From Beneath the Hollywood Sign Steve Cubine & Nan McNamara

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EPISODE 39 - “Father Knows Best: Classic Cinema's Best (and Worst!) Dads” - 06/10/2024

When you stop to think about the great fathers of classic cinema, Atticus Finch, the mild-mannered Southern lawyer in “To Kill A Mocking Bird” (1962), has to be at the top of the list. But who else would be on that list? And what about the horrible fathers of old Hollywood? As you scramble to find that last minute tie or cologne for dear old Dad for Father’s Day, make sure you check out this week’s episode where Steve and Nan celebrate some of old Hollywood’s most memorable fathers — the good and the bad. 

SHOW NOTES: 

Sources:

“20 Best and Worst Movie Fathers,” June 19, 2020, by David Fear, Rolling Stone.com

“Noah Cross (John Huston) Character Analysis: Mad, Bad, and Dangerous to Know,” 
schmoop.com

Yahoo.com

RogerEbert.com

IMDBPro.com;

Wikipedia.com;

Movies Mentioned: 

How Green Was My Valley (1941), starring
Walter Pidgeon, Maureen O’Hara, Donald Crisp, Patric Knowles, Anna Lee, Roddy McDowell, Sara Allgood, and Barry Fitzgerald;

Bicycle Thieves (1948), starring Vittorio De Sica, Enzo Staiola, and Lianella Carell; 

Splendor in the Grass (1961), starring Natalie Wood, Warren Beatty, Pat Hingle, Audrey Christie, Barbara Loden, Zorah Lampert, Sandy Dennis, and Phyllis Diller;

The Heiress (1949), starring Olivia de Havilland, Montgomery Clift, Ralph Richardson, Miriam Hopkins, Vanessa Brown, and Mona Freeman;

The Swiss Family Robinson (1960), starring John Mills, Dorothy McGuire, James MacArthur, Tommy Kirk, Kevin Corcoran, and Janet Munro;

Shane (1953), starring Alan Ladd, Jean Arthur, Van Helfin, Brandon De Wilde, Jack Palance, Ben Johnson, Edgar Buchanan, Elisha Cook Jr, and Ellen Corby;

Chinatown (1974), starring Jack Nicholson, Faye Dunaway, John Huston, Perry Lopez, Diane Ladd, and John Hillerman;

Rebel Without A Cause (1955), starring James Dean, Natalie Wood, Sal Mineo, Dennis Hopper, Jim Backus, Corey Allen, Ann Doran, Nick Adams, William Hopper, and Edward Platt;

Our Vines Have Tender Grapes (1945), starring Edward G. Robinson, Margaret O’Brien, Agnes Moorhead, James Craig, Jackie “Butch” Jenkins, Frances Gifford, Morris Carnovsky, and Sara Haden;

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EPISODE 38 - “Ruth Roman: Star of the Month (June)” - 06/03/2024

RUTH ROMAN was more than a pretty face; she was a survivor! She survived childhood poverty, the fickle nature of Hollywood, the wrath of Alfred Hitchcock, several marriages, and the sinking of the luxury liner Andrea Doria in 1956. Yes, Roman was a warrior. This week, Roman is our Star of the Month for June. Join us as we take a look at her life and her long and fruitful career, where her versatility kept her working for five decades in great films such as “Good Sam” (1948), “The Window” (1949), “Strangers On A Train” (1951), and “The Far Country” (1954).

SHOW NOTES: 

Sources:

Femme Noir: Bad Girls of Film (1998), by Karen Burroughs Hannsberry;

Ruth Roman: A Career Portrait (2022), by Derek Sculthorpe;

“Stardom Seen for Ruth Roman,” December 11, 1949, by Hedda Hopper, The Los Angeles Times; 

“The Progress of a Rising Star: Ruth Roman,” May 1, 1950, Life Magazine;

“Hollywood Hasn’t Changed Her,” May 17, 1950, by Lloyd L. Sloan, The Hollywood Citizen News;

“Roman Holiday,” August 12, 1950, Look Magazine;

Bachelor Girl Life Liked by Ruth Roman,” August 29, 1950, by Ruth Roman, The Los Angeles Evening Herald;

“The Role I Liked Best,” November 4, 1950, by Ruth Roman, The Saturday Evening Post;

“Ruth Roman Aiming at Film Personality,” November 26, 1950, by John L. Scott, The Los Angeles Times;

“Film Star and Radio Executive Plan No Honeymoon,” December 18, 1950, by Louella Parsons, The LA Examiner;

“Hollywood’s ROMAN Candle,” March 17, 1951, by Gladden Hill, Colliers Magazine;

“6-Pound Boy Born To Ruth Roman,” November 13, 1952, The Hollywood Citizen News;

“Matrimony, Motherhood Revive’s Ruth’s Career,” February 1, 1953, by Edwin Schallert, The Los Angeles Times; 

“Ruth Roman Saves Her Son,3, and Loses Dress,” July 27, 1956, by Ruth Roman, The Hollywood Citizen News;

“Weeping Ruth Roman Reunited With Her Son,” July 28, 1956, The LA Examiner;

