginia Poe - https://www.eapoe.org/papers/misc1921/deasf76a.htmJohn Neal - https://www.eapoe.org/pstudies/ps1970/p1974202.htmN.P. Willis - https://whitmanarchive.org/item/encyclopedia_entry110The Assignation - https://poemuseum.org/the-assignation/Sarah J. Hale - https://www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/sarah-haleThe Bells - https://www.eapoe.org/works/mabbott/tom1p101.htmThe Fox Sisters - https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/the-fox-sisters-and-the-rap-on-spiritualism-99663697/Horace Greeley - https://www.britannica.com/biography/Horace-GreeleyRufus Griswald - https://www.britannica.com/biography/Rufus-Wilmot-GriswoldSir Arthur Conan Doyle - https://www.britannica.com/biography/Arthur-Conan-DoyleSarah Helen Whitman - https://www.britannica.com/biography/Sarah-Helen-Power-WhitmanHarry Houdini - https://www.britannica.com/biography/Harry-HoudiniPODCAST INFO:Podcast website: 2c4hpod.comApple Podcasts:https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/2-complicated-4-history/id1664183536Spotify:https://open.spotify.com/show/3svQpZfxhVQnYJMESpp842?si=514780ada34d4aab Full episodes playlist:   https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLX2x56DEw1y7EYWxfufgfSR951RrdsXet&si=TuDcpAjaeQx-vjkH SOCIAL:- Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/2c4hPodcast- Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/2c4h_podcast

Dr. Lynn Price Robbins and Isaac S. Loftus talk with author and historian Dr. Chris Yogerst about the uproar sparked by a few isolationist senators who accused Hollywood’s early anti-Nazi films of promoting war. Their ill-fated investigation became a national spectacle, splashed across newspapers for all to see. Please support this podcast by checking out our patreon:www.patreon.com/primarysourcemedia CHAPTERS:00:00:00 - Introductions00:02:07 - Introduction to Hollywood’s Historical Context00:04:00 - Why Hollywood?00:06:08 - The State of Hollywood in the Great Depression and The Lead Up to WWII00:09:06 - Understanding Propaganda in Hollywood Movies00:12:49 - What Caused the Senate to Investigate Hollywood?00:18:18 - The Rise of Isolationism vs. Interventionism00:20:53 - The Hays Code And The Hollywood Response to Current Events00:26:48 The Role of Movies in Public Perception00:28:26 - The Senate Investigates Hollywood00:32:34 - The Disconnect Between Politicians and Technology00:35:11 - Reactions to The Investigation00:37:03 - The Role of Evidence and The Underlying Prejudice00:41:09 - Was Everyone In On It?00:42:52 - Studipidity and Dog Whistles00:44:27 - Media Coverage and Public Perception00:48:19 - Shifting Political Rhetoric Post-Pearl Harbor00:50:48 - Why Did You Choose This Topic?00:55:21 - Where Should People Visit00:58:24 - The Three Movies People Should Watch EPISODE LINKS:Dr. Chris Yogerst – https://www.chrisyogerst.comSubstack – https://chrisyogerst.substack.comBlueSky – https://bsky.app/profile/chrisyogerst.comHollywood Hates Hitler!: Jew-Baiting, Anti-Nazism, and the Senate Investigation into Warmongering in Motion Pictures – https://www.ubcpress.ca/hollywood-hates-hitlerThe Man Who Shot Liberty Valance – https://www.unmpress.com/9780826368386/the-man-who-shot-liberty-valance/The Warner Brothers – https://www.kentuckypress.com/9780813198019/the-warner-brothers/The Great Dictator – https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0032553/Black Legion – https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0027367/Why We Fight films – https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL7jF6pEM23dcE3HsS8QsS2L3lx4Do98JpCharles E. Coughlin – https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/charles-e-coughlinAmerica First Committee – https://www.britannica.com/topic/America-First-CommitteeCharles Lindberg – https://www.britannica.com/biography/Charles-LindberghGerald Nye – https://www.britannica.com/topic/Hollywood-blacklist#ref1191115Hitler in Los Angeles – https://www.pulitzer.org/finalists/steven-j-rossThe