From Beneath the Hollywood Sign

EPISODE 138 - “NORMAN LLOYD: CLASSIC CINEMA STAR OF THE MONTH” - 5/4/2026 Few figures in Hollywood history have had careers as long—or as varied—as NORMAN LLOYD. Spanning nearly a century, his work bridges the worlds of theater, radio, and film, with collaborations that include legends like CHARLIE CHAPLIN, ALFRED HITCHCOCK and ORSON WELLES. Whether appearing on stage, on screen or shaping stories behind the scenes, Lloyd’s presence has always carried a quiet intensity and sharp intelligence. Join us as we take a closer look at the life and legacy of Norman Lloyd, our Star of the Month — a man who didn’t just witness Hollywood history—he helped create it. SHOW NOTES: Stages: Norman Lloyd by Norman Lloyd and Francine Parker, The Scarecrow Press, Inc., 1990; Stages: Of Life in Theatre, Film and Television by Norman Lloyd, Limelight, August 1, 2004; Norman Lloyd Career Retrospective, Legacy Collection, Conversations at the SAG-AFTRA Foundation, May 4, 2004; Noir City, Post-Screening Q&A with Norman Lloyd, Palm Springs, May 15, 2011; Shattered Applause: The Lives of Eva Le Gallienne by Robert A Schanke, Dec 9, 1992, Southern Illinois University Press; Broadway's Dreamers: The Legacy of the Group Theatre, PBS, June 26, 1989; Norman Lloyd, Associate of Welles, Hitchcock and Others, Dies at 106 by Eric Nagourney, May 11, 2011; The End of an Era: Norman Lloyd, 1914-2021 by Peter Sobczynski, May 12, 2021; Norman Lloyd, Star of ‘Saboteur’ and ‘St. Elsewhere,’ Dies at 106, by Mike Barnes, The Hollywood Reporter, MAY 11, 2021; TCM Remembers Norman Lloyd, TCM.com, May 13, 2021; Wikipedia.com; IBDB.com TCM.com; IMDBPro.com; Movies Mentioned: Saboteur (1942) Starring Robert Cummings and Priscilla Lane; Spellbound (1945) Starring Ingrid Bergman and Gregory Peck; The Southerner (1945) Starring Zachary Scott and Betty Field; A Walk in the Sun (1945) Starring Dana Andrews and Richard Conte; The Green Years (1946) Starring Charles Coburn and Tom Drake; A Letter for Evie (1946) Starring Marsha Hunt and John Carroll; The Beginning or the End (1947) Starring Brian Donlevy and Robert Walker; The Red Pony (1949) Starring Myrna Loy and Robert Mitchum; Scene of the Crime (1949) Starring Van Johnson and Arlene Dahl; The Flame and the Arrow (1950) Starring Burt Lancaster and Virginia Mayo; Buccaneer’s Girl (1950) Starring Yvonne De Carlo and Philip Friend; The Light Touch (1951) Starring Stewart Granger and Pier Angeli; He Ran All the Way (1951) Starring John Garfield and Shelley Winters; Limelight (1952) Starring Charlie Chaplin and Claire Bloom; Audrey Rose (1977) Starring Marsha Mason and Anthony Hopkins; Dead Poets Society (1989) Starring Robin Williams and Robert Sean Leonard; The Age of Innocence (1993) Starring Daniel Day-Lewis and Michelle Pfeiffer; In Her Shoes (2005) Starring Cameron Diaz and Toni Collette; Trainwreck (2015) Starring Amy Schumer and Bill Hader --------------------------------- 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

