From Beneath the Hollywood Sign

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From Beneath the Hollywood Sign

If the Golden era of Old Hollywood is your thing, our podcast is for you! If you want TYRONE POWER instead of TOM HARDY, JENNIFER JONES instead of JENNIFER LAWRENCE, or ROBERT MITCHUM rather than ROBERT PATTINSON, then FROM BENEATH THE HOLLYWOOD SIGN is the gin joint for you. Each week, writer and producer STEVE CUBINE and actress and writer NAN MCNAMARA explore, discuss, and dissect the magical, mysterious, amusing, and sometimes bizarre tales of Old Hollywood. So sit back and revisit a time when the pictures were still big and everyone was ready for their close-up.

  1. 23H AGO

    "STRANGE CHARACTERS: WHAT IS FILM NOIR? (PART II)" (079)

    "STRANGE CHARACTERS: WHAT IS FILM NOIR? (PART II)" (079) Welcome to the second episode of our special 3-part series on Film Noir. In this episode, we’ll explore the iconic character types that define the genre—characters who live in the grey areas of morality, driven by desire, deceit, and danger. From the hard-boiled detective to the femme fatale, we’ll unpack the timeless archetypes that give film noir its signature edge. So, grab your trench coat, dim the lights, and join us as we explore the complex, shadowy figures who walk the fine line between good and evil in the world of noir cinema. SHOW NOTES:  Sources: Film Noir (2017), by Alian Silver & James Ursini; Into the Darkness: The Hidden World of Film Noir 1941-1959 (2016), by Mark A. Viera; More than Night: film Noir in Its Contexts (2008), by James Naremore; Dark City: The Lost World of Film Noir (1998), by Eddie Muller; Voices in the Dark: The Narrative Patterns of Film Noir (1989), by J.P. Telotte; Film Noir: An Encyclopedia Reference to the American Style (1979), edited by Alain Silver & Elizabeth Ward; Wikipedia.com; TCM.com; IMDBPro.com; Movies Mentioned:  Born To Kill (1947), starring Lawrence Tierney & Claire Trevor; Murder My Sweet (1944), starring Dick Powell & Claire Trevor; They Drive By Night (1940), starring George Raft & Ann Sheridan; Thieves Highway (1949), starring Richard Conte & Valentina Cortese; Body and Soul (1947), starring John Garfield & Lilli Palmer; The Killers (1946), starring Burt Lancaster & Ava Gardner; The Set-Up (1949), starring Robert Ryan & Audrey Totter;  Act of Violence (1948), starring Van Heflin, Robert Mitchum, Janet Leigh & Mary Astor; In a Lonely Place (1950), starring Humphrey Bogart & Gloria Grahame; Nightmare Alley (1947(, starring Tyrone Power & Coleen Gray; Leave Her To Heaven (1944), starring Gene Tierney, Cornel Wilde & Jeanne Crain; The Lady From Shanghai (1947), starring Orson Welles & Rita Hayworth; Out of the Past (1947), starring Robert Mitchum & Jane Greer; Scarlet Street (1947), starring Edward G. Robinson, Joan Bennett & Dan Duryea; Detour (1945), starring Tom Neal & Ann Savage;  Dead Reckoning (1947), starring Humphrey Bogart & Lizabeth Scott; Criss Cross (1949), starring Burt Lancaster & Yvonne DeCarlo; Gun Crazy (1950), starring John Dall & Peggy Cummins; The Killing (1956), starring Sterling Hayden & Coleen Gray; Impact (1949), starring Brian Donlevy & Ella Raines; Kiss of Death (1947), starring Victor Mature, Richard Widmark & Coleen Gray; Kansas City Confidential (1952), starring John Payne & Coleen Gray; Raw Deal (1948), starring Dennis O’Keefe, Claire Trevor & Marsha Hunt; Phantom Lady (1944), starring Ella Raines & Alan Curtis; They Live By Night (1948), starring Farley Granger & Cathy O’Donnell; Fallen Angel (1945), starring Dana Andrews, Alice Faye & Linda Darnell; White Heat (1949), starring James Cagney, Virginia Mayo & Margaret Wycherly; Night In The City (1950), starring Richard Widmark & Gene Tierney; The Big Combo (1955), starring Cornell Wilde, Jean Wallace, Richard Conte & Helen Walker; Pick Up On South Street (1953), starring Richard Widmark, Jean Peters, & Thelma Ritter; Too Late For Tears (1949), starring Lizabeth Scott & Dan Duryea: The Woman In The Window (1944), starring Edward G. Robinson, Joan Bennett, & Dan Duryea; Manhandled (1949), starring Sterling Hayden, Dorothy Lamour & Dan Duryea; Desert Fury (1947), starring Burt Lancaster & Lizabeth Scott; The Letter (1940), starring Bette Davis, Herbert Marshall, & Gale Sondergaard; --------------------------------- http://www.airwavemedia.com Please contact sales@advertisecast.com if you would like to advertise on our podcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    40 min