Hays Code – https://www.britannica.com/art/Hays-CodeJoseph Breen – https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1033952/Leo Frank Case – https://www.archives.gov/education/lessons/frank-petition.htmlConfessions of a Nazi Spy – https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0031173/House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) – https://www.britannica.com/topic/House-Un-American-Activities-CommitteeBennett Champ Clark – https://dcchs.org/judges/clark-bennett-champ/Wendell Willkie – https://www.britannica.com/biography/Wendell-WillkieErnest McFarland – https://www.okhistory.org/publications/enc/entry?entry=MC022Harry Warner – https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0912481/bio/Charlie Chaplin – https://www.britannica.com/biography/Charlie-ChaplinDorothy Thompson – https://erpapers.columbian.gwu.edu/dorothy-thompson-1893-1961Thomas Doherty – https://scholarworks.brandeis.edu/esploro/profile/thomas_doherty/overviewThe Mortal Storm – https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0032811/PODCAST INFO:Podcast website: 2c4hpod.comApple Podcasts:https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/2-complicated-4-history/id1664183536Spotify:https://open.spotify.com/show/3svQpZfxhVQnYJMESpp842?si=514780ada34d4aabSOCIAL:- Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/2c4h_podcast

Dr. Lynn Price Robbins and Isaac S. Loftus welcome historian Dr. Matthew Mason to explore the struggle for the moral high ground during the American Revolution. They unpack how the language of slavery and freedom shaped public debate—and how it became central to understanding the war itself. Please support this podcast by checking out our patreon:www.patreon.com/primarysourcemedia CHAPTERS:0:00 - Introductions1:13 - Making Sense of “Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death!”4:36 - “Men of Their Time”  is Factually Inaccurate6:40 - Explaining Politcal Slavery9:47 - How Slavery Played A Larger Role in The American Revolution Than We Used to Believe14:31 - The Complicated Mythology Around The Revolution16:34 - Any Acknowledgement of The Inherent Hypocrisy19:11 - Anti Slavery Movement in the 18th Century vs The Abolition Movement in the 19th Century 23:41 - Morale High Ground: Anti Slavery Sentiments In the Colonies and England26:19 - Why Did It Matter Who Had the Moral High Ground?29:11 - Defining the American Revolution vs the Revolutionary War31:56 - Lord Dunmore’s Proclamation33:39 - Parsing The Religiosity of the Founders40:09 - The Surprising Perspective of Benjamin Rush43:20 - Changing Your Own Perspective on History46:52 - The Global Perspective on The American Colonies51:15 - Where to Visit and How to Find Matthew EPISODE LINKS:Dr. Matthew Mason - https://history.byu.edu/directory/matthew-masonSeeking the High Ground: Slavery and Political Conflict in the British Atlantic World - https://www.upress.virginia.edu/title/10097/Slavery and Politics in the Early American Republic - https://uncpress.org/9780807859230/slavery-and-politics-in-the-early-american-republic/Patrick Henry “Give Me Liberty” Speech - https://avalon.law.yale.edu/18th_century/patrick.aspSamuel Johnson Quote - https://www.samueljohnson.com/tnt.htmlAbolitionism - https://www.britannica.com/topic/abolitionism-European-and-American-social-movement“For the Cause of Liberty is the Cause of GOD” - https://quod.lib.umich.edu/cgi/t/text/text-idx?c=evans;cc=evans;rgn=main;view=text;idno=N11353.0001.001Lord Dunmore’s Proclamation, 1775 - https://www.gilderlehrman.org/history-resources/spotlight-primary-source/lord-dunmores-proclamation-1775Jean-Jacques Dessalines episode - https://youtu.be/wWhBPfjnf2Y?si=AEUfPw4sFW92RvGKSheldon Cooper “Fun With Flags” - https://youtu.be/_e8PGPrPlwA?si=G3SZhnVHnutApwmbBenjamin Rush - https://www.britannica.com/biography/Benjamin-RushPennsylvania Abolition Society - https://www.paabolition.orgApostles of Disunion: Southern Secession Commissioners and the Causes of the Civil