EPISODE 126 - “THE WESTMORE DYNASTY: MAKE-UP TO THE STARS AND BEYOND” - 2/09/2026 Hollywood loves dynasties—acting families, directing families, producing families—but one of the most powerful dynasties in film history didn’t appear on screen at all. And it’s one of the rare family dynasties that began in silent films and continues working in film and TV to this very day: THE WESTMORE FAMILY. The Westmores were the architects of illusion and the sculptors of stardom. From the pioneering vision of GEORGE WESTMORE who laid the foundations of cinematic makeup, to the extraordinary careers of his six sons, this family transformed faces into movie stars and shifted the culture of how women thought of and accepted the use of makeup in every day life. Their techniques, philosophies, and innovations continue to influence how we see characters on screen today—often without even realizing it. Join us as we spend time with The Westmore Dynasty: Hollywood’s ‘First Family’ of makeup. SHOW NOTES: Sources: Makeup Man: From Rocky to Star Trek The Amazing Creations of Hollywood’s Michael Westmore (2017), by Michael Westmore and Jake Page; The Westmores of Hollywood (1976), by Frank Westmore and Murial Davidson; “Putting on a Face for Hollywood,” April 12, 1991, by Carie J. Delmar, Los Angeles Times; “Low-Down on Hollywood Make-up: Five Brothers and Their Father, Ex-Clevelanders All, Have Film Stars Beating a Path to Their Door,” April 7, 1940, by Inez Wallace, Cleveland Plain Dealer; www.westmoreland.com Wikipedia.com; TCM.com; IBDB.com; IMDBPro.com; Movies Mentioned: In the Sultan's Power (1909); The Three Musketeers (1921); The Sheik (1921); The Sea Beast (1926); The King of Kings (1927); It (1927); Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1931); Cimarron (1931); Scarface (1932); Lady by Choice (1934); Mutiny on the Bounty (1935); Anthony Adverse (1936); Rhythm on the Range (1936); The Life of Emile Zola (1937); Elephant Boy (1937); Jezebel (1938); The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938); Professor Beware (1938); Gone with the Wind (1939); Intermezzo (1939); The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1939); The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex (1939); Rebecca (1940); The Strawberry Blonde (1941); Mr. Peabody and the Mermaid (1948); Creature from the Black Lagoon (1954); The Ten Commandments (1956); The Mountain (1956); My Geisha (1962); Two for the Seesaw (1962); Irma la Douce (1963); Sweet Charity (1969); Two Mules for Sister Sara (1970); There Was a Crooked Man (1970); Soylent Green (1973); The Towering Inferno (1974); Rocky (1976); Being There (1979); Raging Bull (1980); Mask (1985); --------------------------------- 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

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

“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

EPISODE 120 - “REEL REFLECTIONS: STEVE & NAN’S FAVES IN CLASSIC CINEMA” - 12/29/25 As we say goodbye to 2025, Steve and Nan are wrapping up the year and ringing in the new one with much refection. In this fun episode, join the discussion as they talk about some of their favorite films, movie stars, and directors in a series of fun lists. Get to know our intrepid hosts better and find out just who they think was the Best Villain or Best Screen Kiss or Most Beautiful Actress in the golden era of Hollywood. Steve, Nan, Lindsay, and J.P. also want to thank you all for the steadfast support and kindness throughout the year. May 2026 bring great things to all of you beautiful listeners out there! SHOW NOTES: Sources: Wikipedia.com; TCM.com; IBDB.com; IMDBPro.com; Movies Mentioned: Ladies of Leisure (1930); Platinum Blonde (1931); Lady for a Day (1933); Alice Adams (1935); Stella Dallas (1936); My Man Godfrey (1936); These Three (1936); Dodsworth (1936); Come and Get It (1936); Mr. Deed Goes to Town (1936); The Awful Truth (1937); Night Must Fall (1937); Stella Dallas (1937); The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938); You Can’t Take It With You (1938); Jezebel (1938); Love Affair (1939); Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939); Wuthering Heights (1939); Dark Victory (1939); The Return of Frank James (1940); The Letter (1940); Citizen Kane (1941); Penny Serenade (1941); Suspicion (1941); Western Union (1941); Meet John Doe (1941); The Little Foxes (1941); Mrs. Miniver (1942); Casablanca (1942); Now, Voyager (1942); Talk of the Town (1942); The Spider Woman (1943); Double Indemnity (1944); Going My Way (1944); The Woman in the Window (1944); Phantom Lady (1944); Christmas Holiday (1944); Ministry of Fear (1944); Woman In the Window (1944); Arsenic & Old Lace (1944); The Bells of St. Mary’s (1945); Brief Encounter (1945); Leave Her to Heaven (1945); Mildred Pierce (1945); Our Vines Have Tender Grapes (1945); The Great Flamarion (1945); Two O’Clock Courage (1945); The Strange Affair of Uncle Harry (1945); Scarlet Street (1945); The Spiral Staircase (1946); It’s a Wonderful Life (1946); Notorious (1946); Gilda (1946); The Best Years of Our Lives (1946); Kiss of Death (1947); The Bishop’s Wife (1947); T-Men (1947); Nightmare Alley (1947); I Remember Mama (1948); Raw Deal (1948); Cry of the City (1948); They Live By Night (1948); Come to the Stable (1949); Criss Cross (1949); The Heiress (1949); White Heat (1949); Sunset Boulevard (1950); Harvey (1950); Side Street (1950); Winchester ’73 (1950); The File on Thelma Jordan (1950); A Place in the Sun (1951); Clash By Night (1952); In a Lonely Place (1953); From Here to Eternity (1953); The Big Heat (1953); Shane (1953); The Clown (1950); White Christmas (1954); A Star Is Born (1954); The Night of the Hunter (1955); The Man From Laramie (1955); A Face in the Crowd (1957); An Affair to Remember (1957); The Tin Star (1957); Giant (1956); Elmer Gantry (1960); Splendor In the Grass (1961); The Manchurian Candidate (1962); Take Her, She’s Mine (1963); The Sound of Music (1965); The Singing Nun (1966); Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966); Once Upon a Time in the West (1968); The Way We Were (1973); The Godfather Part II (1974); Ordinary People (1980); --------------------------------- 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