  2. MAR 10

    “FILM NOIR: WHAT IS NOIR?” (PART 1) (078)

    EPISODE 78 - “FILM NOIR - Part 1 - WHAT IS NOIR?” - 3/10/2025 Have you ever wondered what exactly is film noir? TCM’s EDDIE MULLER describes it this way: “Film Noir is all about treachery, deceit, and paranoia. You’re never quite sure what is going on, who you can trust, or what dreadful pitfall waits around the corner.” This dark and twisted film genre popped up after WWII as a quiet cynicism began to creep into the national consciousness. In film noir, there is always an underbelly of darkness that comes out to play. And within the darkness, the shadows, and the neon lights, lie many stories of crime, dishonesty, adultery, murder, and mayhem. This week, we present the first in a special three-part series that delves into the darkest of genres where crooked cops, gangsters, torch singers, barflies, and other seedy character’s live, love, and kill. Join us as we discuss Film Noir!  SHOW NOTES:  Sources: Film Noir (2017), by Alian Silver & James Ursini; Into the Darkness: The Hidden World of Film Noir 1941-1959 (2016), by Mark A. Viera; More than Night: film Noir in Its Contexts (2008), by James Naremore; Dark City: The Lost World of Film Noir (1998), by Eddie Muller; Voices in the Dark: The Narrative Patterns of Film Noir (1989), by J.P. Telotte; Film Noir: An Encyclopedia Reference to the American Style (1979), edited by Alain Silver & Elizabeth Ward; Wikipedia.com; TCM.com; IMDBPro.com; Movies Mentioned:  Leave Her To Heaven (1945), starring Gene Tierney, Cornell Wilde, & Jeanne Crain; Desert Fury (1947), starring Burt Lancaster & Lizabeth Scott; Niagara (1953), starring Joseph Cotten, Jean Peters, & Marilyn Monroe; Mildred Pierce (1945), starring Joan Crawford, Ann Blyth, & Zachary Scott; Johnny O'Clock (1947), starring Dick Powell, Evelyn Keyes, & Ellen Drew; Double Indemnity (1944), starring Barbara Stanwyck, Fred MacMurray, & Edward G. Robinson; Strangers On A Train (1951), starring Farley Granger, Robert Walker, & Ruth Roman; The Big Heat (1953), starring Glenn Ford & Gloria Grahame; I Wake Up Screaming (1941), starring Betty Grable, Victor Mature, Carole Landis, & Laird Cregar; Out of the Past (1947), starring Robert Mitchum, Jane Greer, & Kirk Douglas; Phantom Lady (1944), starring Ella Raines, Alan Curtis, & Franchot Tone; The Killers (1946), starring Burt Lancaster & Ava Gardner; The Spiral Staircase (1946), starring Dorothy McGuire, George Brent, & Ethel Barrymore; Suspicion (1941), starring Cary Grant & Joan Fontaine; The Amazing Mr. X (1948), starring Turban Bay, Lynn Bari, Cathy O’Donnell, & Richard Carlson; Two O'Clock Courage (1945), starring Tom Conway & Ann Rutherford; The Letter (1940), starring Bette Davis, Herbert Marshall, & Gale Sondergaard; The Third Man (1949), starring Joseph Cotten, Orson Welles, & Alida Valle; Kiss Me Deadly (1955), starring Ralph Meeker & Cloris Leachman; The Narrow Margin (1952), starring Charles McGraw, Marie Windsor, & Jacqueline White; The Dark Mirror (1946), starring Olivia de Havilland & Lew Ayres; The Woman In The Window (1944), starring Edward G. Robinson, Joan Bennett, & Dan Duryea; The Lady In The Lake (1947), starring Robert Montgomery & Audrey Totter; The Lady From Shanghai (1947), starring Rita Hayworth & Orson Welles; Night of The Hunter (1955), starring Robert Mitchum, Shelley Winters, & Lillian Gish; The Naked City (1948), starring Howard Duff & Barry Fitzgerald; Pick Up On South Street (1953), starring Richard Widmark, Jean Peters, & Thelma Ritter; He Walked By Night (1948), starring Richard Basehart, Scott Brady & Jack Webb; Impact (1949), starring Brian Donlevy, Ella Raines, Charles Coburn, Helen Walker, & Anna May Wong; The Asphalt Jungle (1950), starring Sterling Hayden & Jean Hagen; --------------------------------- http://www.airwavemedia.com Please contact sales@advertisecast.com if you would like to advertise on our podcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    39 min

