Episode 134 - 3 Films by Les Blank *Criterion Critique*

If there ever was a documentary filmmaker who let the good times roll, it was surely Les Blank (1935-2013).  He spent five decades as the gentle fly-on-the-wall who could put his subjects at ease and allow them to have fun and be at their best.  His specialty was praising pockets of culture throughout the U.S.  Blues musicians in Texas (The Blues According to Lightnin' Hopkins) Cajuns in Lousiana (Spend it All) and Polish-American polka dancers from all over (In Heaven There Is No Beer?).  Andrew and Phil talk about all three of these films, newly remastered in the Criterion Collection boxed set "Les Blank: Always For Pleasure."  Our two film critics are both pleased this collection exists, not to mention in gorgeous Blu-ray resolution.  If you are discovering these films for the first time, you are in for a treat. You can download the podcast here by right-clicking on the hypertext link and choosing "save as", or you can use the convenient player attached to this post.