12-15-2025. "HO! HO! HOLLYWOOD: SANTA CLAUS IN CLASSIC CINEMA" (118) Long before special effects, CGI snowstorms, and big-budget holiday franchises, it fell to a small but memorable group of performers to embody the warmth, wonder, and whimsy of old St. Nick. Ever wonder about the actors who were called upon to portray Santa Claus in film and TV? These classic Santas weren’t just men in red suits — they were character actors, vaudevillians, radio veterans, and Hollywood workhorses who brought their own unique spark to the role, shaping how generations of moviegoers came to imagine Father Christmas. From the twinkle-eyed charmers to the unexpectedly gruff curmudgeons, from the iconic to the nearly forgotten, we’re unwrapping the stories behind the earliest portrayals that turned Santa into a cinematic tradition. So settle in with a mug of something warm, hang your stocking, and join us as we explore the jolly, joyful, and sometimes surprisingly complex history of Hollywood’s first Santas. SHOW NOTES: Sources: Wikipedia.com; TCM.com; IBDB.com; IMDBPro.com; Movies Mentioned: Ivanhoe (1913); Scrooge (1913); Santa Claus (1912), starring Leedham Bantok; 20th Century Fox Hour: Miracle on 34th Street (1955); starring Teresa Wright, Joseph Cotten, & Thomas Mitchell; Shadow of a Doubt (1943), starring Joseph Cotten & Teresa Wright; Stagecoach (1939), starring John Wayne, Claire Trevor, & Thomas Mitchell; It’s a Wonderful Life (1946), starring James Stewart, Donna Reed, & Thomas Mitchell; Gone With The Wind (1939), starring Vivien Leigh & Clark Gable; Theodora Goes Wild (1936), starring Irene Dunne; Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939), starring James Stewart & Jean Arthur; Our Town (1940), starring Martha Scott & Henry Fonda; High Noon (1952), starring Gary Cooper & Grace Kelly; Wild Flowers (1943), starring José Elias Moreno; Santa Claus (1959), starring José Elias Moreno; Santa Claus Conquers the Martians (1964), staring John Call; Fearless Fagan (1952), staring Janet Leigh & Keenan Wynn; Boots Malone (also 1952), starring William Holden Don’t Bother to Knock (1952), starring Marilyn Monroe & Richard Widmark; The Long, Long Trailer (1954), starring Lucille Ball & Desi Arnaz; The Anderson Tapes (1971), starring Sean Connery & Dyan Cannon; --------------------------------- 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

