New Episodes

Cass Elliot, Carnie Wilson and Fat-Shaming in Rock and Pop (Make Me Over, Episode 6) /  by Karina Longworth

Listen to this episode on Apple Podcasts. 

Cass Elliot didn’t die eating a ham sandwich. But the lasting power of that urban legend speaks to a far darker story. Elliot possessed one of the most influential voices of the 1960s. However, while her big break with The Mamas and The Papas and meteoric career changed the LA music scene forever, it also entrapped Elliot in a cycle of fat-shaming, sending her spiraling into catastrophic weight-loss regimens. In this episode, we’ll talk about the music industry’s complicated relationship with weight, how crash dieting likely led to the untimely death of this music legend, and the true legacy of Elliot in pop culture.

This episode was written and performed by Lexi Pandell, a writer from Oakland, California. Her work has been published by The Atlantic, The New York Times, WIRED, The New Republic, Condé Nast Traveler, GQ, Playboy, and many others.

Mamas & Papas c. 1967

Mamas & Papas c. 1967

SHOW NOTES: 

Sources specific to this episode:

Dream a Little Dream of Me by Eddie Fiegel

Go Where You Wanna Go: The Oral History of The Mamas and The Papas by Matthew Greenwald

American Legends: Mama Cass by Charles Rivers Editors

Reducing Bodies: Mass Culture and the Female Figure in Postwar America by Elizabeth Matelski

California Dreamin’ by Michelle Phillips

The Mamas & the Papas: Behind the Music from VH1, 1998

E! True Hollywood Story: Mama Cass Elliot, 1996

“Mama Cass: A Myth, Larger Than Life,” July 31, 1992, Entertainment Weekly

“California Dreamgirl,” December 2007, Vanity Fair

“Sink Along with Mama Cass,” June 1, 1969, Esquire

“What a Way to Lose 110 Pounds!” March 1969, The Ladies Home Journal

“The Untold Story: Cass Elliot’s Daughter On the Crushing Fat-Shaming Her Mother Endured,” May 24, 2019, NextTribe

“Cass Elliot, Pop Singer, Dies; Star of the Mamas and Papas,” July 30, 1974, The New York Times

“How Karen Carpenter's Death Changed the Way We Talk About Anorexia,” May 23, 2016, Time

“Wilson Phillips’s California Dream,” May 17, 1990, Rolling Stone

“Carnie Wilson Says She Was Weighed and Fat-Shamed by Howard Stern: 'I Was Devastated',” November 8, 2017, People

Excerpts from the following television shows and films were used throughout the episode:

The Mamas & the Papas: Behind the Music from VH1, 1998

Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery, 1997

Man of the Year, 2006

The Mike Douglas Show, 1970

E! True Hollywood Story: Mama Cass Elliot, 1996

The Dinah Shore Show, 1972

Different - Cass Elliot featured in Pufnstuf, 1970

The Carol Burnett Show, Season 4, Episode 8, 1970

The Carol Burnett Show, Season 5, Episode 4, 1971

The Red Skelton Show, 1971

The Tonight Show, 1974

The Talk, November 8, 2017

Carnie Wilson: Unstapled, 2010

Cass Elliot, 1967 Photo by Jerry Schatzberg/Getty Images

Cass Elliot, 1967 Photo by Jerry Schatzberg/Getty Images

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: 

California Dreamin’ - The Mamas and The Papas
Creeque Alley - The Mamas and The Papas
Home Fires - Preservation Hall, Jenson Navarro
Summer Of Love - Christophe Marie Alai Deschamps , Brisa Roché
Picking Daisies - Dominique Gabriel Joseph Depret
Sometime - Rebecca Ruth Hall
Caribbean Fun - Gerhard Narholz
Nice To Meet You - Silvain Vanot
The Face - Julien Guillaume Yves Bonneau, David Alphonse Pierre Krutten, James Sheppard
Water Rising - Gareth David Dickson
One Emotion - Vasco, Jeremy Noel William Abbott
Snowmen - Kai Engel

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Credits:

Make Me Over is a special presentation of You Must Remember This. It was created and directed by Karina Longworth, who also edited the scripts.

This episode was written and performed by Lexi Pandell.

Research and production assistant: Lindsey D. Schoenholtz.

Social media assistant: Brendan Whalen.

Producer: Tomeka Weatherspoon. 

Editor: Jared O'Connell.

Audio engineers: Jared O'Connell, Andrea Kristins and Brendan Burns. 

Supervising Producer: Josephine Martorana. 

Executive Producer: Chris Bannon. 

Logo design: Teddy Blanks and Aaron Nestor.

Wilson Phillips, 1991

Wilson Phillips, 1991

Esther Williams and the Birth of Waterproof Makeup (Make Me Over, Episode 5) /  by Karina Longworth

Listen to this episode on Apple Podcasts.

Esther Williams single-handedly helped to popularize the past time of swimming, first as the star swimmer of the San Francisco production of Billy Rose's Aquacade, and then as the star of Hollywood films like Bathing Beauties and Million Dollar Mermaid. Williams’s stardom—and the necessity to maintain her image as a grinning glamour girl, even while submerged underwater—led to the creation of several waterproof products and swimwear innovations, from waterproof foundation and eyeliner to bathing cap couture. Despite two decades of sustained celebrity and brand power, Williams eventually struggled to maintain the pristine bathing beauty facade. She lost her MGM contract in the 1960s and had to pay millions to the studio in damages; on her way down, she slapped her name on swimming pools and exercise videos, stumbled through four unhappy marriages and started to experiment with taking LSD for her depression. Drawing on previously untapped resources, Rachel Syme will tell the story of Williams' rise and fall, and the innovations in aqua-beauty she inspired, while also analyzing why we want to be waterproof, why we want to be so invulnerable to the elements—and why putting swimming on-screen led to extra pressures for women to look put-together, even when sopping wet. 

This episode was written and performed by Rachel Syme, a writer, reporter and cultural critic living in New York City. who writes a regular column for The New Yorker on fashion and beauty. She is also a regular contributor to The New York Times Magazine, GQ, Vanity Fair, and Esquire. She often writes about the complex intersection between fame, glamour, beauty, and feminism.

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Esther Williams and Tom and Jerry in Dangerous When Wet (1953)

Esther Williams and Tom and Jerry in Dangerous When Wet (1953)

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: 

Better Late Than Never - Laurence Holloway
Hollywood Forever - Jean Claudric
Make Believe You're A Hero - John Harry Cacavas, Hal David
How About Mine - John Harry Cacavas, Hal David
Two Latin Lovers - John Harry Cacavas, Hal David
Can't Get You Out Of My Mind - John Harry Cacavas, Hal David
Kitsch Comedy - Peter Jeffries
Wrong Track - Philippe Jacques Marie Hersant
Love Pain - Bruno Raymond Bertoli
Tragical Destiny - Bruno Raymond Bertoli
Escape In The Dark - Jean Claudric
Meet The Host - Max Harris
Johnny Ubiquitous - Trevor Duncan
A Life Of Memories - Jean Claudric

Esther Williams applying her makeup c. 1956

Esther Williams applying her makeup c. 1956

Credits:

Make Me Over is a special presentation of You Must Remember This. It was created and directed by Karina Longworth, who also edited the scripts.

