Forgotten Hollywood

In this episode, I spoke with author Chris Alexander about his latest book "Art! Trash! Terror! Adventures in Strange Cinema". From filmmaker, former Fangoria  editor-in-chief, and Corman/Poe  author Chris Alexander comes ART! TRASH! TERROR! Adventures in Strange Cinema , a treasure trove of in-depth essays and edifying interviews that celebrate some of the most eccentric and unforgettable movies...

In this episode, I spoke with author William Elliott Hazelgrove regarding his book " Dead Air: The Night That Orson Wells Terrified America". On a warm Halloween Eve, October 30, 1938, during a broadcast of H G. Wells’ War of the Worlds , a twenty-three-year-old Orson Welles held his hands up for radio silence in the CBS studio in New York City while millions of people ran out into the night screa...

In this episode, I spoke with Professor Lisa Haven about her recent book "Early Buster Keaton: From the Vaudeville Stage to Comique Films 1899-1920". Since nearly every aspect of Keaton’s story and work has been written about in some form, it is the goal of this book to present a new perspective on Keaton’s early life in the entertainment business, beginning before vaudeville and moving through th...

The career of Joan Bennett! Follow on FB @forgottenhollywood 

James Lott Jr has a message for listeners. And Thank You Doug Hess for ALL of your hard work. Intro and Outro song- Dazzle In the Spotlight by the North Inglewood Jazz Symphony Orchestra (written by James Lott Jr for Lefthanded Taurus Music 2025)

In this episode I discuss the life of actress Lillian Gish.

In this episode I spoke with author Catherine Curzon about her book "The Real Bogie and Bacall". Chronicles the turbulent Hollywood love story of Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall, navigating fame, adversity, and enduring passion against all odds.

In this episode, I spoke with Professor Patrick Keating about his book "Film Noir and the Art of Lighting". More than any other set of films from the classical era, the Hollywood film noir is known for its lighting: the cast shadows, the blinking street signs, the eyes sparkling in the darkness. Each effect is rich in symbolism, evoking a world of danger and doppelgangers. But what happens if we s...

In this episode, I discuss the life of actress Ann Harding.

In this episode, I discuss with Ed Kalegi regarding his book "It Was Great To Say Hello To......... A Curious Radio Host's Conversation with Actor's, Authors and Newsmakers".  This engaging book is much more than a collection of celebrity interviews; it's a journey through pop culture, history, and the art of conversation.

In this episode I spoke with Jim Fredrick about his book "Opening Weekend: An Insider's Look at Marketing Hollywood's Hits and Flops". In a world where movie marketers are the stars of the story, Opening Weekend:   An Insider's Look at Marketing Hollywood's Hits and Flops recounts Jim Fredrick’s journey through the realm of movie marketing. Fredrick offers readers exclusive access to behind-the-sc...

In this episode, I spoke with Professor Joe Fortunato regarding his course "Hollywood Rebels

In this epiosde I spoke with Jacqueline T. Lynch about her book "Christmas in Classic Films". The average person, unlike devoted classic film fans, may not recognize images of Clark Gable or know who James Wong Howe was, or be able to tell you why 1939 was such a spectacular year for films. But when yuletide rolls around, they rejoice with Miracle on 34th Street , It’s a Wonderful Life , and of co...

In this episode, I spoke with Esther Zuckerman about her latest book "Falling In Love at the Movies: Rom-Coms from the Screwball Era to Today.  Romantic comedies have had an incredible influence on popular culture, shaping everything from how we think of relationships to fashion. Often swept aside in film history, these movies are thought of as pure comfort viewing.

In this episode, I spoke with author Joseph McBride about his 25th book he has written "George Cukor's People: Acting for a Master Director". "The director of classic films such as Sylvia Scarlett, The Philadelphia Story, Gaslight, Adam’s Rib, A Star Is Born, and My Fair Lady, George Cukor is widely admired but often misunderstood. Reductively stereotyped in his time as a “woman’s director”―a thin...

In this episode, I interview Herbie J, Pilato about his latest book "Christmas TV Memories: Nostalgic Holiday Favorites of the Small Screen. For most of us, fond memories of the Christmas season are inseparable from TV’s holiday presentations.

In this episode, I spoke with author Jason Colavito regarding his book "Jimmy, The Secret Life of James Dean". Although he died at a heartbreakingly young age and appeared in only a handful of movies, James Dean revolutionized American manhood. As a celebrity and icon, he melded vulnerability with determination, sensitivity with strength, in a way that offered a bracing and—for some—threatening ne...

In this episode, I spoke with Nightmare on Film Street co-hosts Kimberley Elizabeth and Jonathan DeHaan about their book "Cocktails From The Crypt".  Curate the ultimate horror movie night with 60 chilling cocktails that are sure to sate even the most bloodthirsty killers. Nightmare on Film Street co-hosts Kimberley Elizabeth and Jonathan DeHaan have carefully crafted each hair-raising recipe to p...

In this episode, I spoke with Joel Brokaw about his book "Driving Marilyn: The Life and Times of Legendary Hollywood Agent Norman Brokaw". Norman Brokaw was CEO and Chairman of the William Morris Agency from 1989 to 1997, but his legacy may lie in his ascent from mail room clerk to Marilyn Monroe’s personal driver to agent for some of Hollywood’s most iconic figures of the late 20th Century: Maril...

In this epiosde, I spoke with author Julie Gilbert about her book "Giant Love: Edna Ferber, Her Best-selling Novel of Texas, and the Making of a Classic American Film". A book that explores the great American novelist and playwright Edna Ferber, winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Ficton, whose work was made into many Academy Award-winning movies; the writing of her controversial, international best-...

In this epiosde I spoke with Kyle Bandujo and Rick Bryson about their book "Movies With Balls: The Greatest Sports Films of All Time, Analyzed and Illustrated". Movies with Balls celebrates and analyzes more than two dozen of the greatest sports films of all time, with expert play-by-play and color commentary on the movies themselves and the athleticism they portray. You’ll be transported into fic...

In this episode I spoke with author Joseph Dougherty about his book "Rod Serling at 100: One Writer's Acknowledgement.  The year 2024 marks the centenary of Rod Serling, creator of The Twilight Zone and Night Gallery. Emmy-winning writer Joseph Dougherty ( thirtysomething, Pretty Little Liars ) picked this special anniversary to reflect on Serling and his contributions to television drama.

In this episode, I spoke with author Tripp Whetsell regarding his book "Norman Lear: His Life and Times". Beginning in the 1970s, writer and producer Norman Lear forever altered the television landscape with such groundbreaking situation comedies as All in the Family, Maude, Good Times, Sanford and Son, The Jeffersons , and One Day at a Time .

In this episode I discuss with Emily C. Hughes her book "Horror for Weenies: Everything You Need to Know About the Films You're Too Scared to Watch". A smart, funny crash course in 25 iconic horror movies, from Psycho to Hereditary, for people who love getting the reference but hate being scared.

In this episode, we discuss the career of Richard Dix.