War – https://www.upress.virginia.edu/title/1156/Somerset Decision of 1772 - https://www.gilderlehrman.org/sites/default/files/inline-pdfs/AppenA.pdfMuseum of the American Revolution – https://www.amrevmuseum.orgBlueSky - https://bsky.app/profile/matthewmason.bsky.socialPODCAST INFO:Podcast website: 2c4hpod.comApple Podcasts:https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/2-complicated-4-history/id1664183536Spotify:https://open.spotify.com/show/3svQpZfxhVQnYJMESpp842?si=514780ada34d4aab Full episodes playlist:   https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLX2x56DEw1y7EYWxfufgfSR951RrdsXet&si=TuDcpAjaeQx-vjkH SOCIAL:- Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/2c4hPodcast- Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/2c4h_podcast

Dr. Lynn Price Robbins and Isaac S. Loftus welcome Dr. Jake Subryan Richards to examine the uncertain path to freedom for Africans rescued from the illegal slave trade in the nineteenth-century Atlantic World. Their stories reveal legal struggles, efforts to build new communities, and the ongoing fight for justice and autonomy amid persistent obstacles. Please support this podcast by checking out our patreon:www.patreon.com/primarysourcemedia CHAPTERS:0:00 - Introductions1:20 - What led to your research?2:56 - Transatlantic History Beyond the US4:25 - Contextualizing the Language Used in the Altlantic Slave Trade9:47 - The Bonds of Freedom12:42 - What is the 14 Year Rule and Who Started it?17:35 - What Was the Moral Rationale?21:26 - What Happened to the “Liberated” Africans? The Different Phases of the Courts29:48 - Memories Before Enslavement32:11 - Did The Privateers Collect Rewards After Liberating the Enslaved?34:34 - Building Community After Liberation36:39 - Differences Between Apprenticeship vs Slavery41:09 - Implicit or Explicit Policing42:36 - Slave Societies vs Societies with Slaves: The Ability to Gain Civil Rights48:12 - Identity, Companionship and Life After54:35 - A Global Community57:21 - Reorienting Atlantic History1:01:48 - Closing Thoughts And Where to Visit EPISODE LINKS:Dr. Jake Subryan Richards - https://www.lse.ac.uk/International-History/People/academicStaff/richards/richardsThe Bonds of Freedom: Liberated Africans & the End of the Slave Trade - https://yalebooks.yale.edu/book/9780300263206/the-bonds-of-freedom/Transatlantic Slave Trade – https://www.gilderlehrman.org/history-resources/teacher-resources/historical-context-facts-about-slave-trade-and-slavery1807 British Abolition Act- https://www.ebsco.com/research-starters/law/1807-act-abolition-slave-trade-british-empire1808 U.S. Act Prohibiting the Importation of Slaves - https://www.archives.gov/education/lessons/slave-trade.htmlBlack Loyalists – https://www.ebsco.com/research-starters/history/black-loyalistsSierra Leone – https://www.britannica.com/place/Sierra-LeoneLiberia - https://www.britannica.com/place/LiberiaEusébio de Queirós - https://www.encyclopedia.com/humanities/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/queiros-coutinho-matoso-da-camera-eusebio-de-1812-1868U.S. Reconstruction - https://www.britannica.com/event/Reconstruction-United-States-historyPan-Africanism - https://www.britannica.com/topic/Pan-AfricanismJames Africanus Horton - https://blackpast.org/global-african-history/horton-james-africanus-beale-1835-1883/W.E.B. Du Bois - https://www.britannica.com/biography/W-E-B-Du-BoisA Story of Bones - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt19796824/PODCAST INFO:Podcast website: 2c4hpod.comApple Podcasts:https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/2-complicated-4-history/id1664183536Spotify:https://open.spotify.com/show/3svQpZfxhVQnYJMESpp842?si=514780ada34d4aab Full episodes playlist:   https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLX2x56DEw1y7EYWxfufgfSR951RrdsXet&si=TuDcpAjaeQx-vjkH SOCIAL:- Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/2c4hPodcast- Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/2c4h_podcast