From Beneath the Hollywood Sign By cover art

From Beneath the Hollywood Sign

By: Steve Cubine & Nan McNamara
Listen for free

  • Summary

  • If the Golden era of Old Hollywood is your thing, our podcast is for you! If you want TYRONE POWER instead of TOM HARDY, JENNIFER JONES instead of JENNIFER LAWRENCE, or ROBERT MITCHUM rather than ROBERT PATTINSON, then FROM BENEATH THE HOLLYWOOD SIGN is the gin joint for you. Each week, writer and producer STEVE CUBINE and actress and writer NAN MCNAMARA explore, discuss, and dissect the magical, mysterious, amusing, and sometimes bizarre tales of Old Hollywood. So sit back and revisit a time when the pictures were still big and everyone was ready for their close-up.
    © 2023 Eleven Eleven llc
    Show more Show less
activate_primeday_promo_in_buybox_DT
Episodes
  • "MARIE MCDONALD: OLD HOLLYWOOD'S ORIGINAL GONE GIRL" (046)

    "MARIE MCDONALD: OLD HOLLYWOOD'S ORIGINAL GONE GIRL" (046)
    Jul 29 2024
    This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/BENEATH and get on your way to being your best self. ** This episode is sponsored brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/BENEATH and get on your way to being your best self.” ** As CAROLE LANDIS was known as “The Ping Girl” and ANN SHERIDAN was known as “The Oomph” Girl,” actress MARIE McDONALD was saddled with the equally misogynistic title, “The Body.” Yes, she was tall, leggy, and curvy, but she was also talented, a fact that many of the powerful men of Hollywood seemed to forget. Unfortunately, Marie was better known for her wild private life that included seven marriages, high profile romances, tabloid escapades, and one of the most bizarre kidnappings to ever happen in Hollywood. This week, we tell the colorful story of this long-forgotten leading lady. SHOW NOTES: Sources: Tragic Hollywood: Beautiful, Glamorous, and Dead (2013), by Jackie Ganiy; “Marie McDonald ‘Gets Sick’ With Former Husband,” January 6, 1955, Toledo Blade; “Millionaire Asks Divorce From Marie McDonald,” May 22, 1956, Daytona Beach Morning Journal; “Marie McDonald Reported Held By Kidnappers,” January 4, 1957, Ellensburg Daily Record; “Marie McDonald Tells Police How She Was Seized By Two Men,” January 5, 1957, Reading Eagle; “Marie McDonald Stars In Police Film of Kidnapping,” January 8, 1957, The Telegraph; “Grand Jury Probes Marie’s Kidnap,” January 16, 1957, The Deseret News; “Marie McDonald Leaves Hospital” June 15, 1958, Reading Eagle; “Actress Marie McDonald Weds Again,” May 25, 1959, St. Petersburg Times; “Marie McDonald’s Fourth Husband Seeking Divorce,” September 18, 1962, Daily News; “New Ruling Calls Marie McDonald Death Accidental,” December 30, 1965, The Toledo Blade; “Marie McDonald, Actress, Is Dead; Autopsy Was Inconclusive, Glamour Girl Was 42,” October 21, 1965, The New York Times; “Movie Producer Donald Taylor Apparent Suicide,” January 3, 1966, Rome News Tribune; “Phantom Intruders Abducted A Pin-Up Star,” July 2, 2022, Medium.com; IMDBPro.com; Wikipedia.com; Movies Mentioned: Pardon My Sarong (1942), staring Lou Abbott and Lou Costello; Lucky Jordan (1942), starring Alan Ladd and Marie McDonald; I Love a Soldier (1944), starring Paulette Goddard, Sonny Tufts, and Beulah Bondi; Guest In The House (1944), starring Anne Baxter and Ralph Bellamy; Getting Gertie’s Garter (1945), starring Marie McDonald and Dennis O’Keefe; Living In A Big Way (1946), starring Gene Kelly and Marie McDonald; The Geisha Boy (1958), starring Jerry Lewis and Marie McDonald; Promises! Promises! (1963), starring Jayne Mansfield and Marie McDonald; --------------------------------- http://www.airwavemedia.com Please contact sales@advertisecast.com if you would like to advertise on our podcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
    Show more Show less
    32 mins
  • “FORGOTTEN B-LEADING MEN OF THE GOLDEN AGE OF HOLLYWOOD” (045)

    “FORGOTTEN B-LEADING MEN OF THE GOLDEN AGE OF HOLLYWOOD” (045)
    Jul 22 2024
    EPISODE 45 - “Forgotten B-Leading Men of the Golden Age of Hollywood” - 07/22/2024 ** This episode is sponsored brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/BENEATH and get on your way to being your best self.” ** Sometimes, there is nothing quite like a good old B-movie. Maybe the production values aren’t the best, and maybe the story is grittier than most, but these little gems have provided hours of viewing pleasure to so many. These films also had great leading men in them. Studly, sturdy, reliable actors who might not be GARY COOPER or CARY GRANT or CLARK GABLE, but were handsome and talented and knew how to beat up the bad guys and win over the lovely leading lady. As an homage to the leading men of the B's, this week, we’ll take a look at the lives and careers of five of our favorites. SHOW NOTES: Sources: Screen World Presents the Encyclopedia of Film Actors (1965); “Successor To Gable,” by Robbin Coons, September 30, 1943, Big Spring Daily Herald; "John Hodiak Dies Suddenly of Heart Attack,” October 20, 1955, Los Angeles Times; “The Story of Bob Cummings,” September 2, 1950, Voice; “Skip E. Lowe 1987 interview with Robert Cummings,” December 17, 2016, by Alan Eicler, Youtube.com; “Robert Cummings on Honesty,” May 1959, by Bob Cummings, Guideposts; “Robert Cummings Is Dead at 82; Debonair Actor in TV and Film,” December 4, 1990, by Peter B. Flint, The New York Times; “Dennis O’Keefe, Son of Vaudeville Performers Knows The Theatre,” July 7, 1939, The Times (Muncie Indiana); "O'Keefe Achieves Stardom; Seeks Director's Post,” October 12, 1944, Los Angeles Times. “Dennis O’Keefe, Screen Veteran, Is Dead at 60,” September 2, 1968, The Marion (Ohio) Star; “Bill Lundigan’s Success Recipe,” March 29, 1942, The Brooklyn Daily Eagle; “The Life Story of William Lundigan,” March 24, 1951, Picture Show; “Actor William Lundigan Dies; Began Career in 1937,” December 22, 1975m by Ted Thackery, Jr. Los Angeles Times; "The Life Story of Alan Marshal,” January 11, 1941, Picture Show; “Alan Marshal, Actor, 52, Dead; Stage and Film Performers Appeared in ‘Wagon Train’,” July 10, 1961, The New York Times; Alan.kitmarshal.site; IMDBPro.com; IBDB.com; Wikipedia.com; Movies Mentioned: JOHN HODIAK: Maisie Goes To Rio (1944); Marriage Is a Private Affair (1944); Life Boat (1944); Sunday Dinner For A Soldier (1944); A Bell For Adano (1945;) The Harvey Girls (1946); Somewhere In The Night (1946); Desert Fury (1947); ROBERT CUMMINGS: The Virginia Judge (1935); Hollywood Boulevard (1936); So Red The Rose (1935); King's Row (1941); Saboteur (1942); Dial M For Murder (1954); DENNIS O’KEEFE: T-Men (1947); Raw Deal (1948); Saratoga (1937); Topper Returns (1941); The Story of Dr. Wassel (1944); Up In Mabel's Room (1944); Doll Face (1945); Brewster's Millions (1945); Cover Up (1949); The Lady Wants Mink (1953); WILLIAM LUNDIGAN: The Lady Fights Back (1937); Three Smart Girls Grow Up (1939); The Old Maid (1939); Dodge City (1939); Santa Fe Trail (1940); A Shot In The Dark (1941); Apache Trail (1942); The Fabulous Dorseys (1947); The Inside Story (1947); Pinky (1949); Mother Didn't Tell Me (1950); I'll Get By (1950); Love Nest (1951); I'd Climb The Highest Mountain (1951); The House on Telegraph Hill (1951); ALAN MARSHAL: The Garden of Allah (1936); After The Thin Man (1936); Night Must Fall (1937); Parnell (1937); Conquest (1937); Dramatic School (1939); Four Girls in White (1939); The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1939); Irene (1940); He Stayed For Breakfast (1940); Lydia (1941); The White Cliff's of Dover (1944); Bride By Mistake (1944); The Opposite Sex (1956); House On Haunted Hill (1959); Day of the Outlaw (1959); --------------------------------- http://www.airwavemedia.com Please contact sales@advertisecast.com if you would like to advertise on our podcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
    Show more Show less
    40 mins
  • "THERESA HARRIS: HOW OLD HOLLYWOOD STOPPED HER STAR FROM RISING" (044)

    "THERESA HARRIS: HOW OLD HOLLYWOOD STOPPED HER STAR FROM RISING" (044)
    Jul 15 2024
    EPISODE 44 - "THERESA HARRIS: HOW OLD HOLLYWOOD STOPPED HER STAR FROM RISING" - 07/15/2024 ** This episode is sponsored brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/BENEATH and get on your way to being your best self.” ** When THERESA HARRIS appears on screen, you cannot take your eyes off of her. Beautiful, talented, and a skilled singer and dancer, she lights up any scene she’s in. Despite appearing in over 100 films, she rarely received screen credit and most often played a maid, waitress, or other types of domestic servant. Her parts were small, but her charisma and presence on screen were enormous! As a black woman in the early days of Hollywood, she was limited in the roles she could perform by the restrictive Hayes Code of 1934 and the horrible Jim Crow laws of the South. Still, she is a welcome presence in so many classic films. This week, we look at the extraordinary life and career of the talented THERESA HARRIS. SHOW NOTES: Sources: “Theresa Harris, Credited and Uncredited in Over 100 Films,” March 28, 2024, by Herb Boyd, New York Amsterdam News; “Just a Maid in Movies, But Not Forgotten,” April 21, 2011, by Manohla Dargis, The New York Times; “The Underrated Charms of Theresa Harris,” July 11, 2020, by Constance Cherise, TCM.com; “Theresa Harris: Television and Film Actress of the 1930s,” August 18, 2023, by Jae Jones, BackThen.com; “Actress Theresa Harris Hollywood Vixen Turned Servant,”September 2, 2011, by Veronica Wells, Madamenoire; IMDBPro.com; Wikipedia.com; Movies Mentioned: Thunderbolt (1929), starring Fay Wray and George Brent; Hold Your Man (1932), starring Jean Harlow and Clark Gable; Baby Face (1933), starring Barbara Stanwyck and George Brent; Professional Sweetheart (1933), starring Ginger Rogers, Norman Foster, and Zasu Pitts; Horse Feathers (1932), starring The Marx Brothers and Thelma Todd; Gold Diggers of 1933 (1933), starring Joan Blondell, Dick Powell, Ruby Keeler, and Ginger Rogers; Morning Glory (1933), starring Katharine Hepburn and Douglas Fairbanks, Jr; Flying Down to Rio (1933), starring Delores Del Rio, Gene Raymond, Ginger Rogers, and Fred Astaire; Broadway Melody of 1936 (1935), starring Jack Benny and Eleanor Powell; Banjo On My Knee (1936), starring Barbara Stanwyck and Joel McCrea; Bargain With Bullets (aka The Gangster’s On The Loose) (1937), starring Ralph Cooper and Theresa Harris; Jezebel (1938), starring Bette Davis, Henry Fonda, and George Brent; Tell No Tales (1939), starring Melvyn Douglas and Louise Platt; Buck Benny Rides Again (1940), starring Jack Benny, Ellen Drew, Eddie “Rochester” Anderson, and Theresa Harris; What’s Buzzin’ Cousin? (1943), starring Jack Benny and Ann Miller; Blossoms In The Dust (1941), starring Greer Garson, Walter Pidgeon, and Marsha Hunt; Our Wife (1941), starring Melvyn Douglas, Ruth Hussey, and Ellen Drew; Cat People (1942), starring Kent Smith, Simone Simon, Jane Randolph, and Tom Conway; I Walked With A Zombie (1943), starring Frances Dee, Tom Conway, Darby Jones, and Christine Gordon; The Dolly Sisters (1945), starring Betty Grable, John Payne, and June Haver; Three Little Girls In Blue (1946), starring George Montgomery, Vera-Ellen, and June Haver; Miracle on 34th Street (1947), starring Maureen O’Hara, Edmund Gwenn, John Payne, and Natalie Wood; Out of the Past (1947), staring Robert Mitchum, Jane Greer, and Kirk Douglas; Angel Face (1952), starring Robert Mitchum and Jean Simmons; --------------------------------- http://www.airwavemedia.com Please contact sales@advertisecast.com if you would like to advertise on our podcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
    Show more Show less
    34 mins
Art
Show more Show less

What listeners say about From Beneath the Hollywood Sign

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    3
  • 4 Stars
    0
  • 3 Stars
    0
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0
Performance
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    3
  • 4 Stars
    0
  • 3 Stars
    0
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0
Story
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    3
  • 4 Stars
    0
  • 3 Stars
    0
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Audible.com reviews

Amazon reviews
Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars
Profile Image for M. Customer

One of my favorite podcasts!

If you’re interested in classic movies and the stories about those making the movies or in the movies, this is one of the best podcasts I’ve heard. Much of the information and stories told in this podcast are those that aren’t as well known, so I learn a lot from each episode.

Steve Cubine and Nan McNamara know a lot about the film industry and their rapport and interaction with each other makes it a delight to listen to them. The performance and production value is elevated by Lindsay Schnebly’s editing, writing, etc.

I anticipate and look forward to the release of each new episode and a few times I’ve even gone back and relistened to episodes. That’s how much I enjoy this podcast.

Report this

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars
Profile Image for BobaGreenTea517557

Something old is something new...

The stories behind Hollywood, both good and bad. Steve and Nan bring weekly interesting stories about the golden years of Hollywood's actresses, actors, players and movies. What you will notice is that each series flow very well and it doesn'tsound like they are just reading from a page. You will be searching on the internet after each podcast to check the names you just heard. Very easy to binge on this podcast.

Report this

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!