Forgotten Hollywood

In this episode I spoke with Daniel Titley's regarding his latest book "London After Midnight The Lost Film". For decades, the mystique of Lon Chaney's 1927 mystery-thriller, London After Midnight, has pondered the minds of horror buffs, silent film enthusiasts and film collectors alike. Doug Hess is the host!

In this episode, I discuss with the author Jeff Keene II in his book Under the Rainbow. There's No Place Like Home
The magical Ruby Slippers, worn by actress Judy Garland in MGM's beloved 1939 film version of The Wizard of Oz is perhaps the most iconic example of movie memorabilia in the world. The pair on display at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History draws more visitors than any other exhibit at the famed museum... with the single exception of The Star Spangled Banner.

With a market value exceeding $6,000,000 they are easily the most expensive prop in Hollywood history, sought after by collectors... and thieves. On August 28, 2005, the "Traveling Pair" which was on display at the Judy Garland Museum in Grand Rapids, Minnesota, was stolen and remained missing until July 2018.
This is the true story of their recovery.

In this episode we discuss with authors Carol Ford and Linda Groundwater about their biography on Bob Crane titled "Bob Crane: The Definitive Biography". Since his untimely death on June 29, 1978, Bob Crane's unofficial biography has become akin to a broken record. Like a skip in the acetate, his murder and the scandal that grew from it have been the repeated focus of attention, to the exclusion of nearly everything else. Over time, the line between fact and fiction blurred, and his life story became distorted. All perspective on Bob Crane as a human being was lost, and he became nothing more than a two-dimensional cartoon character without depth, understanding, or definition. Doug Hess is the host!

In this episode, I discuss with former executive director of the Academy for over twenty years regarding his book The Academy Award and The Award: The Coming of Age of Oscar and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. For all the near-fanatic attention brought each year to the Academy Awards, the organization that dispenses those awards—the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences—has yet to be understood. To date, no one has ever produced a thorough account of the Academy’s birth and its awkward adolescence, and the few reports on those periods from outside have always had a glancing, cursory quality. Yet the story of the Academy’s creation and development is a critical piece of Hollywood’s history.DougHess is the host!

In this episode, I discuss with author Paul Fischer his latest book The Man Who Invented Motion Pictures: A True Tale of Obsession, Murder, and The Movies. Doug Hess is the host!

In this episode, I discuss with actress Jessica Sherr on her play Bette Davis Ain't No Sissy. Actress and playwright, Jessica Sherr, powerfully channels Bette Davis in her fight against the male-dominated studio system. On the night of the 1939 Oscars, Bette returns home knowing she’s to lose Best Actress to Vivien Leigh’s Scarlett O’Hara, because the press has leaked the winners. Miss Davis takes us on the bumpy ride of her tumultuous rise, as this tenacious actress fights her way up the studio system to reach the top of her profession.Doug Hess is the host!

In this episode, we talk with Eric Grayson who is a film preservationist, author, and Indiana film expert.

In this episode, I speak with author Cathy Fitzgibbon Rudolph on her book Paul Lynde A Biography His Life, His Love(s) and His Laughter. This book will let you into the heart and soul of Paul Lynde. Best remembered for outrageous jokes on The Hollywood Squares, as Uncle Arthur from Bewitched, and as the frantic father in Bye Bye Birdie, Paul was never satisfied with his career - or his personal life. But even as he suffered through some of the cruelest of times, Paul continued to make us forget our troubles, and was forever gracious to his fans. This is the book those fans have been waiting for. Doug Hess is the host!

In this epiosde I discuss with author Jason Isralowitz regarding his book Nothing To Fear Alfred Hitchcock and The Wrong Man which will be released on January 14, 2023. in 1956, the world's most famous director focused his lens on an issue that cuts to the heart of our criminal justice system: the risk of wrongful conviction. The result was The Wrong Man, a wrenching and largely overlooked drama based on the false arrest of Queens musician Christopher “Manny” Balestrero. Despite a detective's assurance that the innocent have “nothing to fear,” Manny and his family faced ruin from false charges that he twice robbed an insurance office.Aspiring to documentary-like authenticity, Hitchcock and his team meticulously recreated one man's odyssey through the corridors of justice. In so doing, they opened a window into New York's history of mistaken identity cases.

In this episode, I speak with author Kevin Mori on his book Third Act a Novel of Buster Keaton. "Buster Keaton had been a child prodigy in vaudeville and a star of the silent screen. But by the age of 40, he had been left behind by Hollywood. His fortunes changed following a chance meeting on the set of The Wizard of Oz. Eleanor Norris was a dancer under studio contract using her classical training in ballet to elevate the artistry of movie musicals. When she became Buster’s partner in life and on the stage, it changed both of them forever. Together, they tracked down his long-lost early films, leading to a career resurgence and the reputation Buster holds today as one of the world’s most innovative filmmakers." doug hess is the host!