Jim greets audience members after a presentation
at the Long Beach Convention Center.

"One of the best presentations I have ever seen. A natural storyteller, with a natural and often hilarious program, Brochu is not only deeply knowledgeable about his subjects, he is deeply passionate. Seldom does a shipboard lecturer bring a crowd to their feet."

                                    - Cruise Travel Magazine, September 2003

Since 1995, Jim Brochu has traveled the world presenting his enthralling programs about Broadway, Hollywood and the legends with whom he has worked and known. His first talks were given in the Far East on board the Orient Lines' S.S. Marco Polo before he became one of the highest rated speakers on Crystal Cruises, giving his talks on the Crystal Harmony, Crystal Symphony and the Crystal Serenity. With nine distinct, entertaining and informative programs, he has also appeared as a Celebrity Guest Lecturer on board Cunard's fantastic Queen Mary 2, Silverseas Silver Cloud and Silver Whisper and for Norwegian Cruise Lines Crown Odyssey. Jim approaches his subjects from a very personal perspective, not from someone who has researched his subjects but one who knew them personally and brings them  back to vivid life with rare video clips. An in demand after-dinner speaker, he has also appeared before University and College groups, Service Organizations, Conventions and Churches.

1. THE GOLDEN AGE OF HOLLYWOOD - THE R.K.O. STORY:  Two of the most powerful men of the 20th Century (Joseph P. Kennedy and Howard Hughes) created and then destroyed the studio that gave us Fred and Ginger, King Kong and Citizen Kane.

 
2. THE GREAT KATE - THE LIFE AND FILMS OF KATHARINE HEPBURN:  An up close and personal look at one of the Film World's most beloved stars. From his meeting the star in 1969 to her death in 2003, Brochu relates stories about the great Kate that paints a very personal portrait of the great legend.
 

3. LOVING LUCY - THE LIFE AND CAREER OF LUCILLE BALL: A true Cinderella story as told by one of Lucy’s closest friends. Brochu spent every day with Lucy in the last year of her life and presents clips of the great redhead from her own personal library.

4. JOAN CRAWFORD - ALWAYS THE STAR: The truth is finally told about one of Hollywood’s most controversial stars. Brochu first met Crawford as a thirteen year old boy and they remained friends until her death in 1977.  He presents a side of Joan that depicts a great star and caring mother.
 

5. OSCAR NIGHT - A HISTORY OF THE ACADEMY AWARDS:  The story of how a small Hollywood party has become a world-wide event. Born in 1928, the brainchild of Douglas Fairbanks and Mary Pickford, the Oscars are now watched by over a billion people every year.
 

6. BROADWAY SINGS - A HISTORY OF THE BROADWAY MUSICAL THEATRE: From The Black Crook to Hairspray, a look at how the American Musical has become part of the fabric of our lives. Clips from George M. Cohan's Little Johnny Jones to Zero Mostel's If I Were A Rich Man illustrate this great art.
 

7. WITH A SONG IN THEIR HEARTS - THE CAREERS OF RODGERS AND HAMMERSTEIN: How two musical giants changed the history and direction of the American musical theatre. The two met while studying at Columbia University but had other partners before this perfect match.

8. BROADWAY'S BRASSY BELTER - THE LIFE AND MUSIC OF ETHEL MERMAN:  An appreciation of the career and voice of Gershwin, Porter and Berlin’s favorite singer.  Jim met Ethel Merman when he was a boy and got to know the Broadway legend up close and personal.
 

9. THAT YANKEE DOODLE BOY:  Jim presents the story of a man who rose from humble beginnings on the Upper East Side of New York to become a song and dance man and ultimately an Academy Award winning star - the one and only James Cagney. Brochu met the star when he joined the famed Players Club in New York and stayed friends until Cagney's death in 1986.
 
 

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Jim addresses the GLAAD Media Awards Dinner
Century Plaza Hotel, Los Angeles

 

* This is a current list of titles which include rare video clips.
Each entertaining lecture runs for forty-fiveminutes to an hour and may be presented
separately or in combination with another for a complete themed evening.
 

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