  3. MAR 3

    "MARY BETH HUGHES - CLASSIC CINEMA STAR OF THE MONTH" (077)

    "MARY BETH HUGHES - CLASSIC CINEMA STAR OF THE MONTH" - 3/03/2025 For those of you who don't know the charms of MARY BETH HUGHES, when she was under contract at MGM, she was dubbed "the poor man's LANA TURNER." It was a rather unfair assessment since MGM gave Lana all the plum roles, and Mary Beth got her hand-me-downs. But still, Mary Beth had great comic chops, and no one played bitchy, hard-boiled blondes as well as she. Despite her beauty and talent, she never managed to get out of B-pictures. She did have small parts in great films like The Women (1939) and The Ox-Bow Incident (1942). She played the good girl as often as she played the bad girl, but when she played bad....you were in for a treat. Her pouty lips, snappy dialogue, and petulant attitude lit up many a lackluster production. This week, we celebrate her as our Star of the Month. SHOW NOTES:  Sources: The Official Mary Beth Hughes Website; “Mary Beth Hughes, Born in Alton, Benign Groomed for Stardom in Movies,” January 4, 1939, Alton Evening Telegraph; “Mary Beth Hughes,” October 1971, by T.P. Turton, Films in Review; “Mary Beth Hughes Stars In A New Shampoo,” December 20, 1976, People Magazine; Mary Beth Hughes: She Never Gave Up,” December 2015, by Dave White, Classic Images; “The Look of Mary Beth Hughes,” June 6, 2019, www.grandoldmovies.com; http://www.briansdriveintheater.com/marybethhughes.html Wikipedia.com; TCM.com; IMDBPro.com; Movies Mentioned:  The Women (1939), starring Norma Shearer, Joan Crawford, & Rosalind Russell; The Ox-Bow Incident (1942), starring Henry Fonda, Harry Morgan, Dana Andrews, MBH, & Anthony Quinn; Broadway Serenade (1939), starring Jeanette MacDonald & Lew Ayres; Dancing Co-Ed (1939), starring Lana Turner & Richard Carlson;  These Glamour Girls (1939), starring Lana Turner & Lew Ayres: Fast and Furious (1939), starring Franchot Tone & Ann Sothern; Free, Blonde & 21 (1940), starring Lynn Bari, MBH, & Joan Davis; Star Dust (1940), starring Linda Darnell & John Payne; Four Sons (1940), starring Don Ameche, Alan Curtis, Eugenia Leontivich, & MBH; Lucky Cisco Kid (1940), starring Cesar Romero, Dana Andrews, & MBH; The Great Profile (1940), staring John Barrymore & MBH; Sleepers West (1941), starring Lloyd Nolan & MBH:  Ride on Vaquero (1941), starring Cesar Romero & MBHs; Charlie Chan In Rio (191410, starring Sidney Toler & MBH; Dressed To Kill (1941), starring Lloyd Nolan & MBH; Design For Scandal (1941), starring Rosalind Russell & Walter Pidgeon; The Cowboy and The Blonde (1941), starring MBH & George Montgomery; Blue, White, and Perfect, (1942), starring Lloyd Nolan & MBH; The Night Before The Divorce (1942), starring Lynn Bari, Joseph Allen, & MBH; Orchestra Wives (1942), starring Ann Rutherford & George Montgomery: Over My Dead Body (1942), starring Milton Berle & MBH; Timber Queen (1944), starring Richard Arlen & MBH; Men On Her Mind (1944), starring MBH; I Accuse My Parents, (1944), starring MBH & Robert Lowell; The Lady Confesses (1945), starring MBH & Hugh Beaumont; The Great Flamarion (1945), starring Erich von Stroheim, MBH, & Dan Duryea; Holiday Rhythm (1950), starring MBH & David Street; Young Man With A Horn (1950), starring Kirk Douglas, Lauren Bacall, & Doris Day; Highway Dragnet (1954), starring Richard Conte & Joan Bennett; Loophole (1955), starring Barry Sullivan, Charles MacGraw, & Dorothy Malone; Gun Battle At Monterey (1957), starring Sterling Hayden & MBH; How's Your Love Life? (1971), starring John Agar, Leslie Brooks, Grant Willians, & MBH; The Working Girls (1974), starring Sarah Kennedy, Laurie Rose, & Cassandra Peterson; --------------------------------- http://www.airwavemedia.com Please contact sales@advertisecast.com if you would like to advertise on our podcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    35 min