This episode was written and performed by Rachel Syme.

Research and production assistant: Lindsey D. Schoenholtz.

Social media assistant: Brendan Whalen.

Producer: Tomeka Weatherspoon. 

Editor: Jared O'Connell.

Audio engineers: Jared O'Connell, Andrea Kristins and Brendan Burns. 

Supervising Producer: Josephine Martorana. 

Executive Producer: Chris Bannon. 

Logo design: Teddy Blanks and Aaron Nestor.

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Passing for White: Merle Oberon (Make Me Over, Episode 4) /  by Karina Longworth

Listen to this episode on Apple Podcasts. 

In 1935, Merle Oberon became the first biracial actress to be nominated for a Best Actress Oscar, an incredible achievement in then-segregated Hollywood -- except that nobody in Hollywood knew Oberon was biracial. Born in Bombay into abject poverty in 1911, Oberon's fate seemed sealed in her racist colonial society. But a series of events, lies, men, and an obsession with controlling her own image -- even if it meant bleaching her own skin -- changed Oberon's path forever.

This episode was written and performed by Halley Bondy, a writer and journalist whose work has appeared in NBC, The Outline, Eater NY, Paste Magazine, Scary Mommy, Bustle, Vice, and more. She's an author of five young adult books, a handful of plays, an is a writer/producer for the podcast "Masters of Scale." She lives in Brooklyn with husband/cheerleader Tim, and her amazing toddler Robin.

Merle Oberon and Leslie Howard in the Scarlet Pimpernel, 1934

Merle Oberon and Leslie Howard in the Scarlet Pimpernel, 1934

Fredric March and Merle Oberon, The Dark Angel, 1935

Fredric March and Merle Oberon, The Dark Angel, 1935

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:

The Black Dahlia - Paul Martin Pritchard
A Deep Longing -  Laurent Eric Couson
Psychotic Mind - Patrick Thomas Hawes
Evening Papers - Geoffrey Peter Gascoyne
Blue Moan - Keith Charles Nichols
Sunset on Happiness - Laurent Eric Couson
Hollywood Holiday - Frank Samuels
Lonely Landscape - David Snell
Maze - Piotr Moss
Sentimental - Peter Yorke
Melancholy Feel - Mike Sunderland
Affairs of the Heart - Frederick Humphries
Tendre Billet Doux - Pierre Marcel Thierry Blanchard
Black Virgin - Piotr Moss
Voltar A Alfama - Marc-Olivier Nicolas Dupin,Christian Toucas
Farewell - Roman Raithel
A Picture of You - Roman Raithel

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Credits:

Make Me Over is a special presentation of You Must Remember This. It was created and directed by Karina Longworth, who also edited the scripts.

This episode was written and performed by Halley Bondy.

Additional research by Kristen Sales. 

Research and production assistant: Lindsey D. Schoenholtz.

Social media assistant: Brendan Whalen.

Producer: Tomeka Weatherspoon. 

Editor: Jared O'Connell.

Audio engineers: Jared O'Connell, Andrea Kristins and Brendan Burns. 

Supervising Producer: Josephine Martorana. 

Executive Producer: Chris Bannon. 

Logo design: Teddy Blanks and Aaron Nestor.

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Marie Dressler, the First Female Star to Conquer Hollywood’s Ageism (Make Me Over, Episode 3) /  by Karina Longworth

Listen to this episode on Apple Podcasts. 

In 1933, the biggest female star in American movies wasn’t a sex symbol like Greta Garbo, Jean Harlow, or Marlene Dietrich. It was Marie Dressler — homely, overweight, and over 60 years old. The public loved nothing better than to see their Marie play a drunk or a dowager and steal every scene from the glamour girls less than half her age. Dressler had been down and out for most of the 1920s. That she became a star at age 60 was an achievement that told Depression-battered audiences it was never too late. Today we take a look at the life of Marie Dressler; from Broadway, to the picket lines, to the breadline and to the Oscar podium, she proved that in some cases, Hollywood stardom can be more than skin-deep.

This episode was written and performed by Farran Smith Nehme, who has written about film and film history for the New York Post, the Wall Street Journal, Barron’s, the New York Times, Film Comment, Sight & Sound, Criterion, and at her blog, Self-Styled Siren. Her novel, Missing Reels, was published in 2014.

Charles Chaplin, Marie Dressler, Mabel Normand, and Peggy Page in Tillie's Punctured Romance, 1914

Charles Chaplin, Marie Dressler, Mabel Normand, and Peggy Page in Tillie's Punctured Romance, 1914

Greta Garbo and Marie Dressler in Anna Christie, 1930

Greta Garbo and Marie Dressler in Anna Christie, 1930

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:

When Pictures Learned To Move - Roman Raithel
Sweet Annabelle -  Sam Fonteyn
Tell Me What You Know -  Jess Ellis Knubis
Twitten Twirlings - Miles Dylan, Harry Spencer
Dancing Society - Robert Sharples
The Great Depression - Geoffrey Peter Gascoyne
Old Slapper - Geoffrey Peter Gascoyne
Oh What Fun - Frederick George Charrosin
Yacht Club - Alain Francois Edouard Bernard
Radio Days - Nicolas Wilhem Mollard
Swing Nocturno - Otto Sieben
A Picture of You - Roman Raithel
Paris Blues - Marc-Olivier Nicolas Dupin
Periodicality - Laurent Dury

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Credits:

Make Me Over is a special presentation of You Must Remember This. It was created and directed by Karina Longworth, who also edited the scripts.

This episode was written and performed by Farran Smith Nehme. 

Research and production assistant: Lindsey D. Schoenholtz.

Social media assistant: Brendan Whalen.

Producer: Tomeka Weatherspoon. 

Editor: Jared O'Connell.

Audio engineers: Jared O'Connell, Andrea Kristins and Brendan Burns. 

Supervising Producer: Josephine Martorana. 

Executive Producer: Chris Bannon. 

Logo design: Teddy Blanks and Aaron Nestor.

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Hollywood’s First Weight Loss Guru: Madame Sylvia (Make Me Over, Episode 2) /  by Karina Longworth

MadameSylvia.jpg

Listen to this episode on Apple Podcasts.

