PODCAST · arts
The Conner & Smith Show
by Stephen Smith
Join Matt and Stephen as they talk to artists, creative thinkers, discuss films, try craft projects, explore local lore, debate beloved holiday traditions and much more!
Episodes
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J.W. Ocker - Author of Chasing the Headless Horseman
Episode 234 — Chasing the Headless Horseman with J.W. Ocker Day 23 of 31 Days of Halloween brings us a special guest! Matthew and I interview author J.W. Ocker about his new book, Chasing the Headless Horseman, and explore the history, legends, and Halloween magic of Sleepy Hollow. We also…
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Transylvania 6-5000 (1985)
Episode 233 — Transylvania 6-5000 (1985) Day 22 of 31 Days of Halloween brings us to Transylvania 6-5000—a monster comedy with an incredible cast, including Jeff Goldblum, Ed Begley Jr., Carol Kane, and Geena Davis! From its eccentric characters to its cartoon-like hijinks, we discuss this goofy...
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Haunted Honeymoon (1986)
Episode 232 — Haunted Honeymoon (1986) Day 21 of 31 Days of Halloween brings us to Haunted Honeymoon—a spooky comedy starring Gene Wilder, Gilda Radner, and Dom DeLuise! From its creepy mansion and eccentric relatives to its old-fashioned Hollywood atmosphere, we explore this playful blend of...
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The Bride of Frankenstein (1935)
Bride of Frankenstein (1935) Day 20 of the 31 Days of Halloween on The Conner & Smith Show brings Ryan and me to James Whale’s Bride of Frankenstein—and what an all-time classic! We talk about its wonderfully wicked humor, its glorious gayness, and the unforgettable performances that make this so...
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Drag Me to Hell (2009)
Episode 230 — Drag Me to Hell (2009) Day 19 of 31 Days of Halloween brings Ryan and me to Sam Raimi’s Drag Me to Hell—and there’s plenty to scream about! From that wild car scene to the moments we simply can’t watch, we talk through the scares, the gross-outs, and Raimi’s wonderfully twisted…
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Demons (1985)
Episode 229 — Demons (1985) Day 18 of 31 Days of Halloween brings me to Lamberto Bava’s Demons—and this movie is absolutely bonkers in the best way! It’s loud, gory, wildly over the top, and peak ’80s horror. From the music to the makeup effects, there’s so much crazy energy packed into this…
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Sleepy Hollow (1999)
Episode 228 — Sleepy Hollow (1999) Day 17 of 31 Days of Halloween brings Ryan and me to Tim Burton’s Sleepy Hollow—and what an amazingly gorgeous adaptation it is! From its foggy woods to its wonderfully Gothic atmosphere, there’s so much to love just looking at this movie. But how does the rest…
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Night of the Living Dead (1990)
Episode 227 — Night of the Living Dead (1990) Day 16 of 31 Days of Halloween brings me to the 1990 remake of Night of the Living Dead—and for me, this one is… okay. There are some good performances, but there’s also some bad dialogue delivered poorly. It’s fun to go back to that farmhouse and see...
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Play Misty for Me (1971)
Episode 226 — Play Misty for Me (1971) Day 15 of 31 Days of Halloween brings me to Clint Eastwood’s directorial debut, Play Misty for Me—and this one has always creeped me out! I’ve always thought being a late-night DJ taking calls from strangers was like spinning a roulette wheel. Especially at...
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Infested
This is a repeat. But still good one.
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WKBW’s War of the Worlds (1968)
Episode 224 — WKBW’s War of the Worlds (1968) Day 13 of 31 Days of Halloween brings me to WKBW’s 1968 radio broadcast of War of the Worlds—and I absolutely love this version! I love the original Orson Welles broadcast so much, and nothing can touch that. But WKBW’s take brings the terror a little...
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The Day of the Triffids (1963)
Episode 223 — The Day of the Triffids (1963) Day 12 of 31 Days of Halloween brings me to 1963’s The Day of the Triffids—and this one comes with a childhood memory! After school, the bus would drop me off at my house, and I’d have to walk through the woods to my nana’s house. With woods on either...
