From Beneath the Hollywood Sign

Airwave Media
  • 4.9 (262)
  • FILM HISTORY
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

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. 2D AGO

    “BETTE vs MIRIAM: WHEN STARS COLLIDED” - 3/30/2026 (133)

    “BETTE vs MIRIAM: WHEN STARS COLLIDED” - 3/30/2026 (133) What would Hollywood be without a good, old fashioned rivalry. It’s well documented that BETTE DAVIS and JOAN CRAWFORD were not exactly besties. But did you know that Davis had another rivalry that was even uglier and more intense? That’s right, the rivalry between Davis and her co-star in The Old Maid (1939) and Old Acquaintance (1943) was one for the ages. Completely different in upbringing, temperament, and acting styles, these two grand dames of the silver screen kept the gossip columnists’ tongues wagging with their petty, mean-spirited one-upmanship. And while Davis ended up the victor in the long run, as she had a longer and more successful career, Hopkins could give as good as she could take. This week, we explore the long-standing feud between these two great divas.  SHOW NOTES:  Sources: Miriam Hopkins: Life and Films of a Hollywood Rebel (2018), by Allan R. Ellenberger; The Lonely Life, An Autobiography (1962), by Bette Davis; This’n That, An Autobiography (1987), by Bette Davis with Michael Herskowitz; “Whatever I Did, I Did: The Obstinate Life of Bette Davis,” November 6, 2020, by Hadley Hall Meares, Vanity Fair; Wikipedia.com; TCM.com; IBDB.com; IMDBPro.com; Oscars.org; Movies Mentioned: The Old Maid (1939), starring Bette Davis, Miriam Hopkins, George Brent, & Jane Bryan; Jezebel (1938), starring Bette Davis, Henry Fonda,. George Brent, & fay Bainter; Dark Victory (1939), starring Bette Davis, George Brent, Geraldine Fitzgerald, Ronald Reagan, & Humphrey Bogart; All This, and Heaven Too (1940), starring Bette Davis, Charles Boyer, Barbara O’Neil, Jeffrey Lynn, & Virginia Weidler; The Private Life of Elizabeth and Essex (1939), starring Bette Davis, Errol Flynn, Olivia de Havilland, Alan Hale, & Vincent Price; We Are Not Alone (1939), starring Paul Muni & Jane Bryan; Virginia City (1940), starring Errol Flynn & Miriam Hopkins; The Little Foxes (1941), starring Bette Davis, Teresa Wright, Herbert Marshall, Patricia Collinge, & Dan Duryea; The Old Acquaintance (1943), starring Bette Davis & Miriam Hopkins; The Heiress (1949), starring Olivia de Havilland, Montgomery Clift, Ralph Richardson, & Miriam Hopkins; The Children’s Hour (1961), starring Shirley MacLaine, Audrey Hepburn, James Garner, Miriam Hopkins, Fay Bainter, Karin Balkin, & Veronica Cartwright; --------------------------------- 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 23

    JAMES WONG HOWE: THE MAN WHO PAINTED WITH LIGHT (132)

    “JAMES WONG HOWE: THE MAN WHO PAINTED WITH LIGHT” - 3/16/2026 (132) Today, we’re going to step behind the camera and shine a spotlight—quite literally—on one of the most brilliant craftsmen Hollywood has ever seen. A man who helped shape the way movies look. If you’ve ever admired the stark black-and-white photography in Hud, the shadowy nighttime streets of Sweet Smell of Success, or the striking boxing scenes in Body and Soul, then you’ve already seen the artistry of cinematographer JAMES WONG HOWE. And whether you realized it or not, you were looking at the work of someone who had a huge influence on the visual language of film. Join us as we examine the life and career of this technical master.  SHOW NOTES:  Sources: James Wong Howe: The Camera Eye (2010), by Alain Silver; “Focusing In On James Wing Howe,” May 31, 2024, TriviaMafia.com; “James Wong Howe: Unsung Hero of Golden Age Hollywood,” April 27, 2022, by Nicholas Rapold, The Financial Times; “James Wong Howe: Master of Lights,” December 14, 2012, by Roger Ebert; RogerEbert.com; “James Wong Howe Dies; Noted Cinematographer,” July 16, 1976, by Robert Hanley, New York Times; Oscars.org Wikipedia.com; TCM.com; IMDBPro.com; Movies Mentioned: Hud (1963), starring Paul Newman, Patricia Neal, and Melvyn Douglas; The Sweet Smell of Success (1957), starring Burt Lancaster, Tony Curtis, & Susan Harrison; Body & Soul (1947)l starring John Garfield, Lilli Palmer, Anne Revere, Hazel Scott, & Canda Lee; Male and Female (1919), starring Gloria Swanson; The Spanish Dancer (1923), starring Pola Negri; Peter Pan (1924); Shanghai Express (1932)l starring Marlene Dietrich & Anna May Wong; Manhattan Melodrama (1934), starring Clark Gable, Myrna Loy, William Powell, & Mickey Rooney; The Thin Man (1934), starring William Powell & Myrna Loy;  Little Lord Fauntleroy (1936), with Freddie Bartholomew; The Prisoner of Zenda (1937), starring Madeleine Carroll & Douglas Fairbanks Jr,;   Algiers (1938), starring Charles Boyer & Hedy Lamarr:   Abe Lincoln in Illinois (1940), with Raymond Massey; Fantasia (1940); The Strawberry Blonde (1941), starring James Cagney, Olivia de Havilland, & Rita Hayworth; King’s Row (1942), starring Ann Sheridan & Ronald Davis;  Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942), starring James Garfield & Joan Leslie; The Hard Way (1943), starring Ida Lupino & Joan Leslie; The North Star (1943), starring Dana Andrews & Anne Baxter; Air Force (1943), with John Garfield; Confidential Agent (1945), starring Charles Boyer & Lauren Bacall;  Nora Prentiss (1947), starring Ann Sheridan:  He Ran All the Way (1951), with John Garfield & Shelley Winters; The Baron of Arizona (1950) starring Vincent Price & Ellen Drew; The Rose Tattoo (1955) starring Anna Magnani, Burt Lancaster & Marisa Pavan; Seconds (1966), starring Rock Hudson; Go, Man, Go (1954), starring Dane Clark & Sidney Poitier; Funny Lady (1975), starring Barbra Streisand; --------------------------------- 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

