From Beneath the Hollywood Sign

EPISODE 22 - “Cupid’s Epic Fails” - 02/12/2024 Cupid has been stirring things up in Hollywood ever since the very first camera rolled. And when he gets it right, we get CLARK GABLE and CAROLE LOMBARD, JOEL McCRAE and FRANCES DEE, and PAUL NEWMAN and JOANNE WOODWARD. But when Cupid gets it wrong…well, let’s just say it ain’t pretty. In this episode, Steve and Nan discuss some Hollywood couplings th...

EPISODE 21 - “Love Is In The Air” - 02/05/2024 Let’s face it, Valentine’s Day can be a mixed bag. Either you’re blissfully in love and the day is a romantic dream, or, you are not in love and part of you wants to stomp all the roses and put the chocolate bon-bons in a sling shot and pummel Cupid. Whatever your head space this Valentine’s Day, Steve and Nan have a movie for you. Listen in as they s...

EPISODE 20 - “Greg Bautzer: Hollywood’s Legal Lothario” - 01/29/2024 Long before notorious trials like O.J. SIMPSON's made momentary celebrities out of legal eagles like JOHNNIE COCHRAN, ROBERT SHAPIRO and ROBERT KARDASHIAN, there was attorney GREG BAUTZER. From the working class docks of San Pedro, this ambitious Golden Boy with movie-star good looks and a brilliant legal mind became the most tru...

EPISODE 19 - “Fallen Angel: The Helen Walker Story” - 01/22/2024 Cast as ALAN LADD’s leading lady in her film debut, Massachusetts-born HELEN WALKER was destined for Hollywood greatness. With her deep voice, coolly blonde good looks, and immense talent, she were perfect for Hollywood of the 1940s. However, her rising star abruptly came crashing to earth after a tragic accident sent her life into a...

EPISODE 18 - “The Scene Stealers (Male)” - 01/015/2024 Films of Hollywood’s Golden Era are often brightened and made all the better by the fantastic character actors who show up playing fathers, grandfathers, bankers, farmers, chefs, clerks, bosses, and neighbors. The moment you hear the distinctive voice of WALTER BRENNAN, not only do you know it’s him, but you know the film will have at least on...

EPISODE 17 - “The Scene Stealers (Female)” - 01/08/2024 In the film Mildred Pierce (1945), EVE ARDEN manages to steal almost every scene she’s in. And, while talking with JOAN CRAWFORD’s Mildred about her spoiled, bratty daughter, Veda (ANN BLYTH), she even delivers the film’s most iconic line, “Personally, Veda's convinced me that alligators have the right idea. They eat their young.” That is the...

EPISODE 16 - “Beginner’s Luck” - 01/01/2024 To win an Oscar sometimes takes decades of hard work and dedication to your craft — just ask PAUL NEWMAN, GERALDINE PAGE, and JESSICA TANDY. In fact, when Newman finally won the Oscar in 1987 for “The Color of Money,” after being nominated six times previously, he didn’t even bother to show up to the ceremony. “It’s like chasing a beautiful woman for 80...

EPISODE 15 - “Old Movies For A New Year” - 12/25/2023 There’s something about New Year’s Eve and assessing the past year that is bittersweet, yet cathartic. It’s a time of self-evaluation, introspection, and assessment. In case you’re looking for the perfect film to match the myriad of emotions you may be feeling as you reflect, regret, or seek revenge in anticipation of the new year ahead, we’ve...

EPISODE 14 - “…And Your Little Dog, Too!” - 12/18/2023 From RIN TIN TIN to LASSIE to TRIGGER, to TONTO, from the 1974 film "Harry and Tonto," who can resist those cute, furry little nuggets who can straight-out steal a scene right out from under the most-trained Shakespearean thespian with the wag of a tail, the flop of an ear, or the purr of a cry? In this episode, Steve and Nan explore some of t...

EPISODE 13 - Scram Kid…You Bother Me - 12/11/2023 As W.C. FIELDS famously said, "Never work with children or animals." Of course, he was probably referring to their ability to steal a scene or their unpredictability. But what would cinema be without child performers? From SHIRLEY TEMPLE to MICKEY ROONEY to NATALIE WOOD to MARY BADHAM, so many incredibly talented tots danced across the silver scree...

While chestnuts roasting on that open fire and sleigh bells ringing are nice, nothing gets you in the mood for the holidays like a good ole seasonal movie. Well, get ready to unwrap an early present from Steve and Nan as they share their favorite lesser-known holiday films. And along the way, they discuss everything from Clarence the Angel, French nuns, boxing nuns, ROBERT MITCHUM’s drug bust, and...

