Polly Platt with George Miller, 1986 | Photo by Kerry Hayes, Courtesy of Sashy Bogdanovich
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In the mid-to-late 80s, Polly Platt worked on a number of films that defined and reflected that decade’s ideas about female power. With an Oscar nomination under her belt, Polly starts trying in earnest to direct. She ends her career as a production designer with The Witches of Eastwick, a star-studded special-effects extravaganza. Inspired by Polly, Brooks creates the character played by Holly Hunter in Broadcast News, infusing the film with Polly’s single-minded professional determination. Riding high on having guided Brooks through two consecutive, blockbuster Oscar nominees, Polly becomes a production executive at Brooks's Gracie Films, where she produces Cameron Crowe’s Say Anything…
Jack Nicholson, Michelle Pfeiffer, Susan Sarandon, and Cher at an event for The Witches of Eastwick (1987)
SHOW NOTES:
Sources specific to this episode:
This season is based in large part on Polly Platt's unpublished memoir, It Was Worth It, excerpted with the permission of Sashy Bodganovich.
This episode includes excerpts from interviews with: Alison Anders, Antonia Bogdanovich, Nancy Griffin, Polly Finkelman Cox, Danny Devito, Rachel Abramowitz, Paula Herrold, Sashy Bogdanovich, Penney Finkelman Cox, Rachel Abramowitz, Lisa Maria Radano, David Moritz, Jerry Bruckheimer, Kelly Wade, Cameron Crowe and Barbara Boyle.
Holly Hunter in Broadcast News (1987)
Music:
The music used in this episode, with the exception of the intro, was sourced from royalty-free music libraries and licensed music collections. The intro includes a clip from the film Casablanca.
Excerpts from the following songs were used throughout the episode:
Rescue Mission - Lupus Nocte
Divider - Chris Zabriskie
Laserdisc - Chris Zabriskie
Satellites - Ebb and Flod
Whispering of the Stars - Luella Gren
Mystic Star - Eneide
Celestial Dreams - Eneide
Out of the Skies, Under the Earth - Chris Zabriskie
Peaceful Piano - Neuromancer
Lullaby - Neuromancer
Keep Showing Up - John T. Graham
Danse Morialta - Kevin MacLeod
Polly Platt makes an appearance in Cameron Crowe's Say Anything (1989)
Credits:
This episode was written, narrated and produced by Karina Longworth.
Featuring special guests: Maggie Siff as the voice of Polly Platt.
Research and production assistant: Lindsey D. Schoenholtz.
Social media, transcription and additional research: Brendan Whalen.
Transcription and additional research: Kristen Sales and Wiley Wiggins.
Produced and edited by Tomeka Weatherspoon.
Audio engineers: Jared O'Connell, Andrea Kristins and Brendan Byrnes.
Supervising Producer: Josephine Martorana.
Executive Producer: Chris Bannon.
Logo design: Teddy Blanks.