  3. MAR 15

    "SNUBBED BY THE OSCARS: CLASSIC PERFORMANCES THE ACADEMY IGNORED" (131)

    What does HUMPHREY BOGART in “The Maltese Falcon,” INGRID BERGMAN in “Casablanca” (1942), and GARY GRANT & ROSALIND RUSSELL in “His Girl Friday” (1940), all have in common? They are all iconic screen performances that were not — clutch your pearls! — even nominated for an Academy Award. This week, in our annual Oscar episode, we take a look at some of the classic film performances that were completely ignored by the Academy when it came time to hand out the Oscar statues. Some will shock you, some will anger you, some will leave you scratching your head and wondering, “WHY?” SHOW NOTES:  Sources: Wikipedia.com; TCM.com; IBDB.com; IMDBPro.com; Oscars.org; Movies Mentioned: M (1931), starring Peter Lorre; Picnic (1955) starring William Holden, Kim Novak, Betty Field, Rosalind Russell, Arthur O’Connell, Cliff Robertson, and Susan Strasberg; Shadow of a Doubt (1943), starring Joseph Cotten, Teresa Wright, MacDonald Carey, Patricia Collinge, Henry Travers, & Hume Cronyn; Baby Face (1933), starring Barbara Stanwyck, George Brent, Donald Cook, Theresa Harris, and Margaret Lindsay; White Heat (1949), starring James Cagney, Virginia Mayo, Edmond O’Brien, Steve Cochran, Margaret Wycherly, & Fred Clark; It’s a Wonderful Life (1946), starring James Stewart. Donna Reed, Lionel Barrymore, Henry Travers, Thomas Mitchel, Beulah Bondi, & Gloria Grahame: Night of the Hunter (1955), starring Robert Mitchum, Lillian Gish, Shelley Winters, James Gleason, Billy Chapin, & Sally Jane Bruce; Play Misty For Me (1971), satrring CLint Eastwood, Jessica Walter, Donna Mills, & Don Siegel; Psycho (1960), starring Anthony Perkins, Janet Leigh, Vera Miles, John Gavin, Martin Balsam, & Patricia Hitchock; The Sting (1973), starring Paul Newman, Robert Redford, Robert Shaw, Charles Durning, Ray Walston, Eileen Brennan, Dimitri Arliss, & Harold Gould; --------------------------------- 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

    50 min

  4. MAR 9

    "THE MANY FACES OF ROBERT DUVALL" (130)

    "THE MANY FACES OF ROBERT DUVALL" (130) --------------------------------- 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

    44 min

  5. MAR 2

    “FRANK LOVEJOY: CLASSIC CINEMA STAR OF THE MONTH” (129)