  4. FEB 24

    “MEMORABLE OSCAR SPEECHES OF THE GOLDEN ERA OF HOLLYWOOD” (076)

    EPISODE 76 - “MEMORABLE OSCAR SPEECHES OF THE GOLDEN ERA OF HOLLYWOOD” - 2/24/2025 Winning an Oscar is a dream for most people who work in Hollywood. But you can’t just win the Oscar; you must have a good speech once your name is called to the podium. There have been some great ones — OLIVIA COLEMAN’s funny and cheeky speech hit the right tone, and who can forget JACK PALANCE’s one-arm push-ups or CUBA GOODING’s exuberance? There have also been some bad ones — don’t we all still cringe a little at SALLY FIELDS’ “You Like Me” speech? As we prepare to celebrate the 97th annual Academy Award ceremony, Steve and Nan reflect on some of their favorite Oscar speeches and why they resonate. So please put on your tux, don the gown and jewels, pop the champagne, and join us for a fun talk about … well, people talking.   SHOW NOTES:  Sources: “Five Times The Oscars Made History,” January 20, 2017, www.nyfa.edu; “Hollywood History: How World War II Forced the Academy to Rethink the 1942 Oscars,” April 16, 2021, Entertainment Weekly; “Charlie Chaplin vs. America Explores the Accusations that Sent a Star Into Exile,” October 24, 2023, byTerry Gross, www.npr.com; “The Most Memorable Oscar Speeches in Oscar History,” March 6, 2024, by Shannon Carlin, www.time.com;   Wikipedia.com; TCM.com; IMDBPro.com; www.Oscars.org; Movies Mentioned:  Stella Dallas (1938), starring Barbara Stanwyck, John Boles, Anne Shirley, & Alan Hale; Gone With The Wind (1939), starring Vivian Leigh, Clark Gable, Olivia de Havilland, Leslie Howard, Hattie McDaniel, Butterfly McQueen, Thomas Mitchell, & Barbara O’Neil; How Green Was My Valley (1941), starring Walter Pidgeon, Maureen O’Hara, & Donald Crisp; Sergeant York (1941), starring Gary Cooper, Joan Leslie, & Walter Brennan;  The Devil and Miss Jones (1941), staring Jean Arthur Robert Cummings, & Charle Coburn; Here Comes Mr. Jordan (1941), starring Robert Montgomery, Claude Rains, & Evelyn Keyes; Ball of Fire (1942), starring Barbara Stanwyck & Cary Cooper; Double Indemnity (1944), starring Barbara Stanwyck, Fred MacMurray & Edward G Robinson; Key Largo (1948); starring Humphrey Bogart, Lauren Bacall, Edward G Robinson, Claire Trevor, & Lionel Barrymore; All The King’s Men (1948), starring Broderick Crawford, John Ireland, Joanne Dru, & Mercedes McCambridge; Pinky (1949), starring Jeanne Crain, Ethel Waters, Ethel Barrymore, Nina Mae McKinney, & Wiliam Lundigan; Marty (1955); starring Ernest Borgnine. Betsy Blair, Joe Mantell, & Esther Minciotti; The King and I (1956), starring Yul Brenner, Deborah Kerr, Rita Moreno, & Rex Thompson; Elmer Gantry (1960), starring Burt Lancaster, Jean Simmons, Shirley Jones, Arthur Kennedy, Dean Jagger, and Patti Page; West Side Story (1961), Natalie Wood, Richard Beymer, Rita Moreno, George Chikiris, & Russ Tamblyn; Lillies of the Field (1963), starring Sidney Poitier;  In the Heat of the Night (1967)l starring Rod Steiger, Sidney Poitier, & Lee Grant; The Producers (1967), starring Zero Mostel & Gene Wilder; Rosemary’s Baby (1968), starring Mia Farrow, John Cassavetes, Ruth Gordon, & Charles Grodin; Faces (1968), starring Gena Rowlands, Lynn Carlin, Seymour Cassel, & John Farley;  The Heart is a Lonely Hunter (1968), staring Alan Arkin, Sondra Locke, Cecily Tyson, Stacey Keach, & Percy Rodrigues; The Last Picture Show (1971), starring Timothy Bottoms, Jeff Bridges, Cybill Shepherd, Ellen Burstyn, Ben Johnson, Cloris Leachman, & Eileen Brennan; Murder on the Orient Express (1974), starring Albert Finney, Lauren Bacall, Ingrid Bergman, Sean Connery, Martin Balsam, & Jacqueline Bisset; --------------------------------- http://www.airwavemedia.com Please contact sales@advertisecast.com if you would like to advertise on our podcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    45 min

