The Bombshell Effect

Greta Garbo had Hollywood under her spell. She took Joan Crawford's breath away, mesmerized director Billy Wilder, and John Barrymore once called what she had pure magic . But after starring in dozens of films, Garbo walked away from Hollywood at just 36, leaving behind a legacy of glamour, mystery, and rumors of a reclusive life. But... what if Hollywood's most famous disappearance wasn't quite w...

Can a film set actually be cursed? If you were a producer on The Omen or a background actor on The Wizard of Oz , you might believe it. This episode of  The Bombshell Effect  explores Judy Garland's early career, the career-making studio heads that put her on a diet of barbituates and cigarettes, and the urban legends surrounding the filming of  The Wizard of Oz , and other films where the actors...

The Beverly Hills Hotel literally invented a neighorhood. What was once cursed ranchland became a place for mansions and "pedigreed" movie stars. The hotel is a symbol of GLAMOUR, glitz, and was once a staple for A-listers, from Robert DeNiro (and his 7 cats) and Elizabeth Taylor (and her 5 husbands).  In this episode of  The Bombshell Effect , we talk the early history of Los Angeles, Howard Hugh...

Chateau Marmont is one of the most famous hotels in Los Angeles– a symbol of Old Hollywood glamour, celebrity excess, and Hollywood tragedy. Located in West Hollywood, this iconic Hollywood hotel has been the site of legendary bungalow parties, secret love affairs, and infamous deaths that shaped film and pop culture history.  In this episode of  The Bombshell Effect , we dive into the real storie...

Los Angeles may be losing one of its last true landmarks. Cole's French Dip, open since 1908 and a favorite hot spot to mobsters, detectives, burlesque dancers, boozy politicians, and Charles Bukowski himself, is closing forever on December 31st. In this urgent special episode, Kate de los Santos takes listeners down to the streets of DTLA and into the noir-esque world of Cole's, a bar that had su...

Legendary gossip columnist Hedda Hopper once described West Hollywood's Barney's Beanery as the place "where the stars go!"– and she wasn't exaggerating. Throughout the Golden Age of Hollywood, this shadowy little den off Santa Monica Boulevard was frequented by stars like Clara Bow and Rita Hayworth. Dean Martin hosted parties there in the 1950s and in the 1960s, Jim Morrison was banned.  Barney'...