Glamourous and shrewd, Sylvia of Hollywood became the movie industry’s first weight-loss guru during the end of the silent era. An immigrant of mysterious origin, she would cannily market herself to clients like Gloria Swanson, who she promised to ‘slenderize, refine, reduce, and squeeze’ into shape. But her taste for gossip and publicity would become her downfall in the 1930s when she published a catty tell-all memoir about her star clients. 

This episode was written and performed by Christina Newland, an award-winning journalist on film, pop culture, and boxing at Sight & Sound Magazine, Little White Lies, VICE, Hazlitt, The Ringer, and others. She loves ‘70s Americana, boxing flicks, fashion, and old Hollywood lore. She was born in New York and lives in Nottingham, England.

SHOW NOTES:  

Sources specific to this episode:

Hollywood Undressed: Observations of Sylvia as Noted by her Secretary 

No More Alibis by Sylvia of Hollywood 

Streamline Your Figure by Sylvia of Hollywood 

Pull Yourself Together Baby by Sylvia of Hollywood 

Gloria Swanson: Ready for Her Close-Up by Tricia Welsch 

Calories and Corsets by Louise Foxcroft 

Hollywood and the Rise of Physical Culture by Heather Addison 

Sylvia of Hollywood and Physical Culture, 1920-1940, by Amanda Regan

‘The Mogul in Mr. Kennedy’, by Cari Beauchamp, Vanity Fair, April 2002 

‘Sylvia Returns - To Restore You to Beauty’, by Madame Sylvia, Photoplay, Oct 1936. 

‘Is Mae West Skidding on the Curves?’, by Madame Sylvia, Photoplay, Dec 1936 

‘How Sylvia Insured Jean Harlow’s Success,’ by Madame Sylvia, Photoplay, Sep 1933 

‘Sylvia Gives Clara Bow Some Timely Advice,’ by Madame Sylvia, Feb 1934 

‘Can Beauty be Hand Made?’, by Gary Strider, Screenland, Jan 1930

‘Diet: The Menace of Hollywood,’ by Katherine Albert, Photoplay Jan 1929

‘Famous Masseuse Denies She Has Offended Stars’, by Audrey Rivers, Movie Classic, Oct 1931

‘Sylvia Writes Story About Film Colony, by Hubbard Keavy, Tampa Bay Times, 20 July 1931 

‘Screen’s Sylvia Rubs Out #1, Weds A Leiter’, NY Daily News, 6 July 1932 

‘Ginger Sues Broadcaster for Saying She Needs Diet,’ NY Daily News, 24 March 1934 

‘Sylvia of Hollywood Tells Her Reducing Secrets’, St. Louis Star Times, 24 March 1936 

Nellie Revell Radio Show, NBC, 1934, digitized by Amanda Regan

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:

Springtime in the Park - Paul Lenart, Bill Novick
The Grand Ball - Thomas Richard Peter Howe, Stephen Christopher Tait
Evening Papers - Geoffrey Peter Gascoyne
Blue Moan - Keith Charles Nichols
The Great Depression - Geoffrey Peter Gascoyne
Sick And Tired - Geoffrey Peter Gascoyne
Smoky Sunday - Geoffrey Peter Gascoyne
When Pictures Learned To Move - Roman Raithel
Farewell - Roman Raithel
A Picture of You - Roman Raithel

madame-sylvia-hollwood-weight-loss_1_ed8d0bf72fe6a9fcd83dae269120a50d.jpg

Credits:

Make Me Over is a special presentation of You Must Remember This. It was created and directed by Karina Longworth, who also edited the scripts.

This episode was written and performed by Christina Newland. 

Research and production assistant: Lindsey D. Schoenholtz.

Social media assistant: Brendan Whalen.

Producer: Tomeka Weatherspoon. 

Editor: Jared O'Connell.

Audio engineers: Jared O'Connell, Andrea Kristins and Brendan Burns. 

Supervising Producer: Josephine Martorana. 

Executive Producer: Chris Bannon. 

Logo design: Teddy Blanks and Aaron Nestor.

Hollywood’s First Weight Loss Surgery: Molly O’Day (Make Me Over, Episode 1) /  by Karina Longworth

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Listen to this episode on Apple Podcasts. 

At the age of 18, actress Molly O’Day’s career showed great promise—the only thing holding her back was a bit of pubescent pudge. When diets failed, she became the guinea pig of Hollywood's first highly-publicized weight loss surgery. This was in 1929, and the procedure was, as one fan magazine described it "dangerous...and all in vain." What lead Molly to such desperation? And what happened after the surgery her former lover, actor George Raft, declared “ruined her health, her career, and damn near killed her”?

This episode was written and performed by Megan Koester. Megan Koester is a writer, comedian, and Daughter of the Golden West; LA Weekly (before it was taken over by right-wingers, mind you) listed her as a "comic to watch," saying her "sets are as dark, self-effacing and in-the-moment as they come." She co-authored the Audible Original The Indignities of Being a Woman with Merrill Markoe and recently released her debut stand up album, Tertium Non Datur, on aspecialthing records.

SHOW NOTES:  

This episode touches on an aspect of Buster Keaton’s post-MGM attempt at a comeback. For more context on Buster and how his disastrous stint at MGM left his career crippled at the point that his story dovetails with Molly O’Day’s, listen to our episode on Keaton from 2015.

Sources specific to this episode:

“Diet, the Menace of Hollywood” by Katherine Albert, Photoplay, January 1929 

“The Flesh and Blood Racket: Vanity Drives Hollywood to Suffer the Horrors of the Surgeon’s Knife” by Dorothy Manners, Motion Picture Magazine, April 1929

"Love Scene Recipe is Discovered: Cultivate Mild Infatuation with Leading Man, Advice of Molly O’Day” Los Angeles Times, October 16, 1927 

"Does Nicely, Thank You: Sally O'Neil is Irish, Lovely and 18, and Well on Way to Stardom” by Alma Whitaker, Los Angeles Times, March 13, 1927 

“‘Kid’ Nearly Flawless Film: Richard Barthelmess Gives Great Performance” by Marquis Busby, Los Angeles Times, March 2, 1928

“Molly Has Own ‘Slogan’ as She Plans Comeback” Mansfield News Journal, January 21, 1937

“‘Vagabond’ Nominates Its Baby Star; Defies Wampas Selections” Hollywood Vagabond, March 31, 1927

“Hollywood High Lights” by Edwin and Eliza Schallert, Picture-Play Magazine, December 1928

“Starving Back to Stardom: The Sad Story of Molly O’Day, Whose Career Was Blighted by Ice Cream and Candy” by Lois Shirley, Photoplay, August 1928

“Molly Gives Up ‘Three Squares,’ Two Very Meager Meals Every 24 Hours Now Miss O’Day’s Limit” by Dan Thomas, Syracuse Herald, June 3, 1928

