EPISODE 36 - “Classic Hollywood Clones: The Remaking of a Movie Star” - 05/20/2024 SHOW NOTES:  They say that imitation is the highest form of flattery. That may not be the case when it came to the star system of old Hollywood. When an actor like CLARK GABLE or GRETA GARBO or ROCK HUDSON emerged as a star, every studio in town tried to capitalize and create their own version. For every MARILYN MONROE, there’s a dozen CLEO MOOREs. Often studios would groom an actor with similar looks and...

EPISODE 35 - “The Mystery Behind the Columbia Pictures’ Torch Lady and MGM’s Leo, the Lion” - 05/13/2024 Every major Hollywood studio has its recognizable logo. Paramount has its “mountain of stars,” 20th Century Fox has its roving klieg lights, and RKO has its radio towers. But two of the most famous studio logos have to be MGM’s “Leo, the lion” and Columbia’s regal “torch lady.” In this week’s episode, Steve and Nan dive into the history of these two iconic symbols of Hollywood excellence....

In “It’s A Wonderful Life,” BEULAH BONDI played the most loving mother to JAMES STEWART. Ma Bailey is the epitome of sweetness, kindness, and supportiveness so it’s quite shocking when we meet the Ma Bailey who would have existed had George Bailey not been born. She’s cold, bitter, and unkind. It gives Bondi the wonderful opportunity to play two versions of the same character, which she does flawlessly. So to celebrate Mother’s Day, Nan and Steve are taking a page from Bondi’s playbook as...

EPISODE 33 - “Zachary Scott: Star of the Month (May)” - 04/29/2024 Suave, debonaire, and effortlessly charming, ZACHARY SCOTT is best known for his role in MICHAEL CURTIZ's film noir classic Mildred Pierce (1945). As the duplicitous, silver-tongued charmer Monte Beragon, he romances Mildred, played by JOAN CRAWFORD (in her Oscar-winning role), and Mildred's daughter, Veda (ANN BLYTH). This became Scott's signature role: the sexy cad who was usually at his best swindling, seducing, or being a...

EPISODE 32 - “The Mary Astor Purple Diary Scandal” - 04/22/2024 One of the most scandalous trials in early Hollywood history involved actress MARY ASTOR, who had made a name for herself playing virginal ingenues and good girls. Mary, who had kept a diary for most of her life, found her words used as a sensationalized weapon against her in her quest to regain custody of her 4-year-old child in 1936 after her acrimonious divorce from her doctor husband. The trial made worldwide headlines. Her...

EPISODE 31 - “The Turner Classic Movies Film Festival Preview” - 04/15/2024 From April 18th through the 21st, the 15th Annual TCM Classic Film Festival will be held in Hollywood. Steve and Nan were fortunate enough to be invited to be a part of the media that covers the festival this year. To get everyone in the mood, we have a special episode about all the festival and everything you need to know. We will give you an overview of what to expect, and we’ll let you know who is scheduled to...

EPISODE 30 - “Robert Walker: Old Hollywood’s Tragic Boy Next Door” - 04/08/2024 No one played sensitive, lost souls quite like ROBERT WALKER. However, he is best known for playing one of the most complicated, psychopaths in film history, Bruno Antony in ALFRED HITCHCOCK’s masterpiece “Strangers On A Train” (1951). His journey from playing sensitive innocents to playing Bruno is reflective of his troubled, turbulent life, and the heartbreak from which he never recovered. This week, we’ll...

EPISODE 29 - “Jan Sterling: Old Hollywood Star of the Month” - 04/01/2024 Our “Star of the Month” is the fabulous JAN STERLING, who was married to our March “Star of the Month,” PAUL DOUGLAS. Blonde, beautiful, and often deadly on screen, Sterling started in theatre, but made a name for herself portraying tough dames, femme fatales, and sexy seductresses in films such as “Caged,” “Ace In the Hole” and “The High and the Mighty.” However, her upbringing was quite different from these wayward...

EPISODE 28 - “Golden Era Stars in 1970s Disaster Films” - 03/25/2024 Just when many classic films stars thought they were finished in showbiz, a wonderful thing happened — 1970s disaster movies! Producers like IRWIN ALLEN and JENNINGS LANG shepherded in an exciting, over-the-top, new genre that capitalized on our fears. They also smartly cast many classic film actors in these movies, providing familiar faces who added comfort and emotional investment. These films proved not only lucrative...

EPISODE 27 - “Dona Drake: What Price Fame” - 03/18/2024 Latina star DONA DRAKE, who signed a contract with Paramount Pictures in 1941, was many things — singer, dancer, actress, bandleader, musician — but one thing she wasn’t, as it turned out, was Latin! While Paramount promoted their new discovery as a spitfire Latina born in Mexico City, Drake was, in fact, an African-American woman from Florida who pretended to be Latin, going so far as to learn Spanish fluently, in order to have a...

EPISODE 26 - “Oscar Fever: A Brief History of the Academy Awards” - 03/10/2024 The winners. The losers. The speeches. The gowns. The glamour. The cringey moments. Nothing toys with a film lovers’ emotions like the pageantry of the Academy Award ceremony…or the Oscars, as it has become known. Somewhere, right now, there are people still arguing over whether GRACE KELLY deserved to win the Best Actress Oscar in 1955 for “The Country Girl” over JUDY GARLAND for “A Star Is Born.” The Oscars...

EPISODE 25 - “Paul Douglas: Star of the Month” - 03/04/2024 In a new feature, we are highlighting a “Star of the Month” where we will dive into the life, career, and legacy of a single performer. To kick things off in this episode, we’ll be discussing the great PAUL DOUGLAS. You may not know his name, but you certainly know his face. With his somewhat craggy mug that usually sported a hang-dog look, he made a career at playing gruff, tough guys who were usually softies underneath, as he does...

EPISODE 24 - “The Hollywood Studio Club: Where The Good Girls Lived” - 02/26/2024 During the early days of Hollywood, hordes of young women pilgrimaged West to try to break into the movie business. And like sheep to slaughter, there were just as many men in Hollywood ready to take advantage of these young, inexperienced, and vulnerable young women. However, the Hollywood Studio Club, a hotel for women, run by women, tried to give these women a safe haven in the storm. Started by a librarian...

EPISODE 23 - “I Coulda Been a Contender: Classic Casting That Almost Happened” - 02/19/2024 It is well documented that the film “Gone With The Wind” started filming before an actress was cast in the lead role of Scarlett O’Hara. Producer DAVID O. SELZNICK made a spectacle out of who would win the coveted role. It became a national obsession. He considered everyone from TALLULAH BANKHEAD to BETTE DAVIS to LUCILLE BALL. He eventually narrowed the field to three finalists: PAULETTE GODDARD,...

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 that should never have happened.  SHOW NOTES:  Sources: Ernie: The Autobiography (2009), by...

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 share some of their favorite romantic movies to get you in the mood, or give you something to...

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 trusted confidante of the elite of Hollywood. Not only was he a peerless power broker for the likes...

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 downward spiral of despair and alcoholism. This is a cautionary tale of the dark side of fame....

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 one interesting element. Last week we paid tribute to the ladies, this week we are giving the...

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 power of a skilled character actress. Their scenes might be limited, and their names may not be...

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 years,” he told the Associated Press. “Finally, she relents and you say, ‘I’m terribly sorry....

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 got four that should get you in the mood for 2024. And NEVER forget…There’s GOT to be a morning...

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 the four-legged stars who have won the hearts of millions during the classic era of...

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 screen and into our hearts during Hollywood's golden era. This week we’ll be taking a look at the...