Forgotten Hollywood

In this episode, I spoke with author Tripp Whetsell regarding his book "Norman Lear: His Life and Times". Beginning in the 1970s, writer and producer Norman Lear forever altered the television landscape with such groundbreaking situation comedies as All in the Family, Maude, Good Times, Sanford and Son, The Jeffersons, and One Day at a Time.

In this episode I discuss with Emily C. Hughes her book "Horror for Weenies: Everything You Need to Know About the Films You're Too Scared to Watch". A smart, funny crash course in 25 iconic horror movies, from Psycho to Hereditary, for people who love getting the reference but hate being scared.

In this episode, we discuss the career of Richard Dix.

Also follow on FB @forgottenhollywood

In this episode, I spoke with author Christopher S. Connelly about his recent book "Helen Morgan: The Original Torch Singer and Ziefeld's Last Star". An emotive soprano voice, heartrending melodies about unrequited love, and a draped-over-the-piano persona made Helen Morgan (1902–1941) the original torch singer, but she was so much more. The versatile actress appeared on Broadway, in film, and on radio. In a number of stage revues, she danced, sang, and excelled in sketch comedy.

In this episode, I spoke with Bethan Jones about her book "The Truth Is Still Out There: 30 Years of the X-Files". In September 1993, a TV show like no other appeared on our screens, asking us to consider the essence of truth and belief, to think about the nature and roles of science and humanity, and to question what we were told by those in power. Combining horror, science fiction, drama, crime, and comedy with cinematic filmmaking, The X-Files transported the paranoia of the sixties and seventies to the technologically savvy nineties as it followed two iconic characters, FBI Agents Fox Mulder and Dana Scully.

In this episode, I spoke with Justin Owen Rawlins about his book "imagining The Method".  Only one performance style has dominated the lexicon of the casual moviegoer: “Method acting.” The first reception-based analysis of film acting, Imagining the Method investigates how popular understandings of the so-called Method—what its author Justin Rawlins calls "methodness"—created an exclusive brand for white, male actors while associating such actors with rebellion and marginalization. Drawing on extensive archival research, the book maps the forces giving shape to methodness and policing its boundaries.

James Lott Jr introduces you to the Forgotten Hollywood Reference Book Collection. All can be found on Amazon.com as kindle or paperback!

In this episode, I spoke with author Burt Kearns about his book "Shemp! The Biography of The Three Stooges Shemp Howard, The Face of Film Comedy".  Shemp Howard not only had one of the most distinctive faces of the twentieth century, but was also one of its most accomplished, influential comic actors and showbiz personalities. Along with his brother Moe and comedy violinist Larry Fine, Shemp was an original member of the comedy team that became known as the Three Stooges before he quit and set off on his own in 1932.

In this episode, I spoke with author Samuel Garza Bernstein about his book "Starring Joan Crawford". Joan Crawford: the name has an enduring fascination. Forty-five years after her death, Crawford remains a familiar icon in pop culture and the entertainment world. Certainly, the camp bathos of Mommie Dearest have played a part in her continued relevance. But it is ultimately her work and career themselves that account for her remarkable longevity in the culture