From Beneath the Hollywood Sign

EPISODE 72 - “CHATTING CLASSIC CINEMA WITH JOURNALIST MAUREEN LENKER” - 1/27/2025 In this week’s episode, Steve and Nan welcome award-winning journalist MAUREEN LENKER. Maureen, who is currently a Senior Writer for Entertainment Weekly, has a deep passion and knowledge of classic cinema and has made 1930s Hollywood the setting for her new novel, “His Girl Hollywood.” Join us as Maureen discusses h...

EPISODE 71 - “STEVE & NAN’s FAVORITE CLASSIC FILMS OF THE 1970s” - 1/20/2024 The 1970s was a decade that saw the rise of the auteur. Filmmakers like Scorsese, Coppola, Cassavetes, Altman, Lumet, and DePalma hit their stride and brought to the screen their specific vision and stylized films. It was a very experimental era where boundaries were pushed and once-taboo topics were explored. It became a...

EPISODE 70 - “COLIN CLIVE” - 1/13/2024 The moment he uttered the iconic line, “It’s Alive! It’s Alive,” in the 1931classic horror film “Frankenstein, actor COLIN CLIVE secured his place in film history. The handsome, talented British actor went on to appear in several other films, but his life and career were cut short due to his acute alcoholism and other personal demons. This week, we remember a...

ELLEN DREW: CLASSIC CINEMA STAR OF THE MONTH (069) Whether playing the sweet girl next door or the world-weary casino boss’s moll, ELLEN DREW was an incredibly versatile leading lady who was a major star in the 1940s and 50s. She made a career of playing a wide range of roles in various genres — from Westerns to comedies to dramas to horror movies. She was nicknamed “The Candy Store Cinderella” be...

“HITCHCOCK’s COLLABORATORS FROM THE GOLDEN AGE” - (068) ALFRED HITCHCOCK, the iconic “Master of Suspense,” loved to work with certain actors over and over again. Often, he had very complicated relationships with his actors. (Just ask TIPPI HEDREN!) However, he managed to form great working relationships with stars like JAMES STEWART, GRACE KELLY, INGRID BERGMAN, and CARY GRANT. This week, we take...

One of the most popular episodes of our pod was #12 from December of last year, "DECK THEM HALLS: CELEBRATING THE HOLIDAYS IN CLASSIC FILM." Because of the great feedback we got on that show (and because Steve and Nan are WAY behind on their holiday shopping), we’re replaying that episode to celebrate the best time of year for holiday movies. We hope you enjoy it, and we’ll be back next week with...

EPISODE 66 - “WHEN CLASSIC FILM’S SUPPORTING ACTORS STEAL THE SHOW” - 12/16/2024 There is nothing quite like watching a film when suddenly a supporting character comes in and walks away with the film. (Think THELMA RITTER, S.Z. SAKALL, or GALE SONDERGAARD in almost every one of their films!) This week we are focusing on some of our favorite supporting charters who come in and snatch that scene rig...

12/09/2024 EPISODE 65 - "CLASSIC HOLIDAY FILMS: FUN BEHIND THE SCENES FACTS" We all know the iconic Holiday movies like “A Christmas Carol,” “It’s A Wonderful Life,” “White Christmas.” This week, Nan and Steve go behind the scenes of some of your favorite classic holiday movies and dig up some fun facts about these films that you may or may not know. We talk about the snow, the casting, the locat...

"BOBBY DRISCOLL: CLASSIC CINEMA STAR OF THE MONTH" EPISODE 64 - “BOBBY DRISCOLL - STAR OF THE MONTH” - 12/02/2024  BOBBY DRISCOLL's name may not be too familiar anymore, but in his heyday, he was the male equivalent of NATALIE WOOD. He was one of the most talented and prolific child stars of the 1940s and 1950s. His descent into darkness should serve as a cautionary tale to all of the stage mother...

EPISODE 63 - “NOT EVEN NOMINATED: A DISCUSSION ABOUT CLASSIC CINEMA WITH AUTHOR JOHN DILEO” - 11/25/2024 Author JOHN DILEO, film historian and author, has just published his eighth book, Not Even Nominated: 40 Overlooked Costars of Oscar-Winning Performances. This week, John joins Steve and Nan to discuss his book, as well as his origin story on how he got hooked on classic cinema. Join us for the...

"FORGOTTEN LEADING LADIES FROM THE GOLDEN AGE OF HOLLYWOOD" - 11/18/2024 A friend of mine once said that in Hollywood the toilet flushes every seven years. Meaning after about seven years, no one remembers who you are. Whether that’s true or not, there are many classic film stars who were once popular, who have faded away into obscurity. We covered men a few months ago, and now we are giving the l...

EPISODE 61 - “FAVORITE CLASSIC FILMS OF THE 1960s” - 11/11/2024 The decade of the 1960s was an exciting time in filmmaking. The stodgy studio contract system was starting to give way to a new crop of independent cinematic auteurs, often associated with the "New Hollywood" era, including Stanley Kubrick, Robert Altman, Sam Peckinpah, Arthur Penn, John Cassavetes, Francis Ford Coppola, Martin Scorse...

