Legend has it that when Jean Arthur walked out of Columbia Studios for the very last time, she shouted "I'm free! I'm free!" If it didn't happen that way, well, Jean had her own habit of stretching the truth so The Old Movie Lady thinks it's okay. She was the unusual character with the quirky voice who became a star in her mid-thirties (shhh!) and appeared in a string of classics like Mr Deeds Goes to Town, The Devil and Miss Jones, Mr Smith Goes to Washington, The More the Merrier. and You...

All the plans are set for 1929's Annual Wampas Frolic and Ball, where the Western Association of Motion Picture Advertisers introduce the latest batch of Baby Stars to the world. The venue is booked, tickets are sold, what could go wrong? Find this out, and more including why Marg the Old Movie Lady called Louis B. Mayer a "rat f*cker"... Hooray! Also includes stories of the microphone's "Nordic superiority complex", a wedding day in shambles, and why you shouldn't let your teenage daughter...

All the hot goss from the Annual Wampas Frolic and Ball plus a (fantasy) inside peek at what the Western Association of Motion Picture Advertisers did in their spare time in "The Wampas Exposed" special feature! There are gyrations! This clip show (sorry!) features Douglas Fairbanks, Mary Pickford, John Barrymore, Lionel Barrymore, jokes at Charlie Chaplin's expense (he had it coming), Rudolph Valentino, that Wampas Baby who fainted that one time, Bebe Daniels AND Baby Betty! This episode...

Go beyond the grim and tasteless urban legend that surrounds her tragic death in this special Close Up episode of The Old Movie Lady Podcast, where Marg explores the life and career of a woman Gary Cooper described as being as “elusive as quicksilver” — the one and only Lupe Vélez.  This episode contains mention of suicide and intimate partner violence, as well as language which may be inappropriate for some listeners. Please forgive audio issues midway through the episode when The Old Movie...

Welcome back to 1928, there's so much to tell you! Includes stories of a starlet who dated a prince, a "pumpkin" dressed in an evening gown (get ready to roll your eyes), a Wampas getting the girl... eventually... and more! Listen to hear The Old Movie Lady nearly-answer important questions like "Is this the elusive film The Romance of the Bathing Girl"? And "Did a Wampas Baby kick an evil dictator in the nuts?" This episode contains mention of suicidal ideation, fat-phobic language...

The Wampas Frolic and Ball of 1928 may not have had as many attendees as they'd hoped but it did have violence! Thrills and chills! Hear all about it on this week's episode, which also includes tales of a married woman's younger lover, a girl who wouldn't undress, the quest to cast Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, and much more! Featuring appearances by various Barrymores, Harold Lloyd, and a baby named Richard E. Cohn. This episode may contain (mild) language that may be inappropriate for some...

In this special (slightly shorter!) episode of The Old Movie Lady Podcast, learn all about the first steps in the journey from Silent Films to Talkies, including unsuccessful inventions, poorly explained business dealings, and how The Jazz Singer killed Sam Warner! Listen close to hear Marg call some very serious engineers some very cute words of endearment, and more! This episode contains (mild) language that may be inappropriate for some listeners. Hosted on Acast. See...

Ooooh, the Wampas boys got in trouble! Tsk tsk tsk. Find out what they did to piss off the Associated Press and more with the second half of 1927's Wampas Baby Stars, including tales of a lumpy dog named Bobo, a bit of bum, the complete inability to grasp direction, an elderly woman flying a plane, and when real success involves taking your pants off! This episode may contain (mild) language that may be inappropriate for some listeners. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more...

It's 1927 and the Western Association of Motion Picture Advertisers are back with a new crop of Wampas Baby Stars! Let Marg the Old Movie Lady regale you with tales of less successful sisters, a fateful trip to Honolulu, and a rogue bit of fringe. Listen to find out what Douglas Fairbanks made everyone watch him do at the Wampas Frolic and Ball, and more than one (two, can you believe it?) separate mentions of the musical number Meet My Sister from The Show of Shows (1929) This episode...

In this special (shorter!) episode of The Old Movie Lady Podcast, learn all about the legendary perfect lover of the silent screen: Rudolph Valentino! With his passionate fans and tragic death, it's all very gothic and romantic... so strap in! This episode contains mention of suicide, as well as (mild) language that may be inappropriate for some listeners. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Who do you picture in your mind's eye when you think of Joan Crawford? Take a moment (or rather, 48 minutes or so) in this special Close Up episode of The Old Movie Lady Podcast to focus on the earliest days in the life and career of the woman who would become one of the most ambitious, iconic, and controversial figures in Old Hollywood. From little girl scrubbing floors, to dancer, to the Wampas list of 1926, to movie star, this is a story Billie and Lucille. This episode contains mention...