“Hall To Leave Ruth Roman for Diana Lynn,” October 9, 1956, by Louella Parsons, The LA Examiner;

“Ruth Roman says ‘I Do’ in Panama,” November 9, 1956, The Los Angeles Times; 

“SeeSaw Star Isn’t Tumbling,” May 13, 1959, by Margaret Harford, The Mirror News;

“Annulment of Marriage Won by Ruth Roman,” August 11, 1961, The Los Angeles Times;

“Ruth Roman Just Unsinkable Star,” October 30, 1963, by Hal Humphrey, The Los Angeles Times;

“Passing Time Has Left Ruth Roman Untouched,” January 10, 1971, by Jim Meyer, The Miami Herald ;

“Ruth Roman,” April 1973, by Don Stance, Film Fan Monthly Magazine; 

“Ruth Roman: The Ride of a New Roman Empire,” January 1986, Los Angeles Magazine;

“Ruth Roman, 75, Glamorous and Wholesome Star, Dies,” September 11, 1999, by William Honan, The New York Times;

IMDBPro.com;

Wikipedia.com;


Movies Mentioned: 

Stage Door Canteen  (1943);

Ladies Courageous (1944);

Since You Went Away (1944);

Song of Nevada (1944);

Jungle Queen (1945);

You Came Along (1945);

Incendiary Blonde (1945);

Gilda (1946);

The Big Clock (1948);

Good Sam (1948);

Belle Starr's Daughter (1948);

The Window (1949);

Champion (1949);

Beyond The Forest (1949);

Always Leave Them Laughing (1949);

Barricade (1950);

Colt .45 (1950);

Three Secrets (1950);

Dallas (1950);

Lightning Strikes Twice (1951);

Strangers On A Train (1951);

Tomorrow Is Another Day (1951);

Invitation (1952);

Mara Mara (1952);

Young Man With Ideas (1952);

Blowing Wild (1953);

The Far Country (1954);

Down Three Dark Streets (1954);

Great Day In The Morning (1956);

Rebel In Town (1956);

5 Steps To Danger (1956);

Bitter Victory (1957);

Desert Desperados (1959);

Love Has Many Faces (1965);

Go Ask Alice (1973);

The Baby (1973);

The Killing Kind (1973);

Impulse (1974);

Day Of The Animals (1977);

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EPISODE 37 - “Memorial Day Movies” - 05/27/2024

War is Hell. As our nation prepares to honor the brave men and women who lost their lives defending our freedom on Memorial Day, Steve and Nan offer up a special episode where they will discuss a few war-themed films that have resonated with them over the years. Their choices cover everything from the Civil War to World War II. 

SHOW NOTES: 

Sources:

100 Great War Movies: The Real History Behind the Films (2018), by Robert J. Niemi;

101 War Movies You Must See Before You Die (2009), by Steven Jay Schneider;

Hollywood War Movies, 1937-1945 (1996), by Michael S. Shull and David Edward Wilt;

IMDBPro.com;

Wikipedia.com;

Movies Mentioned: 

Sergeant York (1941), starring Gary Cooper, Walter Brennan, Joan Leslie, Margaret Wycherly, George Tobias, June Lockhart, Dickie Moore, Ward Bond, and ,Noah Beery, Jr;

Mrs. Miniver (1942), starring Greer Garson, Walter Pidgeon, Teresa Wright, Dame May Witty, Richard Ney, Reginald Owen, and Henry Travers; 

So Proudly We Hail (1943), starring Claudette Colbert, Paulette Goddard, Veronica, Lake, George Reeves, Sonny Tufts, Barbara Britton, Mary Treen, Cora Witherspoon, and Walter Abel;

12 O’Clock High (1949), starring Gregory Peck, Dean Jagger, Millard Mitchell, Gary Merrill, Hugh Marlowe, John Kellogg, Richard Anderson, Robert Patten, and Lawrence Dobbin;

Operation Petticoat (1959), starring Cary Grant, Tony Curtis, Dina Merrill, Joan O’Brien, Arthur O’Connell, Marion Ross, Gavin MacLeod, and Dick Sergeant;

Shenandoah (1965), starring James Stewart, Patrick Wayne, Glenn Corbett, Phillip Alford, Doug McClure, Rosemary Forsythe, Katharine Ross, Harry Carey, Jr, Strother Martin, and George Kennedy;

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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 skills to be a “threat” to bigger stars who become difficult to work with, or get older and less appealing, or refuse to appear in assigned films. Most of the stars groomed as a threat to a bigger star usually faded into obscurity, but others learned to get out of the looming shadow of the big star and carve out a career of their own. So this week, we pay tribute to the stars who got their starts by being groomed to replace another star.

Sources:

Jayne Mansfield: A Biography (1973), by May Mann;

Clark Gable: A Biography (2005), by Warren G. Harris;

Marilyn Monroe: The Private Life of a Public Icon (2018), by Charles Casillo;

Ingrid Bergman: My Story (1980), by Ingrid Bergman;

High Society: The Life of Grace Kelly (2017), by Jay Jorgensen and Manoah Bowman;

IMDBPro.com;

Wikipedia.com;

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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. From the image design to the models used to the roaring lions, we will tell you how these two ever-evolving images came to represent two of Hollywood’s finest movie studios.