  5. FEB 17

    “MEHAR BABA BRINGS SPIRITUALITY TO OLD HOLLYWOOD” (075)

    EPISODE 75 - “MEHAR BABA BRINGS SPIRITUALITY TO OLD HOLLYWOOD” - 2/17/2025 During the 1920s and 1930s, a spiritual movement swept through Hollywood. It seems the Hollywood elite were about more than just speakeasies, flappers, and decadence. Some were searching for inner-peace and often found it -- at least temporarily -- in these various religious movements that popped up. One spiritual leader who came to prominence was India’s MEHAR BABA, who believed that spirituality and metaphysics were interconnected. Stars like MARY PICKFORD, TALLULAH BANKHEAD, and MARIE DRESSLER were admirers. And when Baba visited Hollywood in May of 1932, you’ll never believe where he stayed! Get enlightened and listen to this fascinating story of spirituality in Hollywood.  SHOW NOTES:  Sources: The God Man (1964), by C.B.Purdom; Mehar Baba, www.meharcenter.org “Mehar Baba: A Brief Biography,” www.avatarmeharbabatrust.org; “Pete Townsend Speaks of Mehar Baba,” www.petetoensend.net; “Mehar Baba: The Compassionate Father,” www.ramdass.org; “Highest of the High: Full Message By Mehar Baba with Introduction,” YouTube,com; Wikipedia.com; Movies Mentioned:  The Devil and the Deep (1932); starring Tallulah Bankhead, Gary Cooper, Charles, Laughton, & Cary Grant; Love Me Tonight (1932), starring Maurice Chevalier, Jeanette MacDonald, Charles Ruggles, & Myrna Loy; Grand Hotel (1932), starring Greta Garbo, John Barrymore, Joan Crawford, Lionel Barrymore, Wallace Beery, & Lewis Stone; --------------------------------- http://www.airwavemedia.com Please contact sales@advertisecast.com if you would like to advertise on our podcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    26 min

  6. FEB 10

    “SWEETHEARTS FROM THE GOLDEN AGE OF HOLLYWOOD" (074)