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The Living Dead at the Manchester Morgue (1974)
Episode 222 — The Living Dead at the Manchester Morgue (1974) Day 11 of 31 Days of Halloween brings me to 1974’s The Living Dead at the Manchester Morgue. Is it a great movie? Not really—but it’s fun, it’s creepy, and there’s plenty to enjoy once it gets going. I talk about its weird…
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Carrie (2026)
Carrie (2026) Day 10 of 31 Days of Halloween brings me to Mike Flanagan’s Carrie, currently streaming on Amazon—and I’ll admit, I wasn’t eager to watch it. With so many Carrie remakes already, I wondered whether we really needed another one. But this is incredible! From the cast to the...
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Martin (1977)
Episode 220 — Martin (1977) Day 9 of 31 Days of Halloween brings a very different kind of vampire story as Ryan joins me to discuss George A. Romero’s Martin—and one big question: is Martin really a vampire? Ryan thinks he is. I think he isn’t. It feels so Romero to create a vampire story where…
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Thriller/Chiller Sound Effects Tape
Episode 219 — Thriller/Chiller Sound Effects Cassette Tape (1980s) Day 8 of 31 Days of Halloween takes me back to the days of cassette players and homemade haunted houses as I talk about Fun World’s Thriller/Chiller Sound Effects tape! I revisit this little piece of Halloween nostalgia and the…
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House of Frankenstein (1944)
Episode 218 — House of Frankenstein (1944) Day 7 of 31 Days of Halloween brings a monster mash as Ryan joins me to talk about 1944’s House of Frankenstein—kind of like the first Avengers movie, only with Universal monsters! We get into some surprisingly cool stunts and the fun of bringing these...
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Backrooms (2026)
Episode 217 — Backrooms (2026) Day 6 of 31 Days of Halloween finds Ryan and me venturing into the Backrooms—and quickly discovering that we don’t like it there and want out. We talk about how an intriguing YouTube short ballooned into an unscary big-budget movie that leaves plenty to be desired....
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The Strangers (2008)
Episode 216 — The Strangers (2008) Day 5 of 31 Days of Halloween brings a knock at the door as Ryan joins me to talk about 2008’s The Strangers—and why it’s creepy as hell. We get into the film’s iconic moments, the terror of someone lurking in the background, and how it makes an ordinary house...
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What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962)
Episode 215 — Whatever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962) Day 4 of 31 Days of Halloween takes a wonderfully twisted turn with Whatever Happened to Baby Jane? — and I’m joined by Matt Conner in a rare 31 Days of Halloween appearance to talk about this iconic 1962 psychological horror classic. We get…
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This Island Earth (1955)
Episode 214 — This Island Earth (1955) Day 3 of 31 Days of Halloween blasts off into 1950s sci-fi with This Island Earth. I look back at this strange, colorful classic and the thing that first grabbed me as a kid: that unforgettable alien design. And I can’t help wondering if that wonderfully...
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The Deadly Mantis (1957)
Episode 213 — The Deadly Mantis (1957) Day 2 of 31 Days of Halloween takes us back to the golden age of giant 1950s creature features with The Deadly Mantis. Stephen celebrates this wonderfully ridiculous monster movie, its Washington, D.C. rampage, and the simple joy of a giant prehistoric bug...
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Disney’s “Trick or Treat” (1952)
Episode 212 kicks off 31 Days of Halloween on The Conner & Smith Show! We begin with one of Stephen’s favorite Halloween cartoons, Disney’s Trick or Treat (1952), featuring Donald Duck, Huey, Dewey and Louie, and the unforgettable Witch Hazel. It’s a little Disney history, a little Halloween...
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The Mystery of the Mary Celeste
The Conner & Smith Show Episode 211: The Mystery of the Mary Celeste Fall is here—and with it, the beginning of spooky season. In Episode 211, Ryan, Matt, and Stephen venture out onto the Atlantic to explore one of history’s most enduring mysteries: the Mary Celeste, the ship discovered adrift in...
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End of Summer
The Conner & Smith Show — American Summer Episode 210: “End of Summer” All good things must come to an end—even summer. In Episode 210, Ryan, Matt, and Stephen gather one last time for American Summer to talk about that particular melancholy that arrives as the season begins to fade: the days...
