From Beneath the Hollywood Sign

12/09/2024 EPISODE 65 - "CLASSIC HOLIDAY FILMS: FUN BEHIND THE SCENES FACTS" We all know the iconic Holiday movies like “A Christmas Carol,” “It’s A Wonderful Life,” “White Christmas.” This week, Nan and Steve go behind the scenes of some of your favorite classic holiday movies and dig up some fun facts about these films that you may or may not know. We talk about the snow, the casting, the locations, and a lot more! Join in the fun as they conjure up holiday cheer with these great films. SHOW NOTES:  Sources: Christmas in The Movies (2023), by Jeremy Arnold; Christmas In Classic Films (2022), by Jacqueline T. Lynch; The Many Cinemas of Michael Curtiz (2018), edited by R. Barfton Palmer & Murray Pomerance; Have Yourself a Movie Little Christmas (2010), by Alonso Duaralde; Ginger: My Story (2008), by Ginger Rogers; Christmas At The Movies: Images of Christmas in American, British, and European Cinema (2000), edited by Mark Connelly; It’s Christmas Time At The Movies (1998), by Gary J & Susan Svehla; AMC American Movie Classics: Greatest Christmas Movies (1998), by Frank Thompson; The ‘It’s A Wonderful Life’ Book (1986), by Jeanine Basinger; Great Movie Directors (1986), by Ted Sennett; The Films of Frank Capra (1977), by Victor Scherle & Wiliam Turner Levy; "35 Surprising ‘White Christmas’ Movie Facts About the Cast, Songs & More,” October 31, 2024, Good Housekeeping; “A Short History of Fake Snow In Holiday Movies: From ‘It’s A Wonderful Life’ to Harry Potter,” December 15, 2021, LAist.com; “The Song That Changed Christmas,”October 5, 2016, by Will Friedwald, Wall Street Journal; “It’s A Wonderful Life: Rare Photos From the Set of a Holiday Classic,” November 26, 2013, by Ben Cosgrove, Time magazine; “On A Wing and a Prayer,” December 23, 2006, by Stephen Cox, LA Times; “Whose Life Was It, Anyway?” December 15, 1996, by Steven Smith, LA Times; “White Christmas: Rosemary Clooney Remembers Everyone’s Favorite Christmas Musical,” December 1994, by Frank Thompson, Pulse! Magazine; “Less Than Wonderful: James Walcott Reassesses Capra’s Christmas Classic,” December 1986, Vanity Fair; “Capra’s Christmas Classic: Yes, Virginia, It’s A Wonderful Life,” December 1986, by Trea Hoving, Connoisseur; “All I Want For Christmas is a VCR,” December 24, 1985, L.A. Herald-Examiner; “Bing, Astaire Bow Out, Par Recasting ‘Xmas’,”January 7, 1953, Variety; “Bing Bobs Back into ‘Christmas’ Cast at Par,” January 22, 1953, Variety,  “White Christmas: From Pop Tune to Picture,” October 18, 1953, by Thomas Wood, New York Times; “Around the Sets,” August 13, 1944, L.A. Examiner; TCM.com; IMDBPro.com; Movies Mentioned:  A Christmas Carol (1938), starring Reginald Owen, Gene Lockhart, Kathleen Lockhart, Leo G. Carroll, June Lockhart, Terry Kilburn, Barry McKay, and Lynne Carver; Christmas In Connecticut (1945), starring Barbara Stanwyck, Dennis Morgan, Sydney Greenstreet, S.Z. Sakall, Reginald Gardiner, Robert Shayne, and Una O’Connor; It’s A Wonderful Life (1947), starring Jimmy Stewart, Donna Reed, Lionel Barrymore, Henry Travers, Thomas Mitchell, Beulah Bondi, Gloria Grahame, Frank Faylen, Ward Bond, H.B. Warner, Frank Albertson, Samuel S, Hind, Mary Treen, Todd Karnes, Virginia Patton, Sarah Edwards, Sheldon Leonard, and Lillian Randolph; White Christmas (1954), starring Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye, Rosemary Clooney, Vera-Ellen, Dean Jagger, Anne Whitfield, and Mary Wickes; --------------------------------- http://www.airwavemedia.com Please contact [email protected] if you would like to advertise on our podcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

"BOBBY DRISCOLL: CLASSIC CINEMA STAR OF THE MONTH" EPISODE 64 - “BOBBY DRISCOLL - STAR OF THE MONTH” - 12/02/2024  BOBBY DRISCOLL's name may not be too familiar anymore, but in his heyday, he was the male equivalent of NATALIE WOOD. He was one of the most talented and prolific child stars of the 1940s and 1950s. His descent into darkness should serve as a cautionary tale to all of the stage mothers out there who think their kids will be the next big thing. Sometimes, there is a price to pay for fame, and it ain't always pretty. Join us as we discuss the tragic life of child star Bobby Driscoll. SHOW NOTES:  Sources: Great Child Stars (1976), by James Robert Parish; “Bobby Driscoll, Dope Suspect," July 11, 1956, Los Angeles Examiner; “Bobby Driscoll Arrested in Bean Shooting Row,” August 23, 1956, Los Angeles Times; “Actor Bob Driscoll Arrested As Addict,” October 29, 1959, Mirror News; “Actor Freed of Charges on Narcotics,” December 12, 1959, Los Angeles Times; “Bobby Driscoll Napped After Rift with Gun,” June 18, 1960, The Citizen News; “New Charge Confronts Former Star,” June 23, 1960, Mirror News; “Actor Fined For Striking Heckler,” October 14, 1960, Los Angeles Examiner; “Driscoll Theft Charge Issued,” April 11, 1961, The Citizen News; “Bobby Driscoll is Arrested Again,” May 2, 1961, Los Angeles Examiner; “Bobby Driscoll, a Film Star at 6, an Addict at 17, Sent to Chino,” October 19, 1961, by Charles Hillinger, Los Angeles Times; “Truly, A Lost Boy,” March 4, 2007, by Susan King, Los Angeles Times; “Oscars Flashback: The Tragic Life and Death of Former Disney Star Bobby Driscoll,” January 22, 2019, by Lynette Rice, Entertainment Weekly; BobbyDriscoll.com; Wikipedia.com; TCM.com; IMDBPro.com; Movies Mentioned:  Lost Angel (1943), starring James Craig, Marsha Hunt, & Margaret O’Brien; The Fighting Sullivans (1944) starring Thomas Mitchell & Anne Baxter; Sunday Dinner With A Soldier (1944), starring Anne Baxter, John Hodiak, Charles Winner, & Anne Revere; The Big Bonanza (1944), starring Richard Arlen; So Goes My Love (1946), starring Myrna Loy & Don Ameche; Identity Unknown (1945), starring Richard Arlen; Miss Susie Slagle's (1946), starring Veronica Lake; From This Day Forward (1946), starring Joan Fontaine & Mark Stevens; O.S.S. (1946), starring Alan Ladd & Geraldine Fitzgerald; Three Wise Fools (1946), starring Margaret o’Brine & Lionel Barrymore; Song Of The South (1946), starring James Baskett; If You Knew Susie (1948), starring Eddie Cantor; So Dear to My Heart (1948), starring Burl Ives & Beulah Bondi; The Window (1949), starring Barbara Hale, Arthur Kennedy, Ruth Roman, & Paul Stewart; Treasure Island (1950), starring Robert Newton; When I Grow Up (1951), starring Robert Preston & Martha Scott; The Happy Time (1952), starring Charles Boyer, Louis Jordan, & Marsha Hunt; Peter Pan (1953) The Scarlett Coat (1955), starring Cornel Wilde & George Sanders; The Party Crashers (1958), starring Connie Stevens & Frances Farmer; Dirt (1965), starring Sally Kirkland; --------------------------------- http://www.airwavemedia.com Please contact [email protected] if you would like to advertise on our podcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

