John Andrew Gallagher is a filmmaker, teacher, writer and one of the finest, most knowledgable film historians I've ever encountered. His monthly column for the National Board of Review is named for a Truffaut quote which I used as the title of a book that I edited and for which John wrote a great chapter on director Victor Fleming.

John and I have been working for years on the definitive book about our mutual favorite director William A. Wellman. But why wait? You can read him every single month and I guarantee you he'll point you towards something wonderful.

Thoughts and reviews from a fine filmmaker who is also a pioneering film historian.

I consider "Commentary Track" guest John Bengtson's books to be among the treasures of my silent movies book collection. If you don't have them, click on "Podcasts" on the menu above, go to his page and order them immediately.

If you do already have them, his website is like a constantly evolving fourth book, filled with location wonders. I have to steer clear of this site when I have other things to do, because I can easily get lost in there for hours.

Highly recommended.

An invaluable program by a dedicated group of scholars and buffs who, since 1991, have been collecting, preserving and making available rare and fragile discs from the dawn of sound.

One-stop shopping for all things Stooge. I know there are some people who don't care for the antics of the Three Stooges. I try to interact with those people as little as possible.

If anyone knows more about animation than "Commentary Track" guest Jerry Beck, I don't know who that would be. Jerry and Amid Amidi pack this site to the brim with facts, trivia and, sometimes, revelation. Pure cartoon Nirvana.

As someone who helped Clayton Moore -- the once and future Lone Ranger -- write his autobiogrphay, "I Was That Masked Man," how could I help but love this site? Everything you need to know about the Ranger is here.

Leonard Maltin is the real deal -- a true expert on movies and someone who loves the subject as well as he knows it. You should check out this terrific website and also subscribe to his wonderful newsletter of the same name.

Mike Boldt is not only a fantastic musician and composer, he is knowledgeable on all aspects of film, history and more. More important, he's been a good friend to me for more than twenty years. He wrote one of the themes for "The Commentary Track" and if you like that small sampling, you can find access to much, much more of his music on this  site.

A forum where knowledgeable -- and sometimes cranky -- film buffs discuss and debate and celebrate all aspects of film history.

Wonderful site devoted to the rich film heritage of the Lone Star State. Go there and explore and I guarantee you'll find some incredible things to watch.

If you want to know which silent classic has just been released on Blu-Ray or who just published a new biography of a silent film star, this is the site to go to. Loaded with great information, reviews, essays, pictures and more.

Tons of great and rare stills from silent films, reprinted articles from periodicals of the Teens and Twenties, vintage theater programs, sheet music and more.

Website devoted to one of the best of all silent film festivals. The films are shown at the beautiful and historic Castro Theater and are always impeccably presented. You can check the schedule for this year's festival or read in-depth program notes for films shown in previous festivals.

I haven't missed a Cinecon in years. This eclectic film festival, held every Labor Day weekend at Grauman's Egyptian Theater in Hollywood, tends to concentrate on silent and early sound films. It isn't unusual, however, to see movies from the Thirties, Forties and even the Fifties. Often the choices are incredibly obscure -- and that's the best part of Cinecon. This isn't where you see the same old films, it's where you get introduced to titles that you won't see anywhere else. And they're almost all projected in the best possible 35mm prints. It's my favorite film festival.

Reviews and essays by a critic who is blessed with true insight as well as a vast knowledge of film history.

A round-up of what's new on DVD and Blu-Ray from restored classics to bizarre cult films. I love checking here to see what's hot off the presses. I also love finding about weird little films that I probably never would have heard of otherwise.

Like DVD Savant, this is a great place to see an in-depth listing of what's new on DVD and Blu-Ray. But DVD Beaver offers something else, something very special -- in-depth reviews of certain films. And when I say "in-depth" I mean a thorough look at the video and audio specs, detailed notes on the production of the film, great frame grabs that allow you to preview exactly what the image on the disc looks like, and more. Lots more. If you're serious about movies, not only their content but their technical aspect, you could hardly find a more valuable site.

To my generation of film historians, Bill Everson was the godfather. He had a huge collection of films and was overwhelmingly generous about sharing them. In fact, one night when I was beginning research on my book on William Wellman, I attended one of his classes at New York's New School. After the screening of two fascinating Lon Chaney films, I introduced myself to him and told him that I wanted to see Wellman's "Beggars of Life" and wondered if he knew where I could find it. He said, "I have a print. Come over and I'll show it to you." So after having known Bill for all of four minutes, we were in a cab (with our mutual friend Dick Bann) heading toward his place and "Beggars of Life."

This site contains most of the detailed program notes he wrote for his New School classes and if you read them all, you'll have a pretty solid grounding in your knowledge of film history.

The essential TV channel for everybody who loves movies. The website contains full schedules of what's playing each month, along with interesting background information, trailers, blogs and much more.

A monthly live event co-hosted by animation maven "Commentary Track" guest Jerry Beck and Frank Conniff (TV's Frank from "Mystery Science Theater 3000"). It's like a demented kids' show in which the most abysmal cartoons ever made are unleashed on a surprisingly willing public.

It's hilarious.

The website for animator (and "Commentary Track" guest) Darrell Van Citter's wonderful book on the making of the first (and my lifetime favorite) animated TV Christmas special. The book is a real beauty with plenty of original artwork and memories of the voice actors and artists involved in the production. It's a must have.

Darrel Van Citters regularly updates his research on "Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol" in this fascinating blog.

The website for film historian -- and "Commentary Track:" guest -- Anthony Slide. 

The web page for Commentary Track guest, musician and composer -- and "Commentary Track" guest -- Michael Mortilla.

All the information about Slapsticon, the movie convention devoted solely to comedies. You can even check the program so you'll know in advance what amazing things you're gonna see. "Commentary Track" guest Richard Roberts discusses it in his episode, so give it a listen.

A Los Angeles-based theatrical troupe composed primarily of actors with Down Syndrome. "Commentary Track" guest Cissy Wellman is one of the troupe's most enthusiastic backers and is also an occasional cast member in their bi-annual shows.

Rob is a gifted pianist and composer who lives in Chicago. He, along with my friend Gary Rand, wrote the two themes for "The Commentary Track" -- undoubtedly the best-loved element of the podcast.

Rob is also the composer of the musical score to my documentary "The Lost Remake of Beau Geste" (with some additional scoring by Michael Mortilla) and the music is a thing of beauty there, too.

Go to his website to keep up with his performances and recordings. You'll be glad that you did.

One of my favorite movie-related websites. They show preview trailers for movies that range from horrible to weird to (sometimes) great. Each trailer is introduced (and talked through) by a filmmaker such as "Commentary Track" guest Joe Dante, Allan Arkush, John Landis, John Badham and many more. These guys are all knowledgeable and they're all pretty snarky. If you appreciate intelligence and snarkiness as much as I do, go to Trailers from Hell and let the fun begin.