Forgotten Hollywood

Episode 231- Heidi Honeycutt & Her Book,"I Spit On Your Celluloid"

In this episode, I discuss Heidi Honeycutt and her book "I Spit On Your Celluloid: The History of Women Directing Horror Movies". From the first silent reels to modern independent films, in this book, you’ll discover the creepy, horrible, grotesque, beautiful, wrong, good, and fantastic — and the one thing they share in common. This is the true history of women directing horror movies.

Episode 230- James Bond with author Thom Shubilla

In this episode, I spoke with author Thom Shubilla about his latest book " James Bond and the Sixties Spy Craze".  James Bond the the 60s Spy Craze will explore James Bond films and the number of movies and television shows of the 1960s inspired by Ian Fleming’s character. The book also delves into the production, casting, merchandise, and music that helped to make James Bond a household name and a cultural touchstone.

Episode 229- Describing Cinema with Author/Professor Timothy Corrigan

In this episode, I discuss with Professor Timothy Corrigan his latest book "Describing Cinema". In Describing Cinema, award-winning film scholar Timothy Corrigan explores the art and poetics of writing about film. Part theory, part rhetoric, and part pedagogy, the text examines and demonstrates acts of describing scenes, shots, and sequences in films as the most common and most underestimated way viewers respond to movies.

Episode 228- Marlon Brando Hollywood Rebel with author Burt Kearns

In this episode, I spoke with author Burt Kearns on his recent book "Marlon Brando Hollywood Rebel. Over the last eighty years, Marlon Brando has become such an object of fascination, buried under so many accreted layers of mythos and half-truth, that it is all but impossible to see the man behind the icon. As we approach the centennial of this undisputed American legend, Marlon Brando: Hollywood Rebel isa revelatory biography that tells its story the same way the man himself approached a rol...

Episode 227-Double Indemnity w/ Authors Alain Silver and James Ursini

In this episode, I spoke with the authors Alain Silver and James Ursini about their book "From the Moment They Met It Was Murder: Double Indemnity and the Rise of Film Noir'. The behind-the-scenes story of the quintessential film noir and cult classic, Billy Wilder’s Double Indemnity—its true crime origins and crucial impact on film history—is told for the first time in this riveting narrative published for the film's 80th anniversary.

Episode 226- Hollywood Remaking w/Kathleen Loock

In this episode, I spoke with Kathleen Loock regarding her book "Hollywood Remaking: How Film Remakes, Sequels, and Franchises Shape Industry and Culture".From the inception of cinema to today’s franchise era, remaking has always been a motor of ongoing film production. Hollywood Remaking challenges the categorical dismissal in film criticism of remakes, sequels, and franchises by probing what these formats really do when they revisit familiar stories.

Episode 225 "There Are No Hispanic Stars! Collected Writing Of A Latino Film Critic In Hollywood, 1921-1939.

In this episode, I spoke with authors Colin Gunckel and Laura Isabel Serna about their book "There Are No Hispanic Stars! Collected Writing Of A Latino Film Critic In Hollywood, 1921-1939. In the 1920s and 1930s a uniquely Mexican American entertainment culture flourished across the southwestern United States. Spanish-language newspapers offered theater listings, coverage of favorite performers, cultural criticism, and serialized novels that thematized entertainment culture. Gabriel Navarro w...

Episode 224- Jackie Cooper

In this episode, we look at the career of Jackie Cooper.  Doug Hess is the host! 

Episode 223- "Cocktails with George and Martha" with Phillip Gefter

In this episode, I spoke with author Phillip Gefter about the book "Cocktails with George and Martha: Movies, Marriage, and the Making of Who's Afraid of Virginia Wolf?" From its debut in 1962, Edward Albee's Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? was a wild success and a cultural lightning rod. The play transpires over one long, boozy night, laying bare the lies, compromises, and scalding love that have sustained a middle-aged couple through decades of marriage. 

Episode 222- Ronald Colman

In this episode, I discuss a "Forgotten Hollywood" Oscar winner, Ronald Colman. Doug Hess is the host! 

Episode 221-Marsha Hunt

In this episode, I discuss the life of actress Marsha Hunt.

Episode 220- Joan Blondell

In this episode, we discuss the life of actress Joan Blondell.

Episode 219 The Greatest Westerns Ever Made and the People Who Made Them

In this episode, i spoke with author Henry Parke about his book “The Greatest Westerns Ever Made and the People Who Made Them”. The Greatest Westerns Ever Made and the People Who Made Them provides an eclectic review of the Western film and television genre, from John Ford’s classic, black and white films, to Deadwood and indie darlings. Doug Hess is the host!

