Forgotten Hollywood

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.

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In this episode, I spoke with author Christopher S. Connelly about his recent book "Helen Morgan: The Original Torch Singer and Ziefeld's Last Star". An emotive soprano voice, heartrending melodies about unrequited love, and a draped-over-the-piano persona made Helen Morgan (1902–1941) the original torch singer, but she was so much more. The versatile actress appeared on Broadway, in film, and on...

In this episode, I spoke with Bethan Jones about her book "The Truth Is Still Out There: 30 Years of the X-Files". In September 1993, a TV show like no other appeared on our screens, asking us to consider the essence of truth and belief, to think about the nature and roles of science and humanity, and to question what we were told by those in power. Combining horror, science fiction, drama, crime,...

In this episode, I spoke with Justin Owen Rawlins about his book "imagining The Method".  Only one performance style has dominated the lexicon of the casual moviegoer: “Method acting.” The first reception-based analysis of film acting, Imagining the Method  investigates how popular understandings of the so-called Method—what its author Justin Rawlins calls "methodness"—created an exclusive brand f...

James Lott Jr introduces you to the Forgotten Hollywood Reference Book Collection. All can be found on Amazon.com as kindle or paperback! 

In this episode, I spoke with author Burt Kearns about his book "Shemp! The Biography of The Three Stooges Shemp Howard, The Face of Film Comedy".  Shemp Howard not only had one of the most distinctive faces of the twentieth century, but was also one of its most accomplished, influential comic actors and showbiz personalities. Along with his brother Moe and comedy violinist Larry Fine, Shemp was a...

In this episode, I spoke with author Samuel Garza Bernstein about his book "Starring Joan Crawford". Joan Crawford: the name has an enduring fascination. Forty-five years after her death, Crawford remains a familiar icon in pop culture and the entertainment world. Certainly, the camp bathos of Mommie Dearest  have played a part in her continued relevance. But it is ultimately her work and career t...

In this episode, I discuss some of the upcoming topics/books we will be discussing in the coming weeks. goto Facebook @forgottenhollywood

In this episode, I spoke with John DiLeo about his latest book "Not Even Nominated: 40 Overlooked Costars of Oscar-Winning Performances" which is out on October 10, 2024 .  John DiLeo's  Not Even Nominated: 40 Overlooked Costars of Oscar-Winning Performances puts the focus on some shockingly neglected achievements. James Stewart indeed won an Oscar for The Philadelphia Story (1940) while Cary Gran...