Ireland-born MAUREEN O’HARA was not only one of the silver screen's great actresses, she was also a strong independent woman who did not suffer fools gladly. When Confidential magazine, a tabloid known for false stories and unethical journalistic practices, came for her in 1957, she fought back with a vengeance. Her efforts, along with DOROTHY DANDRIDGE, ROBERT MITCHUM, LIZABETH SCOTT, and a bevy...

Actor STEVE COCHRAN’s life was like a page out of the American macho man’s handbook. Raised in Wyoming where he was once a cowhand, he carved a memorable career in Hollywood playing gangsters, villains, adulterers, and bad boys in great films like “The Best Years of Our Lives” and “White Heat.” But in a case of art imitating life, this rowdy, randy actor’s personal life was just as chaotic and dra...

As we continue our exploration of famous siblings who thrived during the Golden Era of Hollywood, we’ll discover that you are definitely not your brother’s keeper, especially when we discuss the lives, careers, and relationship of a famous film noir actor and his movie star beefcake brother. We’ll also discuss a couple of brassy blonde comediennes who ruled the silver screen in the 1930s and 40s a...

Ever since Cain killed Abel — or, to put it in old Hollywood terms, ever since JOAN FONTAINE rebuffed OLIVIA DE HAVILLAND at the 1941 Oscar ceremony — sibling relationships have been complicated. In this episode we take a look at famous Hollywood siblings, some of whom you may know, others who may be a complete surprise. We’ll discuss the operatic singing superstar and her ghoulish TV star sister,...

Halloween has always been a special time for classic movies. From the early Universal Studios monster films to the psychological thrillers of ALFRED HITCHCOCK to the gory blood-bathes of the 1980s slasher films, Hollywood understood that people love to be frightened. In this Halloween episode, hosts Steve and Nan share some of the perhaps lesser-known scary movies to enjoy this Halloween season. S...

Actress CAROLE LANDIS was a rising star in the 1940s, but her bright light was short-lived. She came from a troubled background and learned early that her looks and sex appeal were valuable commodities that could help her dreams of fame come true. She scratched and clawed her way to Hollywood stardom only to find the dream was hollow. Her quest for love led her to all the wrong men. Her ill-fated...

The name ANNE REVERE may not ring a bell to many today, but during the 1940s, the Broadway-trained, Tony-winning actress, who was a descendant of Revolutionary War hero Paul Revere, was one of the most revered character actresses in Hollywood. She won the Best Supporting Actress Oscar in 1944 for National Velvet and left an indelible mark on the landscape of film as Gregory Peck’s sympathetic moth...

When you drive through Beachwood Canyon, don't be fooled by the droves of tourists vying for the perfect shot of the Hollywood sign or the beautiful stone gates of the village that lead to storybook houses covered with ivy and brilliant bougainvillea. The canyon has had its share of strange, and often dark, Hollywood history including religious cults, suicides, and a love triangle murder that invo...

Everyone in old Hollywood can probably be connected by whom they dated, married, or slept with. Two of the most desirable lovers of the era were LANA TURNER and AVA GARDNER, both Hollywood superstars who shared a friendship, similar backgrounds, and many romantic partners, including a husband. Join us as we connect the romantic dots through old Hollywood using Lana and Ava’s little black books as...

Planted firmly in the middle of Hollywood is the Knickerbocker Hotel, a big, boxy, building with a faded facade appearing like a sad relic from a gayer time. Only the illuminated block letters of its sign that light up the Hollywood night sky hint at the lively history of this Hollywood landmark that BETTE DAVIS, MAUREEN O’SULLIVAN, and DICK POWELL once called home. From affairs to arrests to sean...

Hollywood’s Oscar ceremony is like the Super Bowl for cinema lovers. But beyond the clothes, the speeches, and the musical numbers, it’s all about the winners. And some leave us scratching our heads. Did How Green Was My Valley really deserve the Best Picture Oscar over Citizen Kane in 1941? How did CARY GRANT and MYRNA LOY never win competitive Oscars? And who the hell is LUISE RAINER, and how di...

When you want Tyrone Power instead of Tom Hardy, Jennifer Jones instead of Jennifer Lawrence, or Robert Mitchum rather than Robert Pattinson, then FROM BENEATH THE HOLLYWOOD SIGN is the gin joint for you. Each week, writer and producer STEVE CUBINE and actress NAN MCNAMARA explore, discuss, and dissect the magical, mysterious, amusing, and sometime bizarre tales of Old Hollywood. So sit back and r...