EPISODE 63 - “NOT EVEN NOMINATED: A DISCUSSION ABOUT CLASSIC CINEMA WITH AUTHOR JOHN DILEO” - 11/25/2024 Author JOHN DILEO, film historian and author, has just published his eighth book, Not Even Nominated: 40 Overlooked Costars of Oscar-Winning Performances. This week, John joins Steve and Nan to discuss his book, as well as his origin story on how he got hooked on classic cinema. Join us for the fun, lively discussion about old Hollywood. And make sure you check out John’s book.  SHOW NOTES:  Sources: 100 Great Film Performances You Should Remember — But Probably Don’t (2002), by John DiLeo: Not Even Nominated: 40 Overlooked Costars of Oscar-Winning Performances (2024), by John DiLeo; TCM.com; Wikipedia.com; IMDBPro.com; Movies Mentioned:  Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1931); Fredric March & Miriam Hopkins; Mr. Deeds Goes to Town (1936), starring Gary Cooper & Jean Arthur; The More the Merrier (1943), starring Jean Arthur , Joel McCrea, and Charles Coburn; The Best Years of Our Lives (1946), starring Dana Andrews, Fredric March, Myrna Loy, Teresa Wright, Harold Russell, Cathy O’Donnell, Virginia Mayo, and Steve Cochran; Miracle On 34th Street (1947), starring Maureen O’Hara, John Payne, Edmund Gwynn, and Natalie Wood; The Treasure of The Sierra Madre (1948), starring Humphrey Bogart & Walter Huston; All About Eve (1950), starring Bette Davis, Anne Baxter, Gary Merrill, Celeste Holm, George Sanders, Thelma Ritter, and Marilyn Monroe; Ace In the Hole (1951), Starring Kirk Douglas & Jan Sterling; Strangers on a Train (1951), starring Farley Granger, Robert Walker, Ruth Roman, & Pat Hitchcock; Mr. Blanding Builds His Dream House (1948), starring Cary Grant, Myrna Loy, & Melvyn Douglas; Rope (1948), starring James Stewart, Farley Granger & John Dahl; They Live By Night (1948), starring Farley Granger & Cathy O’Donnell; From Here To Eternity (1953), starring Burt Lancaster, Deborah Kerr, Montgomery Clift, Donna Reed, & Frank Sinatra; The Bandwagon (1953), Fred Astaire & Cyd Charisse; Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (1954), starring Howard Keel, Jane Powell, & Russ Tamblyn; Elmer Gantry (1960), starring Burt Lancaster, Jean Simmons, & Shirley Jones; Judgement at Nuremberg (1961), starring Spencer Tracy, Maximilian Schell, Burt Lancaster, Marlene Dietrich, Montgomery Clift, Richard Widmark, & Jusy Garland; To Kill A Mockingbird (1962), starring Gregory Peck, Mary Badham, Philip Allford, Brock Peters; Whatever Happened to Baby Jane (1963);, starring Bette Davis, Joan Crawford, & Victor Bueno; Mary Poppins (1964), starring Julie Andrews, Dick Van Dyke & David Tomlinson; The Trouble With Angels (1966); starring Rosalind Russell, Hayley Mills, Mary Wickes & Binnie Barnes; The Graduate (1967), starring Dustin Hoffman, Anne Bancroft, and Katharine Ross; Wiat Until Dark (1968), starring Audrey Hepburn, Alan Arkin, Richard Crenna, Efram Zimberlist, Jr. & Jack Weston; That’s Entertainment (1974); The Devil’s Rain (1975), starring Ida Lupino, William Shatner, Ernest Borgnine, Tom Skerritt, Eddie Albert, Keenan Wynn, Joan Prather & John Travolta; That’s Entertainment II (1976); Ordinary People (1980), starring Donald Sutherland, Mary Tyler Moore, Timothy Hutton, Judd Hirsh, & Elizabeth McGovern; --------------------------------- http://www.airwavemedia.com Please contact [email protected] if you would like to advertise on our podcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

