Forgotten Hollywood

In this episode, we discuss the career of actor William Tracy. Grab our Forgotten Hollywood Book Series: Business Movies and Christmas Movies! Both available on Amazon!

In this episode discuss the film career of Sara Haden.

In this episode I discuss the life of Marjorie Main "Ma Kettle".

In this episode I discuss the life of Evelyn Ankers. Many will remember her for playing opposite Lon Chaney, Jr. in five films. The Wolf Man (1941) , The Ghost of Frankenstein (1942) , Son of Dracula (1943) , Weird Woman (1944) and The Frozen Ghost (1945) .

In this episode, I discuss the life of character actor Clifford Porter Hall. Doug Hess is the host!

In this episode I spoke with author Robert Dance and his book "Ferocious Ambition: Joan Crawford's March to Stardom". Robert Dance’s new evaluation of Joan Crawford looks at her entire career and―while not ignoring her early years and tempestuous personal life―focuses squarely on her achievements as an actress, and as a woman who mastered the studio system with a rare combination of grit, determin...

In this episode, I spoke with author Mark A Vieira on his book "George Hurrall's Hollywood: Glamour Portraits 1925-1992". George Hurrell was called the “Rembrandt of Hollywood.” Before his arrival, movie star portraits were “soft focus” and undistinguished, derivative of the Main Street USA portrait salon. Hurrell instituted a sharp, dramatic look. The vibrant, temperamental artist was an original...

In this episode, I spoke with author Laurence Leamer "Hitchcock's Blondes: The Unforgettable Women Behind the Legendary Director's Dark Obsession". Alfred Hitchcock was fixated—not just on the dark, twisty stories that became his hallmark, but also by the blond actresses who starred in many of his iconic movies. The director of North by Northwest, Rear Window, and other classic films didn’t much c...

In this episode, I spoke with author Scott Ryan on his book "Moonlighting: An Oral History". Once upon a time ABC-TV’s Moonlighting was among the most buzzed-about shows in the country, thanks largely to the bravado of creator Glenn Gordon Caron, who never met a television convention he didn’t want to break, and the sizzling on-screen chemistry between glamorous erstwhile film star Cybill Shepherd...

In this episode, I spoke with author Scott Eyman on his book "Charlie Chaplin vs. America: When Art, Sex, and Politics Collided". The remarkable, must-read story of Charlie Chaplin’s years of exile from the United States during the postwar Red Scare, and how it ruined his film career

In this episode, I spoke with George Schlatter about his boo " Still Laughing A Life in Comedy From The Creator Of Laugh-In". In 1967, producer George Schlatter pitched an idea for a quirky new television show: one inspired by the hippie counterculture, which would take the idea of sit-ins, love-ins, and be-ins, and manifest that politicized, sexualized, consciousness-raising energy into pure come...

In this episode I spoke with Episode 186 author Nat Segaloff and his book "Say Hello To My Little Friend: A Century Of Scarface". Celebrating the 40th anniversary of Scarface starring Al Pacino—Brian DePalma’s 1983 gangster film that shook the world, shocked the critics, and shot bullet holes through the American Dream—this explosive Hollywood tell-all charts not only the phenomenon of this contro...

In this episode, I spoke with author Dale Sherman on his book "The Worst We Can Find: MST3K, Rifftrax, And The History of Heckling At The Movies". Had you tuned in to the small television station KTMA on Thanksgiving Day, 1988, you would have been one of the few witnesses to pop culture history being made. On that day, viewers in and around St. Paul, Minnesota, were treated to a genuine oddity, in...

In this episode, I spoke with author/actor Nick Santa Maria about his book "The Annotated Abbott and Costello: A Complete Viewer's Guide to the Comedy Team and Their 38 Films". Abbott and Costello were the most popular comedians of the 1940s, with burlesque-inspired routines that enthralled audiences on both radio and television. Oddly, their films have not received the same level of attention fro...

In this episode, I spoke with author Milan Hain about his latest book "Starmaker: David O. Selznick and the Production of Stars in the Hollywood Studio System". David O. Selznick (1902–1965) was one of the most prominent film producers of the Hollywood studio era, responsible for such artistic and commercial triumphs as King Kong, David Copperfield, Anna Karenina, A Star Is Born, Gone with the Win...

Episode 182 - author John Trafton talking about his book Movie Made Los Angeles In this episode, I spoke with author John Trafton talking about his book "Movie Made Los Angeles". Los Angeles was a cinematic city long before the rise of Hollywood. By the dawn of the twentieth century, photography, painting, and tourist promotion in Southern California provided early filmmakers with a template for b...

In this episode, I spoke with Shelley Herman and her book "My Peacock Tale: Secrets of An NBC Page". My Peacock Tale: Secrets Of An NBC Page is a funny, sexy, gossipy, celebrity-filled memoir with real-life, never-before-told stories. Set against the backdrop of NBC Burbank in the mid-70s, the Pages had VIP access to stars ranging from Johnny Carson to Joan Rivers, Gilda Radner to Andy Kaufman, Fr...

In this episode, I spoke with both David Fantle and Tom Johnson regarding their latest book " C'mon Get Happy The Making of Summer Stock". The book will be out in mid-October. In their third and final screen teaming, Judy Garland and Gene Kelly starred together in the MGM musical Summer Stock. Despite its riveting production history, charismatic lead actors, and classic musical moments, the movie...

In this episode, I spoke with author Greg Ehrbar regarding his book "Mouse Tracks: The Story of Walt Disney Records". Around the world there are grandparents, parents, and children who can still sing ditties by Tigger or Baloo the Bear or the Seven Dwarves. This staying power and global reach is in large part a testimony to the pizzazz of performers, songwriters, and other creative artists who wor...

In this episode, I spoke with author Paul A Thomas on his latest book "Exploring The Land of Ooo: An Unofficial Overview and Production History of Cartoon Network's Adventure Time". Exploring the Land of Ooo: An Unofficial Overview and Production History of Cartoon Network’s "Adventure Time" is a guide through the colorful and exuberant animated television series that initially aired from 2010 to...

In this episode I spoke with author Chris Yogerst on this book "The Warner Brothers". One of the oldest and most recognizable studios in Hollywood, Warner Bros. is considered a juggernaut of the entertainment industry. Since its formation in the early twentieth century, the studio has been a constant presence in cinema history, responsible for the creation of acclaimed films, blockbuster brands, a...

n this episode, I discuss the career of Pinto Colvig with guest Spencer Wright. Pinto had a very interesting career with Disney and other studios.

In this episode, I discuss with author Dale Sherman his book "Four Scores and Seven Reels Ago". Four Scores and Seven Reels Ago: The U.S. Presidency through Hollywood Films examines the ways Hollywood has portrayed the presidency over the years.

In this episode, we discuss the act of Steve Buscemi coming back to New York to help other firefighters during the September 11, 2023 events at the World Trade Center.

In this episode, I spoke with the author Chris Alexander on his book Corman/Poe: Interviews and Essays Exploring the Making of Roger Corman's Edgar Allan Poe Films, 1960-1964. Produced on modest budgets for American International Pictures, Roger Corman's adaptations of Edgar Allan Poe stories were popular in their time as escapist horror cinema. Most starred horror icon Vincent Price and were writ...