Forgotten Hollywood

The history of Warner Bros. is not just the tale of a legendary film studio and its stars, but of classic Hollywood itself, as well as a portrait of America in the last century. It’s a family story of Polish-Jewish immigrants—the brother's Warner—who took advantage of new opportunities in the burgeoning film industry at a time when four mavericks could invent ways of operating, of warding off gove...

In this episode, I discuss with author Herbie J Pilato regarding his latest book "Retro Active Television: An In-Depth Perspective on Classic TV's Social Circuitry". This book captured so many things about Retro Active Television that I had forgotten about and brought other stories to light that I never knew existed. Herbie J. Pilato shares so many stories, interviews and facts about what I believ...

In this episode I had a discussion with author Stuart Klawans regarding his latest book "Crooked, but Never Common: The Films of Preston Sturges". In a burst of creativity unmatched in Hollywood history, Preston Sturges directed a string of all-time classic comedies from 1939 through 1948―The Great McGinty, The Lady Eve, Sullivan’s Travels, The Palm Beach Story, and The Miracle of Morgan’s Creek a...

In this episode, I discuss with Polly Rose about Buster Keaton. Polly is a film editor by trade and is working on her Ph. D. with her paper on Buster Keaton as an editor. The DVD commentary Polly recorded for the early version of Our Hospitality : https://eurekavideo.co.uk/movie/buster-keaton-our-hospitality-go-west-college/ The article Polly wrote for the International Buster Keaton Society on th...

In this episode I discuss the life of Grace Bradley. A petite and extremely lovely blonde "B" film actress who eventually deserted her career in favor of standing by her man (cowboy icon William Boyd , aka, "Hopalong Cassidy"), Grace Bradley spent the rest of her life in his shadow and devoting herself to her husband's career. Bill's Hoppy was the longest span of any fictional character played by...

In this episode, I discuss with author Edward J Delaney his book "The Acrobat".“Everyone wants to be Cary Grant,” mused the world’s most famous leading man. Even I want to be Cary Grant.” In The Acrobat, fiction writer Edward J. Delaney takes on the elusive character of Cary Grant. He imagines the inner life of a man who spent a career brilliantly creating a persona as ethereal as his best roles.

Episode 125 Author Ron Backer regarding his book Mystery Movie Series of 1940's Hollywood In this episode I spoke with author Ron Backer regarding his book Mystery Movie Series of 1940's Hollywood. Ellery Queen, Boston Blackie, Michael Shayne, Dick Tracy, the Falcon these are but a few of the celebrated fictional sleuths who appeared in popular Hollywood movie mystery series. This volume focuses o...

Host Doug Hess does something a little different and talks about Film Star Burl Ives!

In this episode, I talk with author David C Tucker regarding his book Rochelle Hudson: A Biography and Career Record. Hudson won her first film contract at the age of 14.

In this episode, I spoke with author Nicholas Parisi regarding his book Rod Serling His Life, Work, and Imagination. Many know Serling for being the creator, host, and primary writer for The Twilight Zone but he had written over 250 scripts for film and TV. Doug Hess is the host!

In this episode I speak with author Kristen Anderson Wagner regarding her book Comic Venus Women and Comedy in American Silent Film. Comic Venus is the first book to explore the overlooked contributions made by comediennes in American silent film. Those with an interest in film and representations of femininity in comedy will be fascinated by the analytical connections and thoroughly researched hi...

In defiance of the alleged "death of romantic comedy," After "Happily Ever After ": Romantic Comedy in the Post-Romantic Age edited by Maria San Filippo attests to rom-com’s continuing vitality in new modes and forms that reimagine and rejuvenate the genre in ideologically, artistically, and commercially innovative ways. No longer the idyllic fairy tale, today’s romantic comedies ponder the realit...