"FORGOTTEN LEADING LADIES FROM THE GOLDEN AGE OF HOLLYWOOD" - 11/18/2024 A friend of mine once said that in Hollywood the toilet flushes every seven years. Meaning after about seven years, no one remembers who you are. Whether that’s true or not, there are many classic film stars who were once popular, who have faded away into obscurity. We covered men a few months ago, and now we are giving the ladies their due. Join us as we talk about four fabulous actresses who deserve to be remembered — LIZABETH SCOTT, MARIE WINDSOR, ELLA RAINES, and GERALDINE FITZGERALD.  SHOW NOTES:  Sources: “Biography of Lizabeth Scott,” August 1951, Paramount Pictures; “Liz Scott Slaps Libel Suit on Confidential Mag,” July 26, 1955, Variety; “Cut Actress Lizabeth Scott Out of Texan’s Will,” May 12, 1971, Variety; "Geraldine’s Long Journey,” June 13, 1971, New York Times; “Lizabeth Scott,” November 1971, by Don Stanke, Film Fan Magazine; Merv Griffin Interview with Geraldine Fitzgerald, 1977; Arlene Francis Interview with Geraldine Fitzgerald, 1985; Katie Kelly Interview with Geraldine Fitzgerald, 1985; “The Alluring Lizabeth Scott,” February 1993, by David M. Goodspeed, American Movie Classic magazine; “In Search of Lisabeth Scott: The Sphinx from Scranton,” Summer 2002, by Max Pierce, Films of the Golden Ages; “Marie Windsor A Shining Light,” piute.org; “Marie Windsor Tales of Noir and B Movies,” October 31. 1997, by Jerry Renshaw, The Austin Chronicle; “Marie Windsor, Femme Fatale And Queen of the B's, Dies at 80,” Dec. 14, 2000, New York  Times; “Geraldine Fitzgerald, 91, Star of Stage and Film, Dies,” July 19, 2005, New York Times; “Lizabeth Scott: Sultry Woman of Film Noir (Obit),” February 8, 2015, Los Angeles Times; “A Light In the Dark: Ella Raines and Film Noirs Working Girls,” Fall 2015, by Imogen Sara Smith, Noir City magazine; “A Centenary Celebration of Ella Raines: Radiant Film Stars Daughter Reflects on Her Mother’s Career,” August 6, 2020, by Leticia Magalhães, Cine Suffragette; TCM.com; IMDBPro.com; Movies Mentioned:  LIZABETH SCOTT: You Came Along (1945); The Strange Love of Martha Ivers (1946); Dead Reckoning (1946); Desert Fury (1947); I Walk Alone (1947); Pitfall (1948); Too Late for Tears (1949); Paid In Full (1950); Dark City (1950); The Company She Keeps (1951); Red Mountain (1951); The Racket (1951); Stolen Face (1952); Bad For Each Other (1953); Scared Stiff (1953); Loving You (1957) Pulp (1972); MARIE WINDSOR: Unexpected Uncle (1941); Weekend For Three (1941); All American Co-ed (1941); The Hucksters (1947); Song of the Thin Man (1947); Three Musketeers (1948); The Kissing Bandit (1948); Force of Evil (1948);  Outpost in Morocco (1949); Beautiful Blonde From Bashful Bend (1949); Hellfire (1949); The Fighting Kentuckian (1949); Dakota Lil (1950); Little Big Horn (1951); The Narrow Margin (1952); Cat Women of the Moon (1953); Abbott and Costello Meet the Mummy (1955);  The Killing (1956); ELLA RAINES: Corvette K-225 (1943); Cry Havoc (1943); The Phantom Lady (1944); Hail The Conquering Hero (1944); Tall In The Saddle (1944); The Suspect (1944);  The Strange Affair of Uncle Harry (1945); White Tie and Tails (1945) Brute Force (1947); The Senator Was Indiscreet (1947); The Walking Hills (1949); Impact (1949); The Man In The Road (1956); GERALDINE FITZGERALD: Blind Justice (1934); Dark Victory (1939); Wuthering Heights (1939); The Gay Sisters (1942); Watch on the Rhine (1943); Wilson (1944); Nobody Lives Forever (1946); Three Strangers (1946); Ten North Frederick (1958); The Pawnbroker (1964); Rachel, Rachel (1968); Harry and Tonto (1974); Arthur (1981); Do You Remember Love (1985); Arthur 2: On The Rocks (1988); --------------------------------- http://www.airwavemedia.com Please contact [email protected] if you would like to advertise on our podcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices