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From Beneath the Hollywood Sign

From Beneath the Hollywood Sign

By: Steve Cubine & Nan McNamara
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 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 Art
Episodes
  • “EARL CARROLL VANITIES: SCANDAL, SPECTACLE AND THE JAZZ AGE” - 1/27/2026 (124)

    “EARL CARROLL VANITIES: SCANDAL, SPECTACLE AND THE JAZZ AGE” - 1/27/2026 (124)
    Jan 26 2026
    EPISODE 124 - “EARL CARROLL VANITIES: SCANDAL, SPECTACLE AND THE JAZZ AGE” - 1/27/2026 When we think about the great showmen of early Hollywood, we often think of FLO ZIEGFELD, SID GRAUMAN or maybe BUSBY BERKELEY, but another man who certainly fits well into this fraternity of daring, flamboyant, and imaginative purveyors of entertainment was EARL CARROLL. Carroll was a producer, songwriter, and impresario whose career helped define the glamour and excess of Hollywood’s Golden Age. Rising to prominence in the 1920s with his bold Broadway revues, Carroll brought to Hollywood a uniquely theatrical blend of elaborate staging, haute couture costuming, and the provocative extravagance that became his trademark. His famed Earl Carroll Theatre on Sunset Boulevard—adorned with a giant neon likeness of showgirl BERYL WALLACE —quickly became a Los Angeles landmark, drawing celebrities, industry moguls, and curious audiences eager for a sexy, entertaining show. Inside, his productions showcased meticulously choreographed ensembles, ornate sets, and the legendary showgirls, who were called “the most beautiful girls in the world.” Beyond the stage, Carroll influenced the broader culture of old Hollywood nightlife: his clubs were gathering places for stars, tastemakers, and dreamers, helping establish the city’s reputation for glittering evenings, lavish entertainment, and unabashed showmanship. Though his life ended tragically, Carroll’s imprint on Hollywood and his reputation for over-the-top glamour remains a defining element of its early history. This week, we look at this flamboyant life and career. SHOW NOTES: Sources: The Body Merchant: The Story of Earl Carroll” (1976), by Ken Murray; Wikipedia.com; TCM.com; IBDB.com; IMDBPro.com; Beryl Wallace Homepage : https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100028021463896 --------------------------------- 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
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    36 mins
  • “ALMOST MARRIED TO THE MOB: HOLLYWOOD ACTRESSES WHO DATED MOBSTERS” - 1/19/2026 (123)

    “ALMOST MARRIED TO THE MOB: HOLLYWOOD ACTRESSES WHO DATED MOBSTERS” - 1/19/2026 (123)
    Jan 19 2026
    “ALMOST MARRIED TO THE MOB: HOLLYWOOD ACTRESSES WHO DATED MOBSTERS” - 1/19/2026 (123) In this episode, we slip into the shadows where classic Hollywood glamour meets organized crime, exploring the classic Hollywood actresses who found themselves romantically entangled with real-life mobsters. At a time when studios tightly controlled female stars’ images, these notorious bad boys offered something intoxicatingly different: raw power beyond the backlot, fierce loyalty, protection from predators both on and off the screen, and a rebellious thrill that defied Hollywood’s carefully scripted rules. Drawn by charisma, thrills and maybe even a little danger, these women navigated a world where diamonds, nightclubs, and whispered threats coexisted with premieres and press junkets—and where love could be as risky as it was seductive. This week, we’re looking at the romantic entanglements that occurred when the mob meets Hollywood. SHOW NOTES: Sources: Tinseltown Gangsters” The Rise & Decline of the Mob in Hollywood (2024), by Jeffrey Sussman; Handsome Johnny: The Life & Death of Johnny Rosselli, Gentleman Gangster, Hollywood Producer, CIA Assassin (2018), by Lee Server; Double Cross: The Explosive Inside Story of the Mobster Who Controlled America (2016), by Sam Giancana, Chuck Giancana, & Bettina Giancana; Hollywood & The Mob (2011), by Tim Adler; An American Mafioso: The Johnny Rosselli Story (1991), by Charles Rappleye; Detour: A Hollywood Story (1988), by Cheryl Crane; Lana: The Lady, the Legend, The Truth (1982), by Lana Turner; “Sam Giancana: Chicago Godfather, CIA Collaborator, And The Man Who May Have Put JFK In The White House,” May 16. 2024, by Carly Silver, ATI.com; “Two Survivors: The Scandalous Saga of Lana Turner and Cheryl Crane,” June 8, 2023, by Hadley Hall Meares, Vanity Fair; “Actor Lana Turner's Daughter Kills Turner's Gangster Lover,” 2022, by Thomas DeBose, EBSCO.com “New Allegations Emerge About Marilyn Monroe's Final Hours,” May 11. 2012, CBSNews.com; “The Gangster and The Goddess,” April 1999, by Patricia Bosworth, Vanity Fair; “Killers Gave Rosselli Drink, Shot Him in Belly,” August 10, 1976, by William Tucker, The Miami News; “The Thug. The Actress. Her Daughter. And Homicide” September 8, 2023, by John S. Caragoizan, Caragozian Daily Journal; TheMobMuseum,org; Wikipedia.com; TCM.com; IBDB.com; IMDBPro.com; --------------------------------- 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
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    39 mins
  • “HABITS, COLLARS & CLOSEUPS IN CLASSIC CINEMA” - 1/12/2026 (122)

