Sammy and Dino Episode 7: Yes I Can /  by Karina Longworth

Sammy Davis Jr. by Phillipe Halsman

Listen to this episode on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

Released in 1965, Sammy Davis Jr.'s autobiography became an instant classic, one of the most dynamic celebrity memoirs ever published and a testament to Davis’s barrier-breaking success as a black man in America. But the story behind the book, which was conceived and developed by two white ghostwriters -- and the racial and sexual dynamics of Davis's life during the years leading up to its release, which included two marriages and one relationship with a white movie star which almost got him killed -- are even more fascinating.

Sammy Davis, Jr. and Loray White at their wedding, 1958 | Photo UNLV University Libraries

Harry Belafonte, Martin Luther King Jr. and Sammy Davis Jr. at the Broadway Answers Selma Benefit, 1965

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: 

Chai Belltini - Vermouth

Alum Drum Solo - Azalai

Lowball - Vermouth

Guild Rat- El Baul

Cran Ras - Vermouth

Spot Peter - The Sweet Hots

Lowball - Vermouth

Entrance Shaft 11 - The Depot

Single Still - Vermouth

Chaunce Libertine - Vermouth

Our Only Lark - Bitters

Sammy Davis Jr. with his wife May Britt and their children, 1964 | Leonard McCombe The LIFE Picture Collection/Shutterstock

Credits:

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

Our editor this season is Evan Viola. 

Research and production assistant: Lindsey D. Schoenholtz.

Social media assistant: Brendan Whalen.

Logo design: Teddy Blanks.

Sammy and Dino Episode 6: The Rat Pack /  by Karina Longworth

Listen to this episode on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

In the early 40s, both Dean and Sammy idolized Frank Sinatra. 20 years later, they became Sinatra’s cohorts in the Rat Pack, and, through Vegas gigs and increasingly disposable movies, the trio set a standard for grown men behaving badly that’s still influential today. In this episode, we’ll reveal what the Rat Pack’s Vegas shows were really like -- racist, homophobic, misogynist warts and all. We’ll also discuss the web of corruption linking these performers to the Mafia and the Kennedys, culminating in the death of an actress, and the death of the pretense that the Rat Pack racket was all innocent fun.

Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr., and Peter Lawford in Ocean's 11 , 1960

Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr. and Frank Sinatra onstage, c. 1960s

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: 

Everybody Loves Somebody - Dean Martin

Eee-O-Eleven - Sammy Davis Jr

Chai Belltini - Vermouth

Ranch Hand - Truck Stop

Gin Boheme - Vermouth

Entrance Shaft 11 - The Depot

Lowball - Vermouth

Flaked Paint - The Depot

Gibraltar - Unheard Music Concepts

Two Dollar Token - Warmbody

Laser Focus (Piano Improv) - TinyTiny Trio

Cab Ride - Pacha Faro

Guild Rat - El Baul

Alum Drum Solo - Azalai

JFK and Frank Sinatra, c. 1961

Credits:

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

Our editor this season is Evan Viola. 

Research and production assistant: Lindsey D. Schoenholtz.

Social media assistant: Brendan Whalen.

Logo design: Teddy Blanks.

Sammy and Dino Episode 5: A Serious Man /  by Karina Longworth

Listen to this episode on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

After the breakup of Martin and Lewis, Dino has to figure out how to stand on his own as a solo act. He ends up developing an on-stage persona as a happy drunk, while at the same time, developing a resume as a serious actor in some of the biggest hits of the late 1950s, such as Some Came Running and Rio Bravo, through which he emerged as a kind of icon for the white masculinity crisis of the 1950s. How did Dino pull this off, and why was his interest in being taken seriously so apparently short-lived?

Dean Martin onstage at the Sands Copa Room, 1957

Marlon Brando, Dean Martin and Montgomery Clift in The Young Lions, 1958

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: 

Kevin_MacLeod - Monkeys Spinning Monkeys

Calgary Sweeps - Vermouth

Laser Focus (Piano Improv) - TinyTiny Trio

Single Still - Vermouth

25 Peaceful Piano

60 Easy Listening in Jazz

Babble Babble Brook (Soft Horn) - High Horse

Luper - Sketchbook

The Big Ten - Warmbody

Ranch Hand - Truck Stop

Thule Racer - Glacier Quartet - Araby

Chai Belltini - Vermouth

Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin in Some Came Running, 1958

Credits:

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

Our editor this season is Evan Viola. 

Research and production assistant: Lindsey D. Schoenholtz.

Social media assistant: Brendan Whalen.

Logo design: Teddy Blanks.

Dