From Beneath the Hollywood Sign

• "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 [email protected] if you would like to advertise on our podcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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• "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 [email protected] if you would like to advertise on our podcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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• “STEVE & NAN’s FAVORITE CLASSIC FILMS OF THE 1970s” (071)

  EPISODE 71 - “STEVE & NAN’s FAVORITE CLASSIC FILMS OF THE 1970s” - 1/20/2024 The 1970s was a decade that saw the rise of the auteur. Filmmakers like Scorsese, Coppola, Cassavetes, Altman, Lumet, and DePalma hit their stride and brought to the screen their specific vision and stylized films. It was a very experimental era where boundaries were pushed and once-taboo topics were explored. It became a creative high point and gave us some iconic movies. This week, Steve And Nan take look at some of their favorite films of the 1970s.  SHOW NOTES:  Sources: Terrance Malick and the Examined Life (2024), by Martin Woessner;  Films of the 1970s (2017), by Jurgen Muller; Hollywood's Last Golden Age: Politics, Society, and the Seventies Film in America (2012), by Jonathan Kirshner; How the Sex, Drugs, and Rock-n-Roll Generation Saved Hollywood (1998), by Peter Biskind; Picture Shows: The Life and Films of Peter Bogdonavich (1992), by Andrew Yule; “Jane Fonda on Klute,” July 18, 2019, The Criterion Collection;  TCM.com; IMDBPro.com; IBDB.com; Wikipedia.com; Movies Mentioned:  Smile (1975), starring Bruce Dern, Barbara Feldon, Michael Kidd, Nicholas Pryor, Annette O’Toole, Joan Prather, Melanie Griffith, Geoffrey Lewis, Maria O’Brien, Colleen Camp, Eric Shea, Denise Nickerson, and Titos Vandsis; Klute (1971), starring Jane Fonda, Donald Sutherland, Roy Scheider, Dorothy Tristan, Charles Cioffi, Jean Stapleton, Rita Gam, and Vivian Nathan; Badlands (1973), starring Martin Sheen, Sissy Spacek, Warren Oates, Garry Littlejohn, Alan Vint, and John Womack; The Sting (1973), starring Paul Newman, Robert Redford, Robert Saw, Robert Earl Jones, Charles Durning, Ray Walston, Charles Dierkop, Harold Gould, Sally Kellerman, and Eileen Brennan; The Last Picture Show (1971), starring Timothy Bottoms, Cybill Shepherd, Jeff Bridges, Ellen Burstyn, Ben Johnson, Cloris Leachman, Eileen Brennan, Clu Gulager, Sam Bottoms, Sharon Taggart, Randy Quad, and Bill Thurman; A Little Romance (1979), staring Laurence Olivier, Diane Lane, Thelonious Bernard, Arthur Hill, Sally Kellerman, Broderick Crawford, David Dukes, Andrew Duncan, and Claudette Sutherland; --------------------------------- 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

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• "COLIN CLIVE: THE TRAGIC DEATH OF DR. FRANKENSTEIN" (070)

  EPISODE 70 - “COLIN CLIVE” - 1/13/2024 The moment he uttered the iconic line, “It’s Alive! It’s Alive,” in the 1931classic horror film “Frankenstein, actor COLIN CLIVE secured his place in film history. The handsome, talented British actor went on to appear in several other films, but his life and career were cut short due to his acute alcoholism and other personal demons. This week, we remember and celebrate this beloved horror legend.  SHOW NOTES:  Sources: One Man Crazy . . .! The Life and Death of Colin Clive (2018), by Gregory W. Mank; James Whale: A New World of Gods and Monsters (1998), by James Curtis; The Wisdom of Colette (1980), by Bennitt Gardiner; Colette O'Niel: A Season in Repertory (1976), by Bennitt Gardiner; “R.C. Sherriff: Soldier, Writer and Oarsman,” November 30, 2020, HearTheBoatSing.com; “Mae Clarke Remembers James Whale,” May 1985, Films in Review; “Jeanne De Casalis, 69, Is Dead,” August 20, 1966, New York Times;  “Colin Clive, Actor, Dies In Hollywood,” June 27, 1937, New York Times; TCM.com; IMDBPro.com; IBDB.com; Wikipedia.com; Movies Mentioned:  Frankenstein (1931), starring Boris Karloff, Colin Clive, & Mae Clake; Journey’s End (1930), starring Colin Clive, Ian Maclaren, & David Manners; The Public Enemy (1931), starring James Cagney, Jean Harlow, Joan Blondell, Mae Clarke, & Edward Woods; Christopher Strong (1933), starring Katharine Hepburn, Colin Clive, & Billie Burke; Looking Forward (1933), string Lionel Barrymore, Lewis Stone, Elizabeth Allen & Benita Hume; Jane Eyre (1934), starring Virginia Bruce, Edith Fellows, & Colin Clive; The Girl From 10th Avenue (1935), starring Bette Davis, Colin Clive, & Ian Hunter; The Man Who Broke The Bank At Monte Carlo (1935), starring Ronald Colman, Joan Bennett, Colin Clive, & Nigel Bruce; Clive of India (1935), starring Ronald Colman, Loretta Young, Colin Clive, Cesar Romero, Leo G. Carroll, & C. Aubrey Smith; Mad Love (1935), starring Peter Lorre, Colin Clive, & Frances Drake; Bride of Frankenstein (1935), Boris Karloff, Elsa Lancaster, Colin Clive, Una O’Connor, & Valerie Hobson; History is Made At Night (1937), starring Jean Arthur, Charles Boyer, & Colin Clive; The Woman I Love (1937), starring Miriam Hopkins, Paul Muni, Louis Hayward, & Colin Clive; --------------------------------- 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