    “HABITS, COLLARS & CLOSEUPS IN CLASSIC CINEMA” - 1/12/2026 (122)
    Jan 12 2026
    “HABITS, COLLARS & CLOSEUPS IN CLASSIC CINEMA” - 1/12/2026 (122) Classic cinema has always had a fascination with clergy and nuns — not just as religious figures, but as real people caught between faith and the challenges of the world. When these characters take center stage, the stories often become less about doctrine and more about conscience, compassion, and moral choices. Sometimes with a good dose of humor thrown in. In today’s episode, we’re going to dive into classic films that put nuns and clergy at the heart of the story. The characters portrayed are thoughtful, conflicted, sometimes heroic, and always deeply human, with stories that explore grace, hope, and the consequences of our choices. This week, we take a look back at some unforgettable films where the collar or the veil isn’t just a costume—it’s the core of the story. SHOW NOTES: Sources: “Let’s Talk About ‘Black Narcissus’,” April 17, 2025, by Sailor Monsoon “The Story Behind ‘Stars in My Crown’,” May 29, 2024, by Henry C. Parke, www.insp.com; “‘The Nun’s Story’: Revisiting Audrey Hepburn’s Most Overlooked Film,” January 24, 2020, by Nadra Nittle, America Magazine; “My Favourite Hitchcock: I Confess,” August 8, 2012, by Philip Oltermann, The Guardian; Wikipedia.com; TCM.com; IBDB.com; IMDBPro.com; RogerEbert.com Movies Mentioned: Boys Town (1938), starring Spencer Tracy, Mickey Rooney & Bobs Watson; Keys of the Kingdom (1944), starring Gregory Peck, Thomas Mitchell, Vincent Price, Edmund Gwenn & Roddy McDowell; Black Narcissus (1947) starring Deborah Kerr, David Farrar, Kathleen Byron, Flora Robson & Jean Simmons; Stars In My Crown (1950), starring Joel McCrea, Ellen Drew, Dean Stockwell, James Mitchell, Amanda Blake, Juano Hernandez & Ed Begley; Thunder on the Hill (1951), starring Claudette Colbert, Ann Blyth, Robert Douglas, Phillip Friend, Connie Gilchrist, Norma Varden & Gladys Cooper; I, Confess (1953), starring Montgomery Clift, Anne Baxter & Karl Malden; The Nun Story (1959), starring Audrey Hepburn, Peter Finch, Dean Jagger, Peggy Ashcroft, Edith Evans, Beatrice Staright & Colleen Dewhurst; The Trouble With Angels (1966), starring Rosalind Russell, Hayley Mills, June Harding, Camilla Sparv, Binnie Barnes, Marge Redmond, Mary Wickes, Jim Hutton & Barbara Hunter; --------------------------------- 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
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    47 mins
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