Episode 218 - The Biggest Thing in Show Business

In this episode, I spoke with authors Matthew Solomon and Murray Pomerance we discussed "The Biggest Thing in Show Business: Living It Up With Martin and Lewis". From 1946 to 1956, Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis provoked audiences into rollicking laughter as they shook up and delighted a culture they both mediated and made fun of. Using the duo's phenomenal popularity as a starting point, The Biggest Thing in Show Business looks askance at postwar America with a fast-moving sweep, jam-packed wit...

Episode 217- Happy 3rd Anniversary Forgotten Hollywood

It's the 3rd anniversary of the HIT podcast on JLJ Media! James Lott Jr and Doug Hess celebrate! Thank you to all the guests, PR persons, and listeners!

Episode 216- Brian Clune and his book Ghost and Legends of Hollywood

In this episode, I spoke with author Brian Clune and his book "Ghost and Legends of Hollywood". Hollywood is supposed to be the place where dreams come true, but it's also where nightmares come to life. Spirits haunt the halls of renowned studios, legendary cafes, and lavish estates, while rumors of curses lurk in the shadows of the rich and famous. It's said that stars like James Dean, Carrie Fisher, and Prince once predicted their own deaths, while slain screenwriter Paul Bern tried in vain...

Episode 215- Dave Karger 50 Oscar Nights

In this episode I discuss with Dave Karger (a host with TCM's) his book "50 Oscar Nights: Iconic Stars and Filmmakers On Their Career-Defining Wins".An exclusive look behind the scenes of the Academy Awards as top stars and filmmakers discuss their Oscar wins and tell never-before-told tales of Hollywood's biggest night, in a collection of original interviews with Turner Classic Movies host and entertainment media journalist Dave Karger.

Episode 214- E.J. Stephen book Legends of Westwood Village Cemetery

In this episode I discuss with author E. J. Stephen his book "Legends of Westwood Village Cemetery". Westwood Memorial Park Cemetery, located on Los Angeles's trendy west side, has been the leading choice for celebrity burials since Marilyn Monroe was interred here in 1962. The cemetery houses the remains of a plethora of household names, including Patty Andrews, Eve Arden, Lew Ayres, Jim Backus, Richard Basehart, Peter Bogdanovich, Ray Bradbury, Fanny Brice, Les Brown, Truman Capote, John Ca...

Episode 213- Marc Wanamker and his book Hollywood on the Santa Monica Beach

In this episode, I spoke with author Marc Wanamaker and his book "Hollywood on the Santa Monica Beach". Since pioneer filmmakers arrived on its shoreline in the early 20th century, the Santa Monica beach has been a popular location for the making of movies and television productions. Its enchanting beauty led studio moguls, producers, and celebrities to build beach houses there, creating what became known as "Hollywood's Playground." The sand and shore of the Santa Monica beach became a favor...

Episode 212-Will Geer

In this episode, I discuss the life and career of Will Geer. He is best-known role was his last, Zebulon Walton, grandpa in the long-running television series The Waltons. Doug Hess is the host!

Episode 211 Author Anthony Uzarowski about his book on Jessica Lange

In this episode, I spoke with author Anthony Uzarowski about his book "Jessica Lange: An Adventurer's Heart". Brilliant, beautiful, driven, uncompromising, elusive, iconic―Jessica Lange is one of the most gifted and fascinating actors of her generation. From her rise to fame in Dino De Laurentiis's remake of King Kong (1976) and her Oscar-winning performances in Tootsie (1982) and Blue Sky (1994); to her Emmy-winning work in Grey Gardens (2009) and the American Horror Story series; and her To...

Episode 210 - Tom Neal

In this episode, I discuss the career of Tom Neal.Thomas Carroll Neal Jr. (January 28, 1914 – August 7, 1972) was an American actor and successful amateur boxer best known for his co-starring role in the critically lauded film Detour, for having a widely publicized affair with actress Barbara Payton, and for later being convicted and imprisoned for involuntary manslaughter. Doug Hess is the host.

Episode 209- Danny Kaye with Warren Croom and Liz Caputa

In this episode, we discuss Danny Kaye with Warren Croom and Liz Caputa who runs the Facebook page Danny Kaye King of Jesters. Please make sure to check out their website.

Episode 208- Design Hollywood by Christian Esquevin

In this episode, I discuss with author Christian Esquevin this latest book "Designing Hollywood".Since the 1920s, fashion has played a central role in Hollywood. As the movie-going population consisted largely of women, studios made a concerted effort to attract a female audience by foregrounding fashion.