    EPISODE 74 - “SWEETHEARTS FROM THE GOLDEN AGE OF HOLLYWOOD" 2/10/2025 As Cupid sharpens his arrows, and the candy and greeting card companies prepare to make bank, we celebrate Valentine’s Day. In this episode, we take a loving look at some of Hollywood’s most enduring real-life love stories. From JOEL McCREA and FRANCES DEE to JEAN HARLOW and WILLIAM POWELL, join us as we discuss their lives, films, and, most importantly, their beautiful love stories.  SHOW NOTES:  Sources: Ladies of the Westerns (2015) by Michael C. Fitzgerald and Boyd Magers; Joel McCrea: Ride The High Country (1992), by Tony Thomas: “William Powell: Hollywood Star, Detective Film Icon," Jan. 27, 2025, Britannica,com; Letters From Hollywood: Jean Harlow , January 21, 2023 by David Stenn, TCM.com; The Love Story of Jean Harlow and William Power: Hollywood’s Iconic Couple, Documentary (2023), Youtube.com; “McIntire and Nolan: A Romance Wright In Radio,” June 27, 2022, Travelanche; “12 Times Real Life Couple John McIntire and Jeanette Nolan Played a Couple Onscreen,” July 18, 2022, MeTV.com; “It Took Three Separate Actors To Bring Psycho’s Norma Bates to Life,” November 30, 2022, www.slashfilm.com; “John McIntire and Jeanette Nolan Mix Business With Pleasure,” 2022, by J. Johnson, www.vocal.media/geeks; “John McIntire & Jeanette Nolan: Life Together,” by Jerry Skinner, YouTube.com; “Mary Pickford,” April 5, 2005, American Experience, PBS; “Douglas Fairbanks,” American Experience, PBS; Life and Times of Mary Pickford, Documentary (1998), Youtube.com; Harlow: The Blonde Bombshell, Documentary (1993), directed by Tom McQuade; “William Powell,” The State Historical Society of Missouri, www.missouriencyclopedia.com; Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (Oscars.org): Mary Pickford; “William Powell, Film Star, Dies at 91,”March 6, 1984, by Peter B. Flint, New York Times; “Jeanette Nolan, Spouse Rough it in Montana Wilderness Home,” March 24, 1974, The Indianapolis Star; TCM.com; MaryPickford.org; McCreaRanchFoundation.org; IMDBPro.com; IBDB.com; Wikipedia.com; AcademyMuseum.com Movies Mentioned:  JOEL MCCREA & FRANCES DEE: The Jazz Age  (1929); The Silver Horde (1930); Playboy of Paris (1930); King of the Jungle (1930); An American Tragedy (1931); Caught (1931); Born to Love (1931); Bird of Paradise (1932); The Silver Cord (1933); One Man’s Journey (1933); Little Women (1933); Finishing School (1934); Of Human Bondage (1934); Gambling Lady (1934); Becky Sharp (1935); Barbary Coast (1935); These Three (1936); Come and Get It (1936); The Gay Deception (1936);   Wells Fargo (1937); Dead End (1937); If I Were King (1938); Union Station (1939); Foreign Correspondent (1940); I Walked With A Zombie (1943); Four Faces West (1948); Ride The High Country (1962); JEAN HARLOW & WILLIAM POWELL: Man of the World (1931); Ladies Man (1931); Hell’s Angels (1930); Reckless (1935); Libeled Lady (1936); After The Thin Man (1936); Saratoga (1937); My Man Godfrey (1936); JOHN McINTIRE & JEANETTE NOLAN: The Ramparts We Watch (1940); Northside 777 (1948); MacBeth (1948); Words and Music (1948); River Lady (1948);   Command Decision (1948); Top of The Morning (1949); No Sad Song For Me (1950); The Asphalt Jungle (1950); Winchester ’73 (1950); The Secret of Convict Lake (1951); The Happy Time (1952); The Big Heat (1953); Westward The Women (1951); Apache (1954);  The Far County (1954); Flaming Star (1960);  Summer and Smoke (1961); The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962); Rooster Cogburn (1975); The Rescuers (1978); True Confessions (1981); Cloak and Dagger (1984); Turner and Hooch (1989); The Horse Whisperer (1998); MARY PICKFORD & DOUGLAS FAIRBANKS: *** Please email us for list of Pickford & Fairbanks movies*** --------------------------------- http://www.airwavemedia.com Please contact sales@advertisecast.com if you would like to advertise on our podcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    47 min