EPISODE 116 - “CLASSIC STAR OF THE MONTH: DICK VAN DYKE” - 12/01/25 Join us as we celebrate the life and career of someone who seemingly personifies joy — on-screen and off. And maybe that’s the secret to his longevity, because he is about to celebrate his 100th birthday on December 13. Of course, we’re talking about the one and only, DICK VAN DYKE, our December Star of the Month. His career spans The Dick Van Dyke Show, Mary Poppins, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, and beyond. He’s danced across rooftops, flipped over ottomans, and shared his personal struggles with alcoholism in order to shine a light on a horrible disease -- at a time when that sort of thing wasn’t discussed. From his early years trying to make it in show business, to that breakout moment on Broadway, to becoming one of the most beloved stars on television and film - today, we celebrate the legendary Dick Van Dyke! SHOW NOTES: Sources: My Lucky Life in and Out of Show Business (2011), Dick Van Dyke; Columbia Pictures Press Release, (1968), by John C. Flinn; Rogers & Cowan, Inc. Public Relations Biographical Notes on Dick Van Dyke, 1964 “A New Van Dyke Family Blooms in the Desert,” September 17, 1971, Life Magazine; “Dick Van Dyke Does It All, But In His Own Way,” March/April 1973, by Joseph N. Bell, The Saturday Evening Post; “Dick Van Dyke Tells of Alcohol Problem”, December 7, 1973, by Marilyn Beck, Marilyn Beck’s Hollywood, Special Features; “The Serious Side of Dick Van Dyke,” Jan/Feb 1982, by Sally Saunders, The Saturday Evening Post: “Vintage Van Dyke,” October 1990, by Stuart Matranga, TV Time; “Biography Dick Van Dyke,”Dec 14, 1998, by Michael A. Lipton & Champ Clark, People Magazine; “Man With A Mission: Helping the Homeless Makes Dick Van Dyke’s Holidays,”Nov 13, 2007, by Debra Beyer, Los Angeles Times; “Mary Tyler Moore & Dick Van Dyke Are Together Again on TV — But They’re Not Rob & Laura Anymore,”April 2003, by Sheldon Lessen, Southern California Senior Life; Wikipedia.com; TCM.com; IBDB.com; IMDBPro.com; Movies Mentioned: Bye, Bye Birdie (1963), starring Dick Van Dyke, Janet Leigh, Ann-Margret, Paul Lynde, & Maureen Stapleton; What a Way to Go (1964), starring Shirley MacLaine, Dean Martin, Robert, Mitchum, Dick Van Dyke, Gene Kelly, & Paul Newman; Mary Poppins (1964), starring Julie Andrews & Dick Van Dyke; The Art of Love (1965), starring James Garner, Dick Van Dyke, & Angie Dickinson; Lt. Robin Crusoe, U.S.N. (1966), starring Dick Van Dyke & Nancy Kwan; Divorce American Style (1967), starring Dick Van Dyke, Debbie Reynolds, Jason Robards & Jean Simmons; Never a Dull Moment (1968), starring Dick Van Dyke, Edward G, Robinson & Dorothy Provine; Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (1968), starring Dick Van Dyke & Sally Ann Howes; Some Kind of Nut (1969), starring Dick Van Dyke, Angie Dickinson, Rosemary Forsyth, & Zohra Lambert; The Comic (1969), starring Dick Van Dyke, Michelle Lee & Mickey Rooney; Cold Turkey (1971), starring Dick Van Dyke, Pippa Scott, & Bob Newhart; The Morning After (1974), starring Dick Van Dyke & Lynn Carlin; The Runner Stumbles (1979), starring Dick Van Dyke & Kathleen Quinlan; Dick Tracy (1990), starring Warren Beatty & Madonna; The Gin Game (2003), starring Dick Van Dyke & Mary Tyler Moore; Night at the Museum (2006), starring Ben Stiller & Carla Cugino; Mary Poppins Returns (2018), starring Emily Blunt & Lin Manuel Miranda; --------------------------------- 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

"FROM SILENT DREAMS TO SILVER SCREENS - THE HOLLYWOOD SIGN STORY" Nov 17, 2025 - (114) Each year thousands of people flock to Hollywood, and most are usually stopped in their tracks upon the first sighting of the iconic Hollywood Sign. Sitting high atop Mount Lee 1400 feet above the city, the Sign is a mesmerizing beacon of light that has come to symbolize the hopes and dreams of so many who’ve come here to become a star. This week, we get (really) up-close and personal with the Hollywood Sign. At the invitation of the Hollywood Sign Trust, the organization in charge of maintaining, protecting, and publicizing the Sign, we were able to record at the base of the Sign, a location that is off-limits to the public. Joining us to tell the fascinating and fanciful history of the Hollywood Sign is DIANA WRIGHT, who works with the Trust. You won’t want to miss this one! SHOW NOTES: Sources: “20 Fun Facts About The Hollywood Sign,” January 22, 2017, by Nelson James, Signs.com; Hollywoodsign.org; laconservancy.org; Hollywoodchamber.net; 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