“3 Mos for 25 Lbs” Variety, October 26, 1927

“F.N. Abandons Molly to Own Weight Fight” Variety, July 4, 1928 

“Sliced Hips and Legs Save Miss Molly O’Day” Variety, September 19, 1928

Hollywood and the Rise of Physical Culture by Heather Addison

“Reducing Herself to Riches: Doris Dawson’s Soul-Struggle is Caused by a Hunger for Both Cake and a Career” by Dorothy Manners, Motion Picture Classic, July 1928

“Avoirdupois is Stern Foe for Film Actresses” Indiana Evening Gazette, August 8, 1928

“Liposuction — the Evolution of the Classical Technique” by Yves-Gerard Illouz, PMFA Journal, April 1, 2014

“Surgeon Carved Off Mollie O’Day’s Fat — But It Came Back” San Antonio Light January 20, 1929 

“Beauty Doc Sued Again for ‘Error’: Dr. Griffith Once Paid Minnie Chaplin $30,000 — Now W.H. Scott Wants $100,000” Variety, August 10, 1927

George Raft by Lewis Yablonsky

“Weight-Reducing Molly O’Day is Losing Out” Variety, December 12, 1928

“Gossip of All the Studios” by Cal York, Photoplay, April 1929

“Am I My Brother’s Keeper?” by Jane Stewart, The Modern Screen Magazine, November 1930

“Easy Come, Easy Go in Movies; Sisters Now Are Bankrupt” Albuquerque Journal, November 10, 1930

“R-K-O Does Everything But Act for Picture Duo” Variety, May 14, 1930 

“Sally O’Neil and Molly O’Day: Talk and Singing”, Variety, June 4, 1930

“One-Day Stars: Were These Players Equipped for One, and Only One, Great Role?” by Madeline Glass, Picture Play Magazine, April 1932

My Wonderful World of Slapstick by Buster Keaton

“Hot From Hollywood...With the News Sleuth” by Hal E. Wood, Hollywood Magazine, May 1934

“Hollywood’s Film Shops” by Alanson Edwards, South Haven Daily Tribune, May 21, 1934

“Scene as Flames Rage in Motion-Picture Plant: Actors Flee for Their Lives as Fire Sweeps Film Studio” Los Angeles Times, June 7, 1937

“Divorces” Billboard, July 28, 1951

“Sand Doin’s” Palm Springs Desert Sun, December 15, 1950

“Molly O’Day Hit By Egg, Gets Decree” Long Beach Press Telegram, August 9, 1956 

“Divorce, Molly O' Day” Los Angeles Examiner Photographs Collection, July 10, 1951

Silent Stars Speak: Interviews with Twelve Cinema Pioneers by Tony Villecco

For more information on Molly O'Day, check out "Reels and Rivals: Sisters in Silent Films" by Jennifer Ann Redmond

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Music:

The music used in this episode 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: The Black Dahlia - Paul Martin Pritchard

Devil Heart -  Daniel Horacio Diaz, Andre Paul Marie Charlier
The Silver Screen - David Francis
Life is Harsh - Sophia Lydie, Ginette Domancich
Maze - Piotr Moss
Exotique - Paul Lenart, Bill Novick
Dreamy Reflection - Lorne David Roderick Balfe
Mysterioso Melancholia - Howard Lucraft
Le Clair, l'Obscur - 1st movement - Denis Jean, Maurice Levaillant
Lost In Paris - Geoffrey Peter Gascoyne
La Mondaine - Daniel Horacio Diaz & Andre Paul Marie Charlier
Dixie Blues - Geoffrey Peter Gascoyne
Blue Moan - Keith Charles Nichols

Credits:

Make Me Over is a special presentation of You Must Remember This. It was created and directed by Karina Longworth, who also edited the scripts.

This episode was written and performed by Megan Koester. 

Research and production assistant: Lindsey D. Schoenholtz.

Social media assistant: Brendan Whalen.

Producer: Tomeka Weatherspoon. 

Editor: Jared O'Connell.

Audio engineers: Jared O'Connell, Andrea Kristins and Brendan Burns. 

Supervising Producer: Josephine Martorana. 

Executive Producer: Chris Bannon. 

Logo design: Teddy Blanks and Aaron Nestor.

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Make Me Over - You Must Remember This Companion Series Coming January 21 /  by Karina Longworth

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In this companion series to You Must Remember This, Karina Longworth will introduce eight stories about Hollywood’s intersection with the beauty industry. Told by writers/reporters known for their work at The New Yorker, The New York Times and other publications, Make Me Over will explore a range of topics, including Hollywood’s first weight loss surgery, the story of the star whose unique skills led to the development of waterproof mascara, black beauty in the 1990s, and much more. Join us, won’t you?

Splash Mountain (Six Degrees of Song of the South, Episode 6) /  by Karina Longworth

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Listen to this episode on Apple Podcasts.

After two more successful theatrical releases, in 1980 and 1986, Disney decided to put Song of the South in the “Disney Vault,” and never released it on home video or theatrically in the US ever again. And yet, at the same time, the company was developing a theme park ride around Song of the South’s characters and its most memorable song--but without Uncle Remus, or any signifiers of the complicated racial and historical dynamics the film, however clumsily, portrayed.

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Sources specific to this episode:

Dream it! Do it! My Half Century Creating Disney’s Magic Kingdoms by Marty Sklar

Designing Disney: Imagineering and the Art of the Show by John Hench

Imagineering: A Behind the Dreams Look at Making the Magic Real by Disney Editions
Birth of an Industry By Nicholas Sammond

“Animation Sings In Song of the South” by Charles Solomon, Los Angeles Times, November 21, 1986

“Song not Ended for Disney” by James A. Snead, Los Angeles Times, December 27, 1986 

“Should dated films see the light of day?” Donald Liebenson, Los Angeles Times, May 7 2003

“Song of South: A Fascist Film?” by Thomas Pleasure, Los Angeles Times, August 2, 1981

“'Beulah Land' has something in it to offend almost…” by Joan Hanauer, October 7, 1980, UPI Archives

“Exploring Disney's Fascinating Dark Phase of the 70s and 80s” by Ryan Lambie

Jun 26, 2019, https://www.denofgeek.com

“Eisner's 19 Years At Walt Disney” by David Leonhardt, December 1, 2003, The New York Times 

http://legacy.aintitcool.com/node/6325

http://vintagedisneylandtickets.blogspot.com/2010/07/remembering-deborah-july-8-1974.html

Music:

The music used in this episode, with the exception of the intro and outro, was sourced from royalty-free music libraries and licensed music collections. The intro includes a clip from the film Casablanca. The outro song this week is “South is Only a Home” by The Fiery Furnaces. 

