Forgotten Hollywood

In this episode, I spoke with the author Lesley L. Coffin about her book "Lew Ayres Hollywood's Conscientious Objector". Ayres became known to the public when he portrayed the leading character in the epic war film All Quiet on the Western Front. The role made him a household name, introduced him to his closest friends, brought him to the attention of his first two wives, and would overshadow the rest of his career. Doug Hess is the host!

In this episode, I discuss with author James L. Neibaur his book "The Monster Movies of Universal Studios". In 1931 Universal Studios released Dracula starring Bela Lugosi. This box office success was followed by a string of films featuring macabre characters and chilling atmospherics, including Frankenstein, The Mummy, and The Invisible Man. With each new film, Universal established its place in the Hollywood firmament as the leading producer of horror films, a status it enjoyed for more than twenty year. Doug Hess is the host!

In this episode, I discuss with Janie McKirgan who is the President/Executive Director of the Jimmy Stewart Museum about the museum. Doug Hess is the host.

In this episode, I discuss with John Urbancik (partner of the late author Mary E. Lescher) in which John carries on her work. Walt Disney Feature Animation Florida opened in Orlando at the dawn of the Disney Renaissance. As a member of the crew, Mary E. Lescher witnessed the small studio’s rise and fall during a transformative era in company and movie history.

#UnversityofIllinoisPress

In this episode, I discuss the life of actor John Williams. Doug Hess is the host!

In this episode speak with author Charles Casillo regarding his book "Elizabeth and Monty: The Untold Story of Their Intimate Friendship". Violet-eyed siren Elizabeth Taylor and classically handsome Montgomery Clift were the most gorgeous screen couple of their time. Over two decades of friendship they made, separately and together, some of the era's defining movies--including Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, The Misfits, Suddenly, Last Summer, and Cleopatra. Yet the relationship between these two figures--one a dazzling, larger-than-life star, the other hugely talented yet fatally troubled--has never truly been explored until now. Doug Hess is the host!

In this episode, I spoke with author Melanie Bell regarding her latest book "Movie Workers: The Women Who Made Brish Cinema". After the advent of sound, women in the British film industry formed an essential corps of below-the-line workers, laboring in positions from animation artist to negative cutter to costume designer. Doug Hess is the host!

In this episode, I discuss with author Edwin Canfield his book "Fact, Fiction, and the Forbidden Predictions of the Amazing Criswell". Jeron Charles Criswell King, better known simply as Criswell, can rightfully be described as one of the first pop celebrity psychics. His bizarre predictions ― 87 percent of which came true, he claimed ― appeared from the 1950s through the 1970s in newspapers and magazines, while the flamboyant showman hosted his own Los Angeles television show, guested on national TV and in Ed Wood movies, including Plan 9 from Outer Space, alongside Vampira, Tor Johnson and Bela Lugosi. Unsuccessful attempts to find fame on Broadway and Tin Pan Alley did not prevent him from co-authoring three books on how to succeed in these fields.

In this episode, I discuss with author Kristen Lopez her latest book "But Have You Read The Book Yet? 52 Literary Gems That Inspired Our Favorite Films".Within these pages, Turner Classic Movies offers an endlessly fascinating look at 52 beloved screen adaptations and the great reads that inspired them.Doug Hess is the host!

Van Johnson was the fresh-faced, well-mannered nice guy on screen you always wanted your daughter to marry! This fair, freckled, and invariably friendly-looking MGM song-and-dance star of the 40s emerged as a box office favorite (1944-1946) and second only to heartthrob Frank Sinatra during what gossipmonger Hedda Hopper dubbed the "Bobbysoxer Blitz" era. Doug Hess is the host!