  7. FEB 3

    "THE NICHOLAS BROTHERS: CLASSIC CINEMA STARS OF THE MONTH" (073)

    "THE NICHOLAS BROTHERS: CLASSIC CINEMA STARS OF THE MONTH" The Nicholas Brothers, FAYARD and HAROLD, are arguably two of the greatest dancers to ever hit Hollywood. Born to musician parents, they learned their craft working the vaudeville scene and appearing at the famous Cotton Club during the Harlem Renaissance before landing in Hollywood. In Tinseltown, they made movie magic dancing in some of Hollywood’s biggest musicals. The brothers mixed tap dancing with acrobatics to perfect thrilling routines that we’re still in awe of today. They also had to endure the limits put upon them by the racism of the day. Join us this week as we celebrate these two dance icons, our Stars of the Month.  SHOW NOTES:  Sources: Brotherhood in Rhythm: The Tap Dancing of the Nicholas Brothers (2002), by Constance Valis Hill; Dorothy Dandridge: An Intimate Biography (1970), by Earl Mills; “The Nicholas Brothers, Fayard and Harold: Tap Dance Legends,” February 17, 2024, Dance Mogul magazine; “The Incredible Nicholas Brothers: A Classic Hollywood Black Dance Duo Everyone Should Be Obsessed With,” October 30, 2022, by Maureen Lee Lenker, Entertainment Weekly; “The Nicholas Brothers: Every Generations Dance Heroes,” February 17, 2020, by Najja Parker, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution; “Celebrating The Nicholas Brothers,” September 16, 2011, by Daniel Eagan, Smithsonian magazine; www.nicholasbrothers.com TCM.com; IMDBPro.com; IBDB.com; Wikipedia.com; AcademyMuseum.com Movies Mentioned:  Pie Pie Blackbird  (1932) - starring Nina Mae McKinney & The Nicholas Brothers; Stoopnocracy (1933), starring Budd Hulick & Harold Nicholas; The Emperor Jones (1933), starring Paul Robeson & Harold Nicholas; Kid Millions (1934), starring Eddie Cantor, Ann Sothern, & Ethel Merman; Jealousy (1934), starring Nancy Kelly & George Murphy; The Big Broadcast of 1936 (1935), starring Jack Oakie, George Burns, Gracie Allen, Bing Crosby, & Ethel Merman; Coronado (1935), starring Johnny Downs; My American Wife (1936), starring Francis Lederer & Ann Sothern; Don’t Gamble with Love (1936) starring Ann Sothern; Babes in Arms (1937), starring Mickey Rooney & Judy Garland; Down Argentine Way (1940), starring Betty Grable, Don Ameche, Carmen Miranda, & Charlotte, Greenwood; Tin Pan Alley (1940), starring Betty Grable, Alice Faye, Jack Oakie, & John Payne; The Great American Broadcast (1941), starring Alice Faye & John Payne; Sun Valley Serenade (1941), starring Sonja Henie & John Payne;\ Orchestra Wives (1942), starring George Montgomery & Ann Rutherford; Stormy Weather (1943), starring Lena Horne; Reckless Age (1944), starring Gloria Jean & Harold Nicholas; Carolina Blues (1944), starring Kay Kyser & Ann Miller; The Pirate (1948), starring Judy Garland & Gene Kelly; Botta e Riposta (1950); El Mensaje le la Muerte (1953); Musik I’m Blut (1955); L'Empire de la Nuit (1964); The Liberation of L.B. Jones (1970), starring Lee J. Cobb, Roscoe Lee Brown, & Fayard Nicholas; Uptown Saturday Night (1974), starring Sidney Poitier, Bill Cosby, Richard Pryor, Flip Wilson, Harry Belafonte, & Harold Nicholas That’s Entertainment! (1974); That’s Dancing (1985); Tap (1989); --------------------------------- http://www.airwavemedia.com Please contact sales@advertisecast.com if you would like to advertise on our podcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    32 min