Excerpts from the following songs were used throughout the episode:

Great Hopes - Bjarni Biering Margeirsson
The Missing Pie - Jeffrey S Lippencott, Mark Thomas Williams, James Miles Hankins
Fancy Footwalk - Daniel Horacio Diaz
Curious Affairs - Daryl Neil Alexander Griffith
Gumshoe Blues - Paul Martin Pritchard
Linger Awhile - Marian Mcpartland
Mists of Antiquity - Sidney John Kay
Serene Pastoral Folk Blues - Alexandre Stephane Rusian Toukaeff, Baptiste Vayer
Sneak Easy - John Neille Rufus Altman
Whimsicality - Laurent Dury
The Setup - Daniel Horacio Diaz
Looking for Clues - Daryl Neil Alexander Griffith
Our Man in Miami - Daniel Horacio Diaz, Andre Paul Marie CHISL Charlier
Yacht Club - Alain Francois Edouard Bernard
Illustrious Prince - Laurent Dury
Lazy Pastoral Folk Blues - Alexandre Stephane Rusian Toukaeff, Baptiste Vayer
Free Stylin - Daryl Neil Alexander Griffith
The Pleasure Handiwork - Mathieu Claude Laurent

Credits:

This episode was written, narrated and produced by Karina Longworth.

Editor: Andi Kristins.

Research and production assistant: Lindsey D. Schoenholtz.

Social media assistant: Brendan Whalen.

Logo design: Teddy Blanks.

Blaxploitation and the White Backlash (Six Degrees of Song of the South, Episode 5) /  by Karina Longworth

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Listen to this episode on Apple Podcasts. 

Song of the South’s most successful re-release came in 1972, at a time when Hollywood was dealing with race by making two very different kinds of movies: Blaxploitation films, which gave black audiences a chance to see black characters triumph against white authority figures; and movies like Dirty Harry, which were emblematic of a concurrent cultural and political shift away from the Civil Rights Movement and toward Reagan-style Republicanism. 

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Music:

The music used in this episode, with the exception of the intro and outro, was sourced from royalty-free music libraries and licensed music collections. The intro includes a clip from the film Casablanca. The outro song this week is “Pusherman” by Curtis Mayfield. 

Excerpts from the following songs were used throughout the episode:

Serene Pastoral Folk Blues - Alexandre Stephane Rusian Toukaeff, Baptiste Vayer
Cotton Flower - Paul Martin Pritchard
Yacht Club - Alain Francois Edouard Bernard
Whimsicality - Laurent Dury
Reflections Underscore - Jack Richard Pierce
Converted Livestock Farmers - Baptiste Francois Guillaume Thiry
Hanging Tree - Wayne Anthony Murray, Tobias Macfarlaine, Elmore King
Rattle Them Chains - Wayne Anthony Murray, Tobias Macfarlaine, Elmore King
Free Stylin - Daryl Neil, Alexander Griffith
Memory Echoes - Hiroki Ishikura
Foxy Brown - David Oliver Rieu
Black Gumshoe - David Oliver Rieu
Blue Sophisticate - Marian McPartland
Ain't No Money in the Blues - Eric John LaBrosse, Jason Michael Carter, Joshua Phillip Cass Matthew Robert Danbeck, Adam Patrick Tremel
Gumshoe Blues - Paul Martin Pritchard
Nightly - Ilan Moshe Abou, Thierry Oliver Faure
Monsieur Taxi - Renaud Vincent Garcia Fons
Fancy Footwalk - Daniel Horacio Diaz
South Border - Olivier Jean Roger Samoillan

Credits:

This episode was written, narrated and produced by Karina Longworth.

Editor: Andi Kristins.

Research and production assistant: Lindsey D. Schoenholtz.

Social media assistant: Brendan Whalen.

Logo design: Teddy Blanks.

White Allies and the Blacklist: Maurice Rapf (Six Degrees of Song of the South, Episode 4) /  by Karina Longworth

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Listen to this episode on Apple Podcasts. 

Concerned that his movie about a former slave devoting his life to a white child’s emotional needs might be perceived as racist, Walt Disney hired known Communist Maurice Rapf to rewrite Song of the South. Rapf, the son of an MGM exec, was radicalized as a college student and, shortly after Song of the South was released, he was blacklisted. Today we’ll discuss Rapf’s life and career, and talk about how white leftists in Hollywood tried to subvert the industry’s racial status quo--and how their mission to “make movies less bad” led to their own persecution.

Walt Disney, c. 1940’s

Walt Disney, c. 1940’s

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Music:

The music used in this episode, with the exception of the intro and outro, was sourced from royalty-free music libraries and licensed music collections. The intro includes a clip from the film Casablanca. The outro song this week is “Jesus Was a Communist” by Reagan Youth.

Excerpts from the following songs were used throughout the episode:

Whimsicality - Laurent Dury
Illustrious Prince - Laurent Dury
Serene Pastoral Folk Blues - Alexandre Stephane Rusian Toukaeff, Baptiste Vayer
Lazy Pastoral Folk Blues - Alexandre Stephane Rusian Toukaeff, Baptiste Vayer
Blue Moan - Keith Charles Nichols
Dance Of The Peasants - Keith Charles Nichols
The Iron Curtain - Anthony J K Hymas
Solutions - Anthony J K Hymas
Ambitions - Anthony J K Hymas
Disney Land - Johnny Pearson
Gumshoe Blues - Paul Martin Pritchard
Cotton Flower - Paul Martin Pritchard
Hanging Tree - Wayne Anthony Murray, Tobias Macfarlaine, Elmore King
Crime and Danger Sign - Hans Conzelmann, Delle Haensch
Prologue Of A Drama #1 - Hans Conzelmann, Delle Haensch -

Credits:

This episode was written, narrated and produced by Karina Longworth.

Editor: Jared O'Connell.

Research and production assistant: Lindsey D. Schoenholtz.

Social media assistant: Brendan Whalen.

Logo design: Teddy Blanks.

“Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah,” Minstrels in Hollywood and the Oscars (Six Degrees of Song of the South, Episode 3) /  by Karina Longworth

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Listen to this episode on Apple Podcasts.

Song of the South’s most famous element is “Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah,” a song written for the movie but reminiscent of a racist standard popularized in blackface minstrel shows of the 1830s. Today we’ll explore this song and the other ways in which minstrel imagery and tropes made their way into Song of the South and other animated and live action films of the first half of the 20th century. And, we'll talk about how all of this is related to Walt Disney's push to net Song of the South Oscars.

James Baskett in Song of the South (1946)

James Baskett in Song of the South (1946)

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Music:

The music used in this episode, with the exception of the intro and outro, was sourced from royalty-free music libraries and licensed music collections. The intro includes a clip from the film Casablanca. The outro song this week is “Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah” sung by Rik Ocasek.