EPISODE 60 - "THELMA RITTER: CLASSIC CINEMA STAR OF THE MONTH" - 11/04/2024 There's a scene in the classic 1950 film All About Eve where Eve Harrington (ANNE BAXTER), a star-struck fan who has infiltrated the life of Broadway star Margo Channing (BETTE DAVIS), is telling the tragic story of her past to Margo and her friends. While Margo and company are drawn into the sad circumstances of Eve's lif...

EPISODE 59 - "POLITICS: THROUGH THE LENS OF CLASSIC CINEMA" - 10/28/2024 As we all get ready to go to the polls and vote in what might be the most important election of our lives, we wanted to take a look at politics in the films of old Hollywood. This week, we explore the movies that reflected the politics and the issues of the day and left an indelible mark on cinema. From labor wars in New Mexi...

EPISODE 58 - "CLASSIC CINEMA'S HORROR HEROES: BELA LUGOSI & BORIS KARLOFF" - 10/21/2024 When you think of the classic Universal Studios monster movies of the 1930s and 1940s, the two names that come to mind are always BORIS KARLOFF and BELA LUGOSI. These two titans of the horror film genre gave us endless hours of chills and thrills in their portrayal of such iconic movie monsters as Dracula, Fran...

EPISODE 57 - “Old Hollywood’s Unlikely Casanova: Gene Markey” - 10/14/2024 GENE MARKEY was an interesting character. He was a Hollywood writer and producer who had a decent, but not spectacular career. But what makes him so fascinating is the company he keeps. This man was once married to three of the most beautiful and fascinating women in the world: JOAN BENNETT, HEDY LAMARR, and MYRNA LOY. He l...

EPISODE 56 - “MARJORIE REYNOLDS: CLASSIC CINEMA STAR OF THE MONTH” - 10/07/2024 Most film fanatics agree that after the Paramount Picture’s holiday classic “Holiday Inn” (1942), actress MARJORIE REYNOLDS, who gave a star-turn as struggling actress Linda Mason who gets a break singing and dancing in the seasonal nightclub run by BING CROSBY, should have been a big star. However, for reasons not qui...

EPISODE 55 - “Favorite Classic Films of the 1950s ” - 09/30/2024 ** This episode is sponsored brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/BENEATH and get on your way to being your best self.” ** The 1950s was a real transitional decade for classic films. As we got further away from WW2, and the Cold War began to rise up prominently, there was a cynicism across the lan...

EPISODE 54 - "SPECIAL GUEST: PERI GILPIN TALKS OLD HOLLYWOOD" - 09/23/2024 ** This episode is sponsored brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/BENEATH and get on your way to being your best self.” ** We all know her as the hilarious and acerbic radio producer Roz Doyle on the iconic sitcom “Frasier,” and on the reboot currently airing on Paramount Plus. This week...

EPISODE 53 - “Tribute to Gena Rowlands” - 09/16/2024 ** This episode is sponsored brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/BENEATH and get on your way to being your best self.” ** When screen legend GENA ROWLANDS passed away last month at the age of 94, she left behind a film and TV legacy that will undoubtedly influence artists for decades to come. She was an acti...

EPISODE 52 - "BIG SCREEN TO SMALL SCREEN: CLASSIC CINEMA'S TV REMAKES." (052) - 09/09/2024 ** This episode is sponsored brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/BENEATH and get on your way to being your best self.” ** Sometimes, a classic film is primed for being turned into a successful television series — think “M*A*S*H*,” “Alice,” “In The Heat of the Night,” or...

EPISODE 51 - “Richard Conte (Star of the Month) ” - 09/02/2024 ** This episode is sponsored brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/BENEATH and get on your way to being your best self.” ** In the great film noir classic Thieves Highway, a gripping drama that takes on the dirty underbelly of the trucking industry, the spectacular RICHARD CONTE plays Nick Garcos, a...

EPISODE 50 - “Birthday Tribute to Classic Film star Vera Miles” - 08/26/2024 ** This episode is sponsored brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/BENEATH and get on your way to being your best self.” ** After placing 3rd runner up to Miss America in 1948 as Miss Kansas, VERA MILES soon embarked on a long and illustrious career in Hollywood and was soon working wit...

EPISODE 49 - “Birthday Tribute to Classic Cinema Star Ann Blyth ” - 08/19/2024 ** This episode is sponsored and brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/BENEATH and get on your way to being your best self.” ** With her crystal clear soprano voice, porcelain doll face, and fierce acting talent, ANN BLYTH became a much-in-demand star in the 1940s and 1950s. While kno...

EPISODE 48 - “STEVE & NAN'S FAVORITE CLASSIC FILMS OF THE 1940s ” - 08/12/2024 ** This episode is sponsored and brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/BENEATH and get on your way to being your best self.” ** The 1940s was a phenomenal time for movies. Auteurs like ALFRED HITCHCOCK, GEORGE STEVENS, WILIAM WYLER, and BILLY WILDER were coming into their own with imp...