SHOW NOTES: 

Sources:

“The Story Behind Columbia Pictures’ Iconic Logo: How Photographer Found Model for 1992 Shoot,” One 8, 2023, by Tommy McArdle, People magazine;

“The Complete History of the Columbia Pictures Logo,” by Rachel Smith, Hatchwise.com;

“The Story of the Most Famous Lion,” April 17, 2107, by Kat Escher, Smithsonian Magazine;

“The Brief History of the MGM Lion,” June 25, 2022, www.silvescreenings.org;

“The MGM Lion,” April 15. 2020, The Vernacular;

IMDBPro.com;

Wikipedia.com;

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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 they discuss the good and bad mothers of classic cinema. 

SHOW NOTES: 

Sources:

Moms in the Movies (2014), by Richard Corliss;

Actresses of a Certain Character (2007), by Axel Nissen;

Irene Dunne: First Lady of Hollywood (2006), by Wes D. Gehring;

Shelley: Also Known as Shirley (1981), by Shelley Winters;

Gene Tierney: Self Portrait (1979), by Gene Tierney and Mickey Herkowitz;

“Mrs. Miniver: The film that Goebbels Feared,” February 9, 2015, by Fiona Macdonald, February 9, 2015, BBC.com; 

"Greer Garson, 92, Actress, Dies; Won Oscar for 'Mrs. Miniver’,” April 7, 1996, by Peter B. Flint, New York Times;

“Stella Dallas,” August 6, 1937, New York Times Film Review;

“Barbara Stanwyck, Actress, Dead at 82,” Jan. 22, 1990, by Peter B. Flint, New York Times;

“1989 Kennedy Center Honors, Claudette Colbert,” Kennedy-Center.org;

“Moving Story of War Against Japan: ‘Three Came Home’,” by Bosley Crowther, Feb. 21, 1950, New York Times Film Review;

“Queen of Diamonds: Angela Lansbury on ‘The Manchurian Candidate’,” 2004;

“Manchurian Candidate: Old Failure, Is Now A Hit,” by Aljean Harmetz, February 24, 1988, New York Times;

“Jo Van Fleet,” by Dan Callahan, May 10, 2017, Film Comment; 

“Pacific’s largely forgotten Oscar winner made impact on screen,” March 3, 2024, 
University of the Pacific;

IMDBPro.com;

Wikipedia.com

Movies Mentioned: 
The Grapes of Wrath (1940), starring Henry Fonda, Jane Darwell, John Carradine, and Charley Grapewin;
The Ox-Bow Incident (1943), starring Henry Fonda, Dana Andrews, Mary Beth Hughes, Henry Morgan, Jane Darwell, Anthony Quinn, and William Eythe;
Mrs. Miniver (1942), starring Greer Garson, Walter Pidgeon, Teresa Wright, Henry Travers, and Richard Ney;
Leave Her To Heaven (1945), starring Gene Tierney, Cornel Wilde, Jeanne Crain, Vincent Price, Mary Phillips, and Darryl Hickman;
The Manchurian Candidate (1962), starring Lawrence Harvey, Frank Sinatra, Janet Leigh, and Angela Lansbury;
The Manchurian Candidate (2004), starring Denzel Washington, Meryl Streep, Live Schreiber, and Jeffrey Wight;
Gaslight (1944), starring Ingrid Bergman, Charles Boyer, Joseph Cotten, and Angela Lansbury;
I Remember Mama (1948), starring Irene Dunne, Philip Dorn, Barbara Bel Geddes, Oscar Homolka, Ellen Corby, Sir Cedric Hardwicke, and Barbara O’Neil;
Stella Dallas (1937), starring Barbara Stanwyck, Anne Shirley, John Boles, Barbara O’Neil, and Alan Hale;
Stella (1990), starring Bette Midler, Trini Alvarado, John Goodman, Stephen Collins, Marsha Mason, and Eileen Brennan;
White Heat (1949), starring James Cagney, Virginia Mayo, Edmond O’Brien, Steve Cochran, Margaret Wycherly, Fred Clark, and John Archer;
The Little Foxes (1941), starring Bette Davis, Herbert Marshall, Teresa Wright, Patricia Collinge, Dan Duryea, and Richard Carlson;
The Ten Commandments (1956), starring Charlton Heston, Anne Baxter, Yul Brynner, Edward G. Robinson, Yvonne DeCarlo, Martha Scott, John Derek, Debra Paget, Vincent Price, and John Carradine;
Three Came Home (1950), starring Claudette Colbert. Sessue Hayakawa, and Patric Knowles; 
A Patch of Blue (1965), starring Sidney Poitier, Elizabeth Hartman, Shelley Winters, Wallace Ford, Ivan Dixon, and Elizabeth Fraser;
East of Eden (1955), starring James Dean, Julie Harris, Raymond Massey, and Jo Van Fleet
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