Excerpts from the following songs were used throughout the episode:

Jackson 5 - Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah
Doris Day - Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah
Los Lobos - Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah
The Hollies - Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah
Bob B. Soxx & The Blue Jeans - Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah
Miley Cyrus (as Hannah Montana) - Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah
Paul Martin Pritchard - Gumshoe Blues
Manuel Galvin, Jean-Jacques Marcel, Maurice Milteau - Memphis Minstrels
John Neville Rufus Altman - Sneak Easy
Jahzzar - Railroad's Whiskey Co
Wayne Anthony Murra, Tobias Macfarlaine, Elmore King - Hanging Tree
Paul Martin Pritchard - Wandering Nights
Daniel Horacio Diaz, Andre Paul Marie, Charlier - Our Man In Miami
Daniel Horacio Diaz - The Setup
Daniel Horacio Diaz - Fancy Footwork
Robert Bernhard Hauser - The Piano Bar Player
Rik Ocasek - Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah

Credits:

This episode was written, narrated and produced by Karina Longworth.

Editor: Jared O'Connell.

Research and production assistant: Lindsey D. Schoenholtz.

Social media assistant: Brendan Whalen.

Logo design: Teddy Blanks.

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Hattie McDaniel (Six Degrees of Song of the South, Episode 2) /  by Karina Longworth

In 1940 Hattie McDaniel became the first black performer to be nominated for and win an Oscar, for her role in Gone with the Wind.

In 1940 Hattie McDaniel became the first black performer to be nominated for and win an Oscar, for her role in Gone with the Wind.

Listen to this episode on Apple Podcasts. 

Song of the South co-stars Hattie McDaniel, the first black performer to win an Oscar, for her supporting role as “Mammy” in Gone with the Wind. By the time Song of the South was released, McDaniel was the subject of much criticism in the black community for propagating outdated stereotypes in her roles. But McDaniel actually began her career subverting those same stereotypes, first in black minstrel shows and then in Hollywood movies.

Hattie McDaniel, Gone with the Wind (1939)

Hattie McDaniel, Gone with the Wind (1939)

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Music:

The music used in this episode, with the exception of the intro and outro, was sourced from royalty-free music libraries and licensed music collections. The intro includes a clip from the film Casablanca. The outro song this week is “Boo Hoo Blues” sung by Hattie McDaniel.

Excerpts from the following songs were used throughout the episode:

Manuel Galvin, Jean-Jacques Marcel, Maurice Milteau - Memphis Mistrels

Manuel Galvin - No More Baby Please

Paul Martin Pritchard - Gumshoe Blues

Geoffrey Peter Gascoyne - Stripper

Manuel Galvin - Cotton Flower

Manuel Galvin - Keep The Blues On

Johnny Pearson - Disney Land

Daniel Horacio Diaz - Fancy Footwork

John Denis Hawksworth - The Depression Years

Jahzzar - Railroad's Whiskey Co

Eric John LaBrosse, Jason Michael Carter, Joshua Phillip Cass,Matthew Robert Danbeck, Adam Patrick Tremel - Ain't No Money In The Blues

Jules Ruben - Early Morning Blues

Didier Francois Dani Goret - Eyes Only For You

Hattie McDaniel - Boo Hoo Blues 

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Credits:

This episode was written, narrated and produced by Karina Longworth.

Editor: Jared O'Connell.

Research and production assistant: Lindsey D. Schoenholtz.

Social media assistant: Brendan Whalen.

Logo design: Teddy Blanks.

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Disney’s Most Controversial Film (Six Degrees of Song of the South, Episode 1) /  by Karina Longworth

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Listen to this episode on Apple Podcasts.

Disney Plus is launching with the stated intention of streaming the entire Disney library...except for Song of the South, the 1946 animation/live-action hybrid film set on a post-Civil War plantation, which was theatrically re-released as recently as 1986, served as the basis for the ride Splash Mountain, but has never been available in the US on home video. What is Song of the South, why did Disney make it, and why have they held the actual film from release, while finding other ways to profit off of it? Across six episodes of our new season, we’ll dig into all facets of Song of the South’s strange story. Join us, won’t you?

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SHOW NOTES:  

Sources for the whole season:

Walt Disney by Neal Gabler

Disney's Most Notorious Film: Race, Convergence, and the Hidden Histories of Song of the South By Jason Sperb

Birth of an Industry by Nicholas Sammond

Stony the Road by Henry Louis Gates Jr.

White Screens/Black Images by James Snead

Slow Fade to Black by Thomas Cripps

Making Movies Black by Thomas Cripps

Bright Boulevards, Bold Dreams: The Story of Black Hollywood by Donald Bogle

Toms, Coons, Mulattoes, Mammies, and Bucks: An Interpretive History of Blacks in American Films by Donald Bogle

Joel Chandler Harris: A Biography and Critical Study by Bruce R. Bickley Jr.

Sources specific to this episode:

Who’s Afraid of the Song of the South by Jim Korkis

“What’s the Historical Background of ‘Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah’?” by Debi Simons, September 10, 2018, https://www.behind-the-music.com

“10 Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah Facts About Song of the South” by Stacy Conradt, November 12, 2016, http://mentalfloss.com

Diversity in Disney Films: Critical Essays by Johnson Cheu

“The Magic Kingdom: Walt Disney and the American Way of Life” by Steven Watts, The Hollywood Reporter, April 22, 2019

Music:

The music used in this episode, with the exception of the intro and outro, was sourced from royalty-free music libraries and licensed music collections. The intro includes a clip from the film Casablanca. The outro song this week is “Controversy” by Prince.

Excerpts from the following songs were used throughout the episode:

Laurent Edmond Gaston Bacri & Jean-Louis Négro - Snow White & The Dwarves
Laurent Edmond Gaston Bacri & Jean-Louis Négro - Tic Tock Clock
Johnny Pearson - Disney Land
Frank Bernard Woodbridge - Creepy Corner Ghost
Jahzzar - Railroad's Whiskey Co
Paul Martin Pritchard - Wandering Nights
Daniel Horacio Diaz - Fancy Footwalk
John Greaves - Serie Noir
Gooding, Charlie H. Bisharat & Jennifer Anne Wood - The Late War
Joel Vandroogenbroeck - Ghost Town
Joel Vandroogenbroeck - Chain Production
Marc-Olivier Nicolas Dupin - Lola Lola
Alexandre Stephane Rusian Toukaeff, Baptiste Vayer - Serene Pastoral Folk Blues
Daryl Neil Alexander Griffith - Freestylin'
Daniel Horacio Diaz - The Setup
Prince - Controversy

Credits:

This episode was written, narrated and produced by Karina Longworth.

Editor: Jared O'Connell.

Research and production assistant: Lindsey D. Schoenholtz.