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  31:28
• ELLEN DREW: CLASSIC CINEMA STAR OF THE MONTH (069)

  ELLEN DREW: CLASSIC CINEMA STAR OF THE MONTH (069) Whether playing the sweet girl next door or the world-weary casino boss’s moll, ELLEN DREW was an incredibly versatile leading lady who was a major star in the 1940s and 50s. She made a career of playing a wide range of roles in various genres — from Westerns to comedies to dramas to horror movies. She was nicknamed “The Candy Store Cinderella” because she was discovered scooping ice cream in a candy store on Hollywood Boulevard. And who do you think discovered her? You’ll be quite surprised to find out. In this week’s episode, we discuss our Star of the Month, ELLEN DREW.  SHOW NOTES:  Sources: Character Actors in Horror and Science Fiction Films, 1930-1960, (2014), by Laurence Raw; "Ellen Drew — The Private Life of Ellen Drew,” glamourgirlsofthesilverscreen.com; “Hollywood’s Forgotten Daughters,” January 1986, by Anthony Cassa, Hollywood Studio Magazine; “Ellen Drew - Cinderellen,” January 2002, by Jeff Gordon, Classic Images magazine; “Ellen Drew, 89, Film and TV Actress Rose Through Ranks in Hollywood,” December 6, 2003, Los Angeles Times; TCM.com; IMDBPro.com; IBDB.com; Wikipedia.com; RogerEbert.com; Movies Mentioned:  Christmas in July  (1940), starring Dick Powell & Ellen Drew; Johnny O’Clock (1947), starring Dick Powell, Evelyn Keyes, Thomas Gomez, & Ellen Drew; Hollywood Boulevard (1936), starring Marsha Hunt & Robert Cummings; The Big Broadcast of 1937 (1936), starring Jack Benny, George Burns, & Gracie Allen; Make Way For Tomorrow (1937), staring Victor Moore & Beulah Bondi; Gone With The Wind (1939), starring Vivien Leigh & Clark Gable; Sing, You Sinners (1938), starring Bing Crosby, Fred MacMurray, & Ellen Drew; If I Were King (1938), starring Ronald Colman, Basil Rathbone, Frances Dee, & Ellen Drew; The Lady's From Kentucky (1939), staring George Raft & Ellen Drew; Geronimo (1939), starring Preston Foster; The Gracie Allen Murder Case (1939), starring Gracie Allen; French Without Tears (1940), starring Ray Milland & Ellen Drew; Buck Benny Rides Again (1940), starring Jack Benny; The Mad Doctor (1941), starring Basil Rathbone; The Monster and the Girl (1941), starring Paul Lukas & Philip Terry; Isle of the Dead (1945), starring Boris Karloff; Our Wife (1941), starring Melvyn Douglas, Ruth Hussey, & Ellen Drew; The Night of January 16th (1941), starring Preston Foster; Reaching For The Sun (1941), starring Joel McCrea & Ellen Drew; The Remarkable Andrew (1942), starring William Holden, Brian Donlevy, & Ellen Drew; My Favorite Spy (1942), starring Kay Kyser & Jane Wyman; Night Plane to Chungking (1942), starring Preston Foster & Ellen Drew; And The Angels Sing (1944), starring Dorothy Lamour, Fred MacMurray, & Betty Hutton; Strange Confession (1944), starring Jean Gabin; That's My Baby (1944), starring Richard Arlen & Ellen Drew; Dark Mountain (1944), starring Robert Lowery & Ellen Drew; China Sky (1945), starring Randolph Scott; The Swordsmen (1948), starring Larry Parks & Ellen Drew; The Man from Colorado (1949), starring William Holden & Glenn Ford; The Crocked Way (1949), starring John Payne, Sonny Tufts, & Ellen Drew; Stars In My Crown (1950), staring Joel McCrea & Ellen Drew; Cargo to Capetown (1950), starring Broderick Crawford & John Ireland; The Great Missouri Raid (1950), starring Wendell Corey; Man In The Saddle (1951), staring Randolph Scott & Joan Leslie; --------------------------------- 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

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