In this episode, I spoke with author Robert Hofler regarding his book "The Way They Were: How Epic Battles and Bruised Egos Brought a Classic Hollywood Love Story to the Screen".It’s one of the greatest movie romances of all time. Fifty years on, the chemistry between Barbra Streisand as Jewish working-class firebrand Katie Worosky and Robert Redford as all-American golden boy Hubbell Gardiner rem...

In this episode I spoke with author John Stangeland regarding his book Aline MacMahon: Hollywood, the Blacklist, and the Birth of Method Acting. During the 1930s and 1940s, MacMahon starred in countless films and was among the most influential actors of the era, her talent revered as highly as peers Katherine Hepburn, Paul Muni, and Bette Davis. Her pioneering use of a new acting style brought to...

In this episode I discuss with author Michael Seth Starr regarding his latest book "Don Rickles: Merchant of Venom". Riding a wave of success that lasted more than sixty years, Don Rickles is best known as the “insult” comic who skewered presidents, royalty, celebrities, and friends and fans alike. But there was more to “Mr. Warmth” than a devilish ear-to-ear grin and lightning-fast put-downs. Ric...

In this episode I discuss with author Chris Palmer regarding his book The Fresh Prince Project. More than thirty years have passed since The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air premiered on NBC but unlike other family sitcoms of its era, it has remained culturally relevant and beloved by new generations of fans.

In this episode I spoke with Daniel Titley's regarding his latest book "London After Midnight The Lost Film". For decades, the mystique of Lon Chaney's 1927 mystery-thriller, London After Midnight, has pondered the minds of horror buffs, silent film enthusiasts and film collectors alike. Doug Hess is the host!

In this episode, I discuss with the author Jeff Keene II in his book Under the Rainbow. There's No Place Like Home The magical Ruby Slippers, worn by actress Judy Garland in MGM's beloved 1939 film version of The Wizard of Oz is perhaps the most iconic example of movie memorabilia in the world. The pair on display at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History draws more visitors than any...

In this episode we discuss with authors Carol Ford and Linda Groundwater about their biography on Bob Crane titled "Bob Crane: The Definitive Biography". Since his untimely death on June 29, 1978, Bob Crane's unofficial biography has become akin to a broken record. Like a skip in the acetate, his murder and the scandal that grew from it have been the repeated focus of attention, to the exclusion o...

In this episode, I discuss with former executive director of the Academy for over twenty years regarding his book The Academy Award and The Award: The Coming of Age of Oscar and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. For all the near-fanatic attention brought each year to the Academy Awards, the organization that dispenses those awards—the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences—has...

In this episode, I discuss with author Paul Fischer his latest book The Man Who Invented Motion Pictures: A True Tale of Obsession, Murder, and The Movies. Doug Hess is the host!

In this episode, I discuss with actress Jessica Sherr on her play Bette Davis Ain't No Sissy. Actress and playwright, Jessica Sherr, powerfully channels Bette Davis in her fight against the male-dominated studio system. On the night of the 1939 Oscars, Bette returns home knowing she’s to lose Best Actress to Vivien Leigh’s Scarlett O’Hara, because the press has leaked the winners. Miss Davis takes...

In this episode, we talk with Eric Grayson who is a film preservationist, author, and Indiana film expert.

In this episode, I speak with author Cathy Fitzgibbon Rudolph on her book Paul Lynde A Biography His Life, His Love(s) and His Laughter. This book will let you into the heart and soul of Paul Lynde. Best remembered for outrageous jokes on The Hollywood Squares, as Uncle Arthur from Bewitched, and as the frantic father in Bye Bye Birdie, Paul was never satisfied with his career - or his personal li...

In this epiosde I discuss with author Jason Isralowitz regarding his book Nothing To Fear Alfred Hitchcock and The Wrong Man which will be released on January 14, 2023. in 1956, the world's most famous director focused his lens on an issue that cuts to the heart of our criminal justice system: the risk of wrongful conviction. The result was The Wrong Man, a wrenching and largely overlooked drama b...