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SSMT — Our Shenandoah Summers
🎭 Episode 209: SSMT — Our Shenandoah Summers ☀️ Welcome back to The Conner & Smith Show! This week, Matt, Ryan, and Stephen continue our American Summer series with Episode 209: SSMT — Our Shenandoah Summers. For all three of us, summer and Shenandoah Summer Music Theatre are forever…
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Ice Cream Sunday
🍦 Episode 208: Ice Cream Sunday 🍦 Welcome back to The Conner & Smith Show! This week, Matt, Ryan, and Stephen continue our American Summer series with Episode 208: Ice Cream Sunday. What would an American summer be without ice cream? From the unmistakable sound of the ice cream truck coming…
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American Heroes
Welcome back to The Conner & Smith Show! This week, Matt, Ryan, and Stephen continue our American Summer series with Episode 207: American Heroes. Who are America’s heroes? The answer goes far beyond superheroes in capes. From Captain America and other comic book icons to military heroes, civil...
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The Boston Tea Party
Welcome back to The Conner & Smith Show! This week, Matt and Stephen continue our American Summer series with Episode 206: The Boston Tea Party…or at least our best attempt to remember it after having a drink. Armed with confidence, questionable memories, and absolutely no history books, we set…
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Summer Blockbusters
Welcome back to The Conner & Smith Show! This week, Matt, Ryan, and Stephen continue our American Summer series with Episode 205: Summer Blockbusters—a celebration of the movies that turned summer into Hollywood’s biggest season and became the soundtrack of our vacations, school breaks, and...
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The 4th & 5th of July
Welcome back to The Conner & Smith Show! This week, Matt and Stephen continue our American Summer series with Episode 204: The Fourth and 5th of July—a celebration of two back-to-back holidays that have always felt like one big weekend in Stephen’s life: America’s birthday on July 4th and his own...
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American Summer: All’s Fair in the Summer
Welcome back to The Conner & Smith Show! This week, Matt and Stephen continue our American Summer series with Episode 203: All’s Fair in the Summer — a celebration of county fairs, state fairs, world’s fairs, midway games, Ferris wheels, funnel cakes, corn dogs, elephant ears, prize booths, and…
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American Summer Kick Off
Welcome back to The Conner & Smith Show! This week, Matt, Ryan, and Stephen kick off an all-new summer-long series: American Summer — a celebration of Americana in honor of America’s 250th anniversary year. Over the coming weeks, we’ll be exploring everything that makes summer in America unique:...
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Giant
Welcome back to The Conner & Smith Show! This week, Ryan Dean Halbrook and Stephen conclude their James Dean trilogy series with George Stevens’ epic 1956 masterpiece Giant — the final film James Dean completed before his tragic death. Widely considered one of the great American epics, Giant...
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Rebel Without a Cause
Welcome back to The Conner & Smith Show! This week, Ryan Dean Halbrook and Stephen continue their James Dean trilogy series with Nicholas Ray’s groundbreaking 1955 classic Rebel Without a Cause. Often considered James Dean’s most powerful and iconic performance, Rebel Without a Cause captured...
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East of Eden
Welcome back to The Conner & Smith Show! This week, Ryan Dean Halbrook and Stephen begin a brand-new three-part series exploring the complete film career of one of our favorite actors of all time — James Dean. We start where it all began with East of Eden, Elia Kazan’s emotionally explosive 1955...
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Pre-Emily Check-In
Episode 198 — Pre-Emily Check-In (On Our Way to the Arts Club) Welcome back to The Conner & Smith Show! This week, we’re dropping in with a quick, real-time check-in — because tonight is a big one. After recently workshopping The House of Booth, we’re now just hours away from presenting the very...
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Popeye the Movie
Episode 197 — Popeye (A Very Strange Movie We Love Anyway) Welcome back to The Conner & Smith Show! This week, we dive into one of the strangest big-budget films ever made — Popeye — a movie that somehow shouldn’t work… and yet, for us, absolutely does. Equal parts baffling, brilliant, and…
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Science Talk
Episode 196 — Science Talk Welcome back to The Conner & Smith Show! This week, we boldly go where we are wildly unqualified to go… science. In Science Talk, two people with absolutely no scientific credentials attempt to unpack some of the biggest (and weirdest) things in the universe right now —...
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Easter Week
Episode 195 — Easter Week Welcome back to The Conner & Smith Show! This week, we celebrate Easter Week — looking at the holiday through both a personal and historical lens. From childhood memories to deeper traditions, we explore what Easter has meant to us over time and how it continues to…
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Exploring Emily
Episode 194 — Exploring Emily Welcome back to The Conner & Smith Show! This week, we step inside the world of Emily Dickinson as we begin shaping our newest theatrical project — and prepare for our upcoming presentation at the Arts Club of Washington. Exploring Emily is our first public glimpse...
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Revisiting Sondheim: Merrily We Roll Along (2025)
Episode 193 — Revisiting Sondheim: Merrily We Roll Along Welcome back to The Conner & Smith Show! This week we return to our ongoing Stephen Sondheim deep dive series with a long-overdue update — inspired by the extraordinary filmed stage version of Merrily We Roll Along. For years, Merrily has...
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March Madness
Episode 192 — March Madness (Spring Fever with Matt & Stephen) Welcome back to The Conner & Smith Show! This week we’re embracing a different kind of March Madness — the joyful, slightly unhinged excitement that comes with the beginning of spring. We’re talking about all the things we look…
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New Loves
Episode 191 — New Loves (Pop Culture Discoveries with Matt & Stephen) Welcome back to The Conner & Smith Show! This week we’re falling in love all over again — but not with people. Instead, we’re sharing our new loves: the pop culture discoveries, creative obsessions, and unexpected finds that…
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Valentine’s Day
Episode 190 — Valentine’s Day with Matt & Stephen Welcome back to The Conner & Smith Show! This week we’re celebrating all things Valentine’s Day. From the strange and surprising history behind the holiday to the ways love shows up in our own lives, we explore romance, friendship, partnership…
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Things We Love: Stephen Schwartz
Episode 189 — Things We Love: Stephen Schwartz Welcome back to The Conner & Smith Show! This week we’re diving into one of the writers who shaped us — Stephen Schwartz. From the shows that formed us as young theatre artists to the songs that continue to guide our work as creators, we unpack the...
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2026 Cabin Fever with Matt & Stephen
Episode 188 — Cabin Fever with Matt & Stephen Welcome back to The Conner & Smith Show! We’re coming to you from the snowbound depths of Winter Storm Fern, where cabin fever has fully set in. In this episode, Matthew and Stephen unpack everything that’s happened since the last time we recorded…
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“Latinidad in Musical Theatre” Author Stefan Sittig
Episode 187 — Latinidad in Musical Theatre Welcome back to The Conner & Smith Show, where history, artistry, and storytelling collide. In this episode, we sit down with author Stefan Sittig to discuss his upcoming book Latinidad in Musical Theatre, a vital and illuminating exploration of Latinx...
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2025 Culture Wrap-Up
Episode 186 — 2025 Culture Wrap-Up Happy New Year and welcome back to The Conner & Smith Show! We’re ringing in 2026 the only way we know how — by looking back at the art, entertainment, and pop culture that got us through 2025. In this episode, we break down our favorite movies, songs, books…
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O Christmas Tree
Episode 185 — O Christmas Tree Welcome back to The Conner & Smith Show, where one simple holiday symbol turns into a full-blown festive deep dive. In this episode, we’re talking Christmas trees past, present, and fabulously over-the-top — from the surprising origins of the Christmas tree…
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
Join Matt and Stephen as they talk to artists, creative thinkers, discuss films, try craft projects, explore local lore, debate beloved holiday traditions and much more!
HOSTED BY
Stephen Smith
CATEGORIES
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does The Conner & Smith Show have?
The Conner & Smith Show currently has 581 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is The Conner & Smith Show about?
Join Matt and Stephen as they talk to artists, creative thinkers, discuss films, try craft projects, explore local lore, debate beloved holiday traditions and much more!
How often does The Conner & Smith Show release new episodes?
The Conner & Smith Show releases new episodes frequently with a large back catalog of 581 episodes. Check the episode list for recent publication dates.
Where can I listen to The Conner & Smith Show?
You can listen to The Conner & Smith Show on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts The Conner & Smith Show?
The Conner & Smith Show is created and hosted by Stephen Smith.
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