Social media assistant: Brendan Whalen.

Logo design: Teddy Blanks.

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A preview of the new season of You Must Remember This is out NOW! /  by Karina Longworth

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This season, we explore the most controversial film in the history of Disney Animation.

With the launch of Disney Plus, the company's entire library could be made available for streaming. The one film promised to remain locked away is Song of the South, the 1946 animation/live-action hybrid set on a post-Civil War plantation. 

What is Song of the South? Why did Disney make it even amidst protests? And why have they held the actual film from release for the past thirty-plus years, while finding other ways to profit off of it?

Join us, won’t you? As we uncover this hidden film in the Disney vault. New episodes of You Must Remember This will be released every Tuesday. Subscribe via Stitcher, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts to hear it!

You Must Remember This Presents /  by Karina Longworth

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You Must Remember This is coming back this fall, but I am also going to produce a spin-off series tentatively titled “You Must Remember This Presents.” In this spin-off, I will curate and introduce researched stories written and told in the You Must Remember This style by other writers. I’m looking for freelance contributors to pitch me stories, which they will then write/report and read on the podcast. We have a budget to pay writers a decent wage for their contributions.

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Each season will have a theme. The first season is called Make Me Over, and will focus on stories about the intersection of Hollywood and the beauty industry. I’m leaving this prompt purposely vague, because I want to see any and all interpretations of it. The only rules are:

  1. Your story must fit into the You Must Remember This universe, which means it must have some connection to Hollywood in the 20th century. “Hollywood” encompasses movies, television, radio, popular music and the nightclub/vaudeville/ live performance circuit in Los Angeles. If you have a story you really want to tell involving other theater I’m open to it, but a pitch set solely in the New York theater world will probably not be successful. Same goes for stories about non-Hollywood film, unless there is some Hollywood angle. For instance, a story about Coco Chanel doing costumes for Jean Renoir’s The Rules of the Game would not be a great fit, but a story about Coco Chanel’s contract with Samuel Goldwyn could be, if you could find enough story there. Which brings us to the next rule…

  2. You must be able to write a reported/researched essay of about 4000 words on this concept (or, if you’re a radio/podcast person and/or want to do something more interview-based, it will need to cut together into about 30 minutes of audio). Many YMRT episodes have a three-act structure, and all have a story arc. You need to convince me that there is enough material behind your concept to create a narrative podcast episode with a beginning, middle and end. Finally…

  3. Ideally, you have a track record in long form storytelling, in print, radio, podcasting or online. With your pitch, please send a link to one thing we should look at or listen to that shows you can do the research/reporting and tell a sustained story. Again, most of these episodes will involve you reading aloud an essay that you wrote of around 4000 words, so you should feel comfortable writing at that length, and also comfortable speaking into a microphone—or at least, enthusiastic about learning how to. 

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Freelancers whose pitches are chosen will work with Karina to shape their story for the format, and will be given access to a studio in which to record. All of the writing and the recording will take place this fall. If you’re interested, please send a 1-3 paragraph pitch along with a link to an example of your previous long-form writing or radio work to youmustrememberthispodcast@gmail.com (subject line YMRT Presents) by September 10, 2019. If we’re interested, we will contact you for more information. Thanks!

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Ramon Novarro (Fake News: Fact-Checking Hollywood Babylon Episode 19) /  by Karina Longworth

Listen to this episode on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

Ramon Novarro was a Mexican actor and singer whose stardom at MGM in the 1920s and 30s was not impeded by his offscreen life as a gay man. In Hollywood Babylon, Anger focuses only on Novarro’s grisly murder in 1968 -- which outed Novarro to a public that had largely forgotten him--and needlessly embellishes a crime scene that was already pretty horrible. Today, in our final episode of Fact-Checking Hollywood Babylon, we will explore the llife which Anger left out of Hollywood Babylon, and correct that book’s version of Novarro’s death.

Ramon Novarro, Francis X Bushman, and Kathleen Key in Ben Hur: A Tale of the Christ, 1925

Ramon Novarro, Francis X Bushman, and Kathleen Key in Ben Hur: A Tale of the Christ, 1925

Ramon Novarro & Dorothy Janis in The Pagan, 1929

Ramon Novarro & Dorothy Janis in The Pagan, 1929

Music:

The music used in this episode, with the exception of the intro and outro, was sourced from royalty-free music libraries and licensed music collections. The intro includes a clip from the film Casablanca. The outro song this week is “Bye Bye Baby” by Madonna.

Novarro with Greta Garbo in Mata Hari, 1931

Novarro with Greta Garbo in Mata Hari, 1931

Credits:

This episode was written, narrated and produced by Karina Longworth.

Editor: Cameron Drews.

Research and production assistant: Lindsey D. Schoenholtz.

Social media assistant: Brendan Whalen.

Logo design: Teddy Blanks.

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Maureen O'Hara and the Confidential Magazine Trial (Fake News: Fact-Checking Hollywood Babylon Episode 18) /  by Karina Longworth

Listen to this epsiode on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

In part two of our two-parter on the demise of the biggest and most pernicious tabloid of the 1950s, we’ll explore what happened after the magazine’s claim that redheaded star Maureen O’Hara was caught having sex at Grauman’s Chinese Theater. O’Hara positioned herself the “Joan of Arc” of Hollywood, single-handedly defending a cowardly industry against the existential threat posed by Confidential. As we’ll see, this is one story where the Kenneth Anger version is more credible than the version related by one of the subjects.

Maureen O'Hara in Modern Screen Magazine, 1947

Maureen O'Hara in Modern Screen Magazine, 1947

Maureen O'Hara in Confidential Magazine, March 1957

Maureen O'Hara in Confidential Magazine, March 1957

Music:

The music used in this episode, with the exception of the intro and outro, was sourced from royalty-free music libraries and licensed music collections. The intro includes a clip from the film Casablanca. The outro song this week is “Like a Prayer” by Madonna.

Excerpts from the following songs were used throughout the episode:

Yellow Leaves 5 - Peter Sandberg
Club Noir 2  - John Allen
Unsolved - Mythical Score Society
Southern Flavors 3 - Martin Gauffin
One Two Three 5 - Peter Sandberg
Tomorrow I'll Be Gone - Franz Gordon
City Fashion 3 - Björn Skogsberg 
In The Lounge 02 - Lars Olvmyr
Eventually Maybe - Oakwood Station

Maureen O'Hara, at the Confidential Magazine trial, 1957

Maureen O'Hara, at the Confidential Magazine trial, 1957

Credits:

This episode was written, narrated and produced by Karina Longworth.

Editor: Cameron Drews.

Research and production assistant: Lindsey D. Schoenholtz.

Social media assistant: Brendan Whalen.

Logo design: Teddy Blanks.