Episode 207- Double Solitaire by Donald Brackett

In this episode, I discuss with author Donal Brackett his book "Double Solitaire: The Films of Charles Brackett and Billy Wilder". Before Hitchcock and Herrmann, before Herzog and Kinski, there was Charles Brackett and Billy Wilder. Despite their shared nickname, writer-producer Charles Brackett and writer-director Billy Wilder were not, in fact, the “happiest couple in Hollywood.”

Episode 206- Primetime 1966-1967

In this episode, I spoke with Tom Shubilla about his book "Primetime 1966-1967 The Full Spectrum of Television's 1ist All-Color Season". The year 1966 was when many TV viewers all over America discovered the wonders of "in living color." The 1966-1967 primetime television lineup was remarkable not only for the legendary shows that aired but also because it was the first season in which every show on primetime, across all three major networks, was broadcast entirely in color.

Episode 205-Maria Cooper Janis (Gary Cooper's daughter)

In this episode, I spoke with Gary Cooper's daughter, Maria Cooper Janis, about her father and the book she provided family photos for "Gary Cooper Enduring Style". Maria also discussed a film that she thinks is under appreciated and that is "The Hanging Tree". Check it out!

Episode 204 Gary Cooper Enduring Style

In this episode, I discuss with author G. Bruse Boyer his book "Gary Cooper Enduring Style". Few things are truly timeless. Martinis, The Beatles, bespoke tweed…and, of course, Gary Cooper. Perhaps the nonpareil of Golden Age Hollywood's gentlemen, Gary Cooper was a beloved icon of manliness and style in his prime—and has aged like fine wine. He is the definition of classic.

Episode 203 Dennis O'Keefe

In this episode, we discuss the film life of Dennis O'Keefe. Dennis was a tall, cheerful, outdoorsy leading man of Hollywood B movies who started in show business as an infant accompanying his vaudevillian parents on the stage. In his teens, Dennis started to write film scripts while attending college.

Episode 202 Dennis Morgan

In this episode, I discuss the life of Dennis Morgan. Many of you may remember his performance as seaman "Jefferson Jones", with Barbara Stanwyck in Christmas in Connecticut (1945).

Episode 201 Sam Wasson book on Francis Ford Coppola

In this episode, I spoke with the author Sam Wasson on his book regarding Francis Ford Coppola titled "The Path to Paradise: A Francis Ford Coppola". story. Francis Ford Coppola is one of the great American dreamers, and his most magnificent dream is American Zoetrope, the production company he founded in San Francisco years before his gargantuan success when he was only thirty. Through Zoetrope’s experimental, communal utopia, Coppola attempted to reimagine the entire pursuit of moviemaking

Episode 200- Happy 200 Episodes!

A special message to commemorate this occassion!

Episode 199 Nathan Monley, Authorof Disney's British Gentleman

Episode 198- Charles Boyer

In this episode I look at the life of actor Charles Boyer.

Episode 197- WIlliam Tracy

In this episode, we discuss the career of actor William Tracy. Grab our Forgotten Hollywood Book Series: Business Movies and Christmas Movies! Both available on Amazon!

Episode 196 Sara Haden

In this episode discuss the film career of Sara Haden.

Epiosde 195 - Marjorie Main

In this episode I discuss the life of Marjorie Main "Ma Kettle".

Episode 194 Evelyn Ankers

In this episode I discuss the life of Evelyn Ankers. Many will remember her for playing opposite Lon Chaney, Jr. in five films. The Wolf Man (1941), The Ghost of Frankenstein (1942), Son of Dracula (1943), Weird Woman (1944) and The Frozen Ghost (1945).

Episode 193 Porter Hall

In this episode, I discuss the life of character actor Clifford Porter Hall. Doug Hess is the host!

Episode 192 author Robert Dance and his book "Ferocious Ambition"

In this episode I spoke with author Robert Dance and his book "Ferocious Ambition: Joan Crawford's March to Stardom". Robert Dance’s new evaluation of Joan Crawford looks at her entire career and―while not ignoring her early years and tempestuous personal life―focuses squarely on her achievements as an actress, and as a woman who mastered the studio system with a rare combination of grit, determination, beauty, and talent.

Episode 191 -Mark A Vieira on his book "George Hurrall's Hollywood"

In this episode, I spoke with author Mark A Vieira on his book "George Hurrall's Hollywood: Glamour Portraits 1925-1992". George Hurrell was called the “Rembrandt of Hollywood.” Before his arrival, movie star portraits were “soft focus” and undistinguished, derivative of the Main Street USA portrait salon. Hurrell instituted a sharp, dramatic look. The vibrant, temperamental artist was an original, loved by the subjects he glamorized. For these performers, a Hurrell portrait was the passport ...