    EPISODE 129 -  “FRANK LOVEJOY: CLASSIC CINEMA STAR OF THE MONTH” - 3/02/2026  I think many people know that one of our favorite films is In a Lonely Place (1950). Directed by NICHOLAS RAY, this film noir is the tragic story of a love affair unraveling at the hands of doubt and distrust. It stars HUMPHREY BOGART and GLORIA GRAHAME in roles that would be career-defining. However, adding quiet strength to the film is FRANK LOVEJOY, who played Brub Nicolai, Bogart’s ex-army buddy turned private investigator. In the film, Lovejoy is not flashy, nor does he attempt to steal scenes, but he is so solid, so decent — he becomes the moral compass and Greek Chorus that helps define the narrative. What was so wonderful about Lovejoy was just how ordinary he was. He was Everyman. Square-jawed, no-nonsense, he looked like your Dad, or your uncle, or your local butcher. He wouldn’t stand out in a crowd, but he brought such humanity and decency to every role he performed. You may not know his name, but you certainly know his face. So this week, we are going to dive into the life and career of FRANK LOVEJOY, an unsung hero of classic cinema, and our Star of the Month SHOW NOTES:  Sources: Wikipedia.com; TCM.com; IBDB.com; IMDBPro.com; Movies Mentioned: Black Bart (1948), starring Yvonne DeCarlo & Dan Duryea; Home of the Brave (1949), starring James Edwards & Lloyd Bridges; In A Lonely Place (1950), starring Humphrey Bogart & Gloria Grahame; South Sea Sinner (1950), starring MacDonald Carey & Shelley Winters; Three Secrets (1950), starring Eleanor Parker, Patricia Neal, and Ruth Roman; Breakthrough (1950), starring John Agar & David Brian;  The Sound of Fury (1950), starring Frank Lovejoy, Kathleen Ryan, & Richard Carlson’ Goodbye My Fancy (1951), starring Joan Crawford & Robert Young; Force of Arms (1951), starring Wiliam Holden & Nancy Olson; I’ll See You In My Dreams (1951), starring Doris Day & Danny Thomas; Starlift (1951), starring Gary Cooper & Doris Day; I Was A Communist For The FBI (1951), starring Frank Lovejoy & Dorothy Hart; Retreat, Hell! (1952), starring Frank Lovejoy & Richard Carlson; The Winning Team (1952), starring Ronald Reagan & Doris Day; The Hitchhiker (1953), starring Frank Lovejoy & Edmond O’Brien; House of Wax (1953), starring Vincent Price & Carolyn Jones; The Charge of Feather River (1953), starring Guy Madison & Vera Miles; The Americano (1955), starring Glenn Ford & Cesar Romero; Strategic Air Command (1955), starring James Stewart & June Allyson; The Finger Man (1955), starring Frank Lovejoy & Forrest Tucker; Shack Out on 101 (1955), starring Frank Lovejoy & Terry Moore; The Crooked Web (1955), starring Frank Lovejoy & Richard Denning; Three Brave Men (1956), starring Ray Milland, Ernest Borgnine, & Frank Lovejoy; --------------------------------- 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

    29 min

  6. FEB 23

    “THE MYSTERIOUS DEATH OF THELMA TODD – A CHAT WITH SANDY ADOMAITIS” - 2/23/2026  (128)

    “THE MYSTERIOUS DEATH OF THELMA TODD – A CHAT WITH SANDY ADOMAITIS” - 2/23/2026  (128) On this week’s riveting episode, we dive into the tragic and mysterious 1935 death of beloved Hollywood comedienne THELMA TODD, weaving together the glamour and shadowy intrigue of early Tinseltown with the unsolved questions that have gripped fans for nearly a century. The conversation is elevated by their guest, SANDY ADOMAITIS — creator of The Writer’s Hangout podcast — whose keen insight, deep research, and passion for storytelling help illuminate both the documented facts and the many enduring theories behind Todd’s final hours. Together they explore the actress’s dazzling rise, her business ventures, the conflicting testimonies surrounding her last night, and the enduring debates over whether her death was a tragic accident or something more sinister, creating a nuanced portrait of a Hollywood legend whose death remains an enduring mystery. SHOW NOTES:  Sources: Testimony of a Death: Thelma Todd - Mystery, Media, and Myth in 1935 Los Angeles (2016), by Marshall Croddy & Patrick Jenning; “An Eternal Hollywood Mystery, Wrapped I’m Mink and Fog, Survives the Fires,” January 30, 2026, by Greer Sinclair, Vanity Fair; “Classic Hollywood’s Greatest Female Comedy Team Still Packs a Punch,” November 23,, 2018, by Donald Liebenson,  “Thelma Todd’s Tragedy: The Forgotten Life of the Original Celebrity Restaurateur,” October 8, 2014, by Hadley Meares, PBS.com; “A Mystery Revisited,” May 29, 2002, by Robert W. Welkos, Los Angeles Times; “Body of Thelma Todd Found in Death Riddle,” Dec. 17, 1935, Los Angeles Times; Wikipedia.com; TCM.com; IBDB.com; IMDBPro.com; --------------------------------- 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

    42 min

  7. FEB 16

    "HOLLYWOOD FIGHTS BACK: THE COMMITTEE FOR THE 1ST AMENDMENT" (127)