The Old Movie Lady is back, baby! Here to tell you all about some missed red flags, how to become a trivia item, and to be wary of men on their honeymoons as the Wampas Stars and their destinies collide! Featuring appearances by Orson Welles and King Kong, as well as a selection of other "creeps and a**holes". This episode contains mention of grooming, sexual harassment, suicide, and alcohol abuse, as well as (mild) language that may be inappropriate for some listeners. Hosted on Acast. See...

In 1936, ten years after she was named a Wampas Baby Star, Mary Astor faced one of the most salacious scandals ever seen in Hollywood. But who was the woman behind the infamous Purple Diaries? And why was she willing to risk her secrets being exposed? This episode contains mention of domestic violence, alcohol abuse, and (mild) language that may be inappropriate for some listeners. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A new year and a "staggering" group of Wampas Baby Stars, The Old Movie Lady tells you all about how audiences laughed upon hearing the voice of a goddess, a 175-grand win-fall, an infuriating way to hire someone, and a good girl who no one believed could be bad! All this and more, featuring John Barrymore, Cecil B. DeMille, and a Rudolph Valentino quote. This episode contains mention of an unconfirmed suicide attempt, alcohol abuse, and brief mention of domestic abuse, as well as (mild)...

On set romances abound in the 2nd half of 1925's Wampas Baby Stars List! Stick around for stories about the Queen of Poverty Row, a great film beauty who dared to want more, the less successful sister, asking a numerologist for a new name, and more! This episode contains brief mention of alcohol abuse, as well as (mild) language that may be inappropriate for some listeners. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

To everyone's mortification, The Old Movie Lady sings! She also brings you tales of criminal activity at the Wampas Frolic, a go-to-dog girl, a vamp with a beautiful back, a new nose, and confusion caused by the name Lola. Featuring the Our Gang kids and a host of animal stars: Rin Tin Tin, Silver Streak, Rinty, Rex the wild horse, and Numa the lion. This episode contains brief mention of mental health struggles, as well as (mild) language that may be inappropriate for some listeners. ...

In this special (shorter!) episode of The Old Movie Lady Podcast, she talks about the dire survival record of films made pre-1929, and delves deep into two important films from 1923 featuring previously discussed Wampas Baby Stars: Flaming Youth (Colleen Moore) and Human Wreckage (Bessie Love, Lucille Ricksen). How were sex and drugs handled in these lost films? What divided critics and audiences alike? And does scandal or sorrow help sell films? Featuring the story of Wallace Reid and...

Rounding out the rest of the Wampas Baby Stars of 1924, The Old Movie Lady brings you quite a few disturbing on-screen age differences, a movie that was “the trashiest sort of stuff", a romantic real life proposal, a spot-on impression one of of her most-hated Wampas member, and more! This episode contains mention of mental health struggles, child death, and alcohol abuse, as well as (mild) language that may be inappropriate for some listeners Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for...

In 1924, The Western Association of Motion Picture Advertisers named Clara Bow as one of their 13 Wampas Baby Stars. She would quickly rise to become one of the most popular movie stars of her era but her position was precarious. Listen to hear the Old Movie Lady's terrible impression, and to explore how Clara Bow's It factor, the very thing that made her a icon, was used to publicly destroy her. This episode contains mention of suicide (including historical language), childhood abuse (not...

It's 1924 and after midnight, do you know where your Wampases are? Where do you go when Los Angeles wants to ruin the fun? Find out in Episode 5 of the The Old Movie Lady Podcast, where you'll also learn about a "vamp-bunctious" career move (or two), a fateful accident, when wild women ruled the screen, and whether or not a girl attended a party one time. This episode contains (mild) language that may be inappropriate for some listeners. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more...

Rounding out 1923, The Old Movie Lady brings you tales of a monkey jewel-thief, a British beauty queen who couldn't act, a fat-phobic approach to avoiding scandal, and more! Featuring various Talmadge sisters, Buster Keaton, and even Rin Tin Tin! This episode contains mention of Intimate Partner Violence (and historical reactions to IPV), and (mild) language that may be inappropriate for some listeners. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Western Association of Motion Picture Advertisers are ready for year 2 of their Baby Stars List and they have a giant typewriter to prove it! The Old Movie Lady is here to share halfish of the lucky 13 of 1923. Stories include a fight over a stage name, a French Canadian flapper, a lesson in knowing your angles, mothering your husband's fame, and more! This episode contains (mild) language that may be inappropriate for some listeners. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more...

In Episode 2, The Old Movie Lady talks about rumblings of censorship, a boy with a Little Lord Fauntleroy haircut, a doomed love story, and a girl without "it"! All that and more in the second half of 1922! This episode contains very brief mention of death by suicide, and (mild) language that may be inappropriate for some listeners. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.