Episode 190 author Laurence Leamer "Hitchcock's Blondes"

In this episode, I spoke with author Laurence Leamer "Hitchcock's Blondes: The Unforgettable Women Behind the Legendary Director's Dark Obsession". Alfred Hitchcock was fixated—not just on the dark, twisty stories that became his hallmark, but also by the blond actresses who starred in many of his iconic movies. The director of North by Northwest, Rear Window, and other classic films didn’t much care if they wore wigs, got their hair coloring out of a bottle, or were the rarest human specimen...

Episode 189- Author Scott Ryan On His book "Moonlighting An Oral History"

In this episode, I spoke with author Scott Ryan on his book "Moonlighting: An Oral History". Once upon a time ABC-TV’s Moonlighting was among the most buzzed-about shows in the country, thanks largely to the bravado of creator Glenn Gordon Caron, who never met a television convention he didn’t want to break, and the sizzling on-screen chemistry between glamorous erstwhile film star Cybill Shepherd and a New Jersey bartender nobody had ever heard of before named Bruce Willis, who bickered and ...

Episode 188 Author Scott Eyman and His Book "Charlie Chaplin vs America"

In this episode, I spoke with author Scott Eyman on his book "Charlie Chaplin vs. America: When Art, Sex, and Politics Collided". The remarkable, must-read story of Charlie Chaplin’s years of exile from the United States during the postwar Red Scare, and how it ruined his film career

Episode 187-Still Laughing with George Schlatter

In this episode, I spoke with George Schlatter about his boo " Still Laughing A Life in Comedy From The Creator Of Laugh-In". In 1967, producer George Schlatter pitched an idea for a quirky new television show: one inspired by the hippie counterculture, which would take the idea of sit-ins, love-ins, and be-ins, and manifest that politicized, sexualized, consciousness-raising energy into pure comedy. Much to the surprise of NBC executives, Laugh-In soon became the #1 show on American TV, and ...

Episode 186 Author Nat Segaloff and His Book "Say Hello To My Little Friend "

In this episode I spoke with Episode 186 author Nat Segaloff and his book "Say Hello To My Little Friend: A Century Of Scarface". Celebrating the 40th anniversary of Scarface starring Al Pacino—Brian DePalma’s 1983 gangster film that shook the world, shocked the critics, and shot bullet holes through the American Dream—this explosive Hollywood tell-all charts not only the phenomenon of this controversial classic but also the equally controversial legacy of the original 1932 Scarface that insp...

Episode 185 - Author Dale Sherman & His Book The Worst We Can Find

In this episode, I spoke with author Dale Sherman on his book "The Worst We Can Find: MST3K, Rifftrax, And The History of Heckling At The Movies". Had you tuned in to the small television station KTMA on Thanksgiving Day, 1988, you would have been one of the few witnesses to pop culture history being made. On that day, viewers in and around St. Paul, Minnesota, were treated to a genuine oddity, in which a man and his robots, trapped within a defiantly DIY sci-fi set, cracked jokes while watch...

Episode 184 - Author Actor Nick Santa Maria

In this episode, I spoke with author/actor Nick Santa Maria about his book "The Annotated Abbott and Costello: A Complete Viewer's Guide to the Comedy Team and Their 38 Films". Abbott and Costello were the most popular comedians of the 1940s, with burlesque-inspired routines that enthralled audiences on both radio and television. Oddly, their films have not received the same level of attention from critics and writers as those of other comedy teams.This book is a scene-by-scene, film-by-fil...

Episode 183- Starmaker with Author Milan Hain

In this episode, I spoke with author Milan Hain about his latest book "Starmaker: David O. Selznick and the Production of Stars in the Hollywood Studio System". David O. Selznick (1902–1965) was one of the most prominent film producers of the Hollywood studio era, responsible for such artistic and commercial triumphs as King Kong, David Copperfield, Anna Karenina, A Star Is Born, Gone with the Wind, Rebecca, Spellbound, and The Third Man. However, film production was not his only domain. Star...

Episode 182 - "Movie Made Los Angeles" with Author John Trafton

Episode 182 - author John Trafton talking about his book Movie Made Los Angeles In this episode, I spoke with author John Trafton talking about his book "Movie Made Los Angeles". Los Angeles was a cinematic city long before the rise of Hollywood. By the dawn of the twentieth century, photography, painting, and tourist promotion in Southern California provided early filmmakers with a template for building a myth-making business and envisioning ideal moviegoers. The book will be out on Octob...