    EPISODE 127 -  “HOLLYWOOD FIGHTS BACK: THE COMMITTEE FOR THE FIRST AMENDMENT” - 2/16/2026  On October 1st, a group of entertainment professionals—led by iconic actress and activist JANE FONDA—relaunched the Committee for the First Amendment. They did so in response to what they see as troubling actions by the current government, including renewed efforts to silence critics across government, media, the courts, universities, and the entertainment industry. The group is standing up for free speech and creative expression, believing that the right to criticize, question, protest—and even poke fun at those in power—is central to what America has always aimed to be.This isn’t the first time Hollywood has come together to push back against the federal government for violating the Constitution. Back in 1947, the fear of communism sent the government into a frenzy. In an effort to root out so-called “commies,” officials went after elected leaders, government workers, professors, and artists. Many were blacklisted, harassed, silenced, and even jailed because of their political beliefs. To counter this, a group of actors, writers, producers, and directors formed the Committee for the First Amendment, an advocacy group to fight these Hollywood blacklisting, during what would turn out to be a very dark and shameful chapter in American history. This week, we dive into the Committee for the First Amendment, how it started, what it stood for, and why it’s still relevant today. SHOW NOTES:  Sources: Show Trial: Hollywood HUAC, and the Birth of the Blacklist (2018), by Thomas Doherty; Hollywood on Trial: McCarthyism’s War Against the Movies (2007), by Michael Freeland; Tender Comrades (1997), by Patrick McGilligan & Paul Buhle; Red Scare: The Memories of the American Inquisition (1995), by Griffen Fariello; The Way We Wore (1993), by Marsha Hunt; Witch Hunt: The Revival of Heresy (1950), by Carey McWilliams; “When Hayden Named Names,” May 3, 2023, by Larry Clinton, SausalitoHistoricalSociety.com Wikipedia.com; TCM.com; IBDB.com; IMDBPro.com; --------------------------------- 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

    36 min

  8. FEB 9

    "THE WESTMORE DYNASTY: MAKEUP TO THE STARS AND BEYOND" - (126)

    EPISODE 126 -  “THE WESTMORE DYNASTY: MAKE-UP TO THE STARS AND BEYOND” - 2/09/2026  Hollywood loves dynasties—acting families, directing families, producing families—but one of the most powerful dynasties in film history didn’t appear on screen at all. And it’s one of the rare family dynasties that began in silent films and continues working in film and TV to this very day: THE WESTMORE FAMILY.   The Westmores were the architects of illusion and the sculptors of stardom. From the pioneering vision of GEORGE WESTMORE who laid the foundations of cinematic makeup, to the extraordinary careers of his six sons, this family transformed faces into movie stars and shifted the culture of how women thought of and accepted the use of makeup in every day life.  Their techniques, philosophies, and innovations continue to influence how we see characters on screen today—often without even realizing it.  Join us as we spend time with The Westmore Dynasty: Hollywood’s ‘First Family’ of makeup. SHOW NOTES:  Sources: Makeup Man: From Rocky to Star Trek The Amazing Creations of Hollywood’s Michael Westmore (2017), by Michael Westmore and Jake Page; The Westmores of Hollywood (1976), by Frank Westmore and Murial Davidson; “Putting on a Face for Hollywood,” April 12, 1991, by Carie J. Delmar, Los Angeles Times; “Low-Down on Hollywood Make-up:  Five Brothers and Their Father, Ex-Clevelanders All, Have Film Stars Beating a Path to Their Door,” April 7, 1940, by Inez Wallace, Cleveland Plain Dealer; www.westmoreland.com Wikipedia.com; TCM.com; IBDB.com; IMDBPro.com; Movies Mentioned: In the Sultan's Power (1909); The Three Musketeers (1921); The Sheik (1921); The Sea Beast (1926); The King of Kings (1927); It (1927); Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1931); Cimarron (1931); Scarface (1932); Lady by Choice (1934); Mutiny on the Bounty (1935); Anthony Adverse (1936); Rhythm on the Range (1936); The Life of Emile Zola (1937); Elephant Boy (1937); Jezebel (1938); The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938); Professor Beware (1938); Gone with the Wind (1939); Intermezzo (1939); The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1939); The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex (1939); Rebecca (1940); The Strawberry Blonde (1941); Mr. Peabody and the Mermaid (1948); Creature from the Black Lagoon (1954); The Ten Commandments (1956); The Mountain (1956); My Geisha (1962); Two for the Seesaw (1962); Irma la Douce (1963); Sweet Charity (1969); Two Mules for Sister Sara (1970); There Was a Crooked Man (1970); Soylent Green (1973); The Towering Inferno (1974); Rocky (1976); Being There (1979); Raging Bull (1980); Mask (1985); --------------------------------- 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
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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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