  8. JAN 27

    "AUTHOR AND JOURNALIST MAUREEN LEE LENKER'S FRESH TAKE ON CLASSIC CINEMA” (072)

    EPISODE 72 - “CHATTING CLASSIC CINEMA WITH JOURNALIST MAUREEN LENKER” - 1/27/2025 In this week’s episode, Steve and Nan welcome award-winning journalist MAUREEN LENKER. Maureen, who is currently a Senior Writer for Entertainment Weekly, has a deep passion and knowledge of classic cinema and has made 1930s Hollywood the setting for her new novel, “His Girl Hollywood.” Join us as Maureen discusses her career, her passion for cinema, her most inspirational classic films, and all the tea about her new novel. SHOW NOTES:  Sources: It Happened One Fight (2023), by Maureen Lee Lenker; His Girl Hollywood (2025), by Maureen Lee Lenker; TCM.com; IMDBPro.com; IBDB.com; Wikipedia.com; Movies Mentioned:  Swing Time (1936) - starring Fred Astaire & Ginger Rogers; Gone with the Wind (1939), starring Vivien Leigh, Clark Gable, Olivia de Havilland, Leslie Howard, & Hattie McDaniel; His Girl Friday (1940), starring Rosalind Russell, Cary Grant, Ralph Bellamy, Gene Lockhart, Helen Mack, & John Qualen; The Philadelphia Story (1940), starring Katharine Hepburn, Cary Grant, James Stewart, Ruth Hussey, Virginia Weidler, Mary Nash, John Howard, & Roland Young; Casablanca (1942), starring Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman, Paul Henreid, Claude Rains, Peter Lorre, Sydney Greenstreet, & Dooley Wilson; The Heiress (1949), starring Olivia de Havilland, Montgomery Clift, Ralph Richardson, & Miriam Hopkins; Outrage (1950). Starring Mala Powers, Tod Andrews, Robert Clarke, Lillian Hamilton, & Rita Lupino; Singing in the Rain (1952), starting Gene Kelly, Debbie Reynolds, Donald O’Connor, Jean Hagan, Rita Moreno, Cyd Charisse, & Millard Mitchell; West Side Story (1952), starring Natalie Wood, Richard Beymer, Rita Moreno, George Chakiras, & Russ Tamblyn; The Quiet Man (1952), starring John Wayne, Maureen O’Hara, Mildred Natwick, Barry Fitzgerald, & Patrick McLaglen; White Christmas (1954), starring Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye, Rosemary Clooney, Vera Ellen, Dean Jagger, Mary Wickes, & Anne Whitfield; It’s Always Fair Weather (1955), starring Gene Kelly, Cyd Charisse, Dan Dailey, Michalre Kidd, & Delores Gray; Mary Poppins (1964), starring Julie Andrews, Dick Van Dyke, David Tomlinson, & Glynis Johns; The Sound of Music (1965), starring Julie Andrews, Christopher Plummer, Eleanor Parker, Chairman Carr, Richard Haydn, & Peggy Wood; Then Princess Bride (1987), starring Cary Elwes, Robin Wright, Billy Crystal, Mandy Patinkin, & Wallace Shawn; --------------------------------- http://www.airwavemedia.com Please contact sales@advertisecast.com if you would like to advertise on our podcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    38 min
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If the Golden era of Old Hollywood is your thing, our podcast is for you! If you want TYRONE POWER instead of TOM HARDY, JENNIFER JONES instead of JENNIFER LAWRENCE, or ROBERT MITCHUM rather than ROBERT PATTINSON, then FROM BENEATH THE HOLLYWOOD SIGN is the gin joint for you. Each week, writer and producer STEVE CUBINE and actress and writer NAN MCNAMARA explore, discuss, and dissect the magical, mysterious, amusing, and sometimes bizarre tales of Old Hollywood. So sit back and revisit a time when the pictures were still big and everyone was ready for their close-up.

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