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Dorothy Dandridge and the Confidential Magazine Trial (Fake News: Fact Checking Hollywood Babylon Episode 17) /  by Karina Longworth

Listen to this episode on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

Over two episodes, we will explore Hollywood Babylon’s coverage of Confidential Magazine and the two celebrities who testified against the scandal rag in the 1957 trial that helped end what Anger rightfully refers to as its “reign of terror.” We’ll begin with Dorothy Dandridge, the first black actress to be nominated for a Best Actress Oscar. Dandridge’s testimony against Confidential reveals the publication’s racist agenda, as well as the double standards that governed her real private and public lives.

Dorothy Dandridge and Harry Belafonte in Carmen Jones (1954)

Dorothy Dandridge and Harry Belafonte in Carmen Jones (1954)

Dorothy Dandridge, Harry Belafonte, Robert Mitchum and Otto Preminger

Dorothy Dandridge, Harry Belafonte, Robert Mitchum and Otto Preminger

Music:

The music used in this episode, with the exception of the intro and outro, was sourced from royalty-free music libraries and licensed music collections. The intro includes a clip from the film Casablanca. The outro song this week is “Over and Over” by Madonna.

Excerpts from the following songs were used throughout the episode:

Yellow Leaves 5 - Peter Sandberg
Club Noir 2  - John Allen
City Fashion 3 - Björn Skogsberg 
A Playful Mood 2 - Peter Sandberg
Downtown Alley 2 - Magnus Ringblom
In The Lounge 02 - Lars Olvmyr
Tomorrow I'll Be Gone - Franz Gordon
In The Lounge 05 - Lars Olvmyr
One Two Three 5 - Peter Sandberg
The Piano And Me 3 - Peter Sandberg
Goofy Moments 3 - Magnus RingblomSay It Is So - Magnus Ringblom Quartet
Eventually Maybe - Oakwood Station

Dorothy Dandridge arrives at the Academy Awards ceremony in 1955, where we was the first African American actress to receive a nomination for Best Actress

Dorothy Dandridge arrives at the Academy Awards ceremony in 1955, where we was the first African American actress to receive a nomination for Best Actress

Credits:

This episode was written, narrated and produced by Karina Longworth.

Editor: Cameron Drews.

Research and production assistant: Lindsey D. Schoenholtz.

Social media assistant: Brendan Whalen.

Logo design: Teddy Blanks.

Dorothy Dandridge in LIFE Magazine 1954

Dorothy Dandridge in LIFE Magazine 1954

Bugsy Siegel (Fake News: Fact Checking Hollywood Babylon Episode 16) /  by Karina Longworth

Listen to this episode on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

Jewish gangster Benjamin “Bugsy” Siegel is frequently credited with corrupting Hollywood’s unions and “inventing” Las Vegas. Siegel did have moviestar friends, but the true story of his involvement with the Flamingo casino is also the story of a much bigger movieland player: Hollywood Reporter founder/publisher/columnist Billy Wilkerson.

Bugsy Siegel mugshot, 1928

Bugsy Siegel mugshot, 1928

Virginia Hill, 1940's

Virginia Hill, 1940's

Music:

The music used in this episode, with the exception of the intro and outro, was sourced from royalty-free music libraries and licensed music collections. The intro includes a clip from the film Casablanca. The outro song this week is “More” by Madonna.

Excerpts from the following songs were used throughout the episode:

Yellow Leaves 5 - Peter Sandberg
Club Noir 2  - John Allen
One Two Three 5 - Peter Sandberg
Goofy Moments 3 - Magnus Ringblom
The Piano And Me 3 - Peter Sandberg
Kansas City Flashback 2 - Magnus Ringblom
In The Lounge 02 - Lars Olvmyr
City Fashion 3 - Björn Skogsberg 
Eventually Maybe - Oakwood Station

Billy Wilkerson and his Hollywood Reporter staff

Billy Wilkerson and his Hollywood Reporter staff

Credits:

This episode was written, narrated and produced by Karina Longworth.

Editor: Cameron Drews.

Research and production assistant: Lindsey D. Schoenholtz.

Social media assistant: Brendan Whalen.

Logo design: Teddy Blanks.

The Flamingo, Las Vegas, 1947

The Flamingo, Las Vegas, 1947

Marlene Dietrich and Claudette Colbert (Fake News: Fact Checking Hollywood Babylon Episode 15) /  by Karina Longworth

Listen to this episode on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

The bisexuality of Marlene Dietrich was not exactly a secret in 1930s Hollywood -- in fact, her ambiguous sexuality was part of her on-screen brand. But there is some debate as to who Dietrich counted among her lovers, and which of her fellow stars participated in what has been called the “sewing circle” of female intimacy. Anger alleges that Dietrich had a “passionate affair” with Claudette Colbert, an Oscar-winning actress with an extremely heteronormative persona. We’ll explore what was going on in Dietrich’s life and career around the time when this affair could have taken place, and then delve into Colbert’s image as a very different kind of on-screen sex symbol, and her complicated off-screen personal life.

Josef von Sternberg and Marlene Dietrich in Berlin 1928

Josef von Sternberg and Marlene Dietrich in Berlin 1928

Marlene Dietrich, Blonde Venus, 1932

Marlene Dietrich, Blonde Venus, 1932

Claudette Colbert and Clark Gable, It Happened One Night, 1934

Claudette Colbert and Clark Gable, It Happened One Night, 1934

Music:

The music used in this episode, with the exception of the intro and outro, was sourced from royalty-free music libraries and licensed music collections. The intro includes a clip from the film Casablanca. The outro song this week is “Secret Garden” by Madonna.

Excerpts from the following songs were used throughout the episode:

Yellow Leaves 5 - Peter Sandberg
Club Noir 2  - John Allen
City Fashion 3 - Björn Skogsberg
Tomorrow I'll Be Gone - Franz Gordon
The Piano And Me 3 - Peter Sandberg
Some Autumn Waltz 1 - Jonatan Järpehag
In The Lounge 05 - Lars Olvmyr
In The Lounge 02 - Lars Olvmyr
A Playful Mood 2 - Peter Sandberg
Goofy Moments 3 - Magnus Ringblom
Eventually Maybe - Oakwood Station
Secret Garden - Madonna

Director Cecil B. DeMille with Claudette Colbert on the set of The Sign of the Cross, 1932

Director Cecil B. DeMille with Claudette Colbert on the set of The Sign of the Cross, 1932

Credits:

This episode was written, narrated and produced by Karina Longworth.

Editor: Cameron Drews.

Research and production assistant: Lindsey D. Schoenholtz.

Social media assistant: Brendan Whalen.

Logo design: Teddy Blanks.

Marlene Dietrich and Claudette Colbert, c. 1935

Marlene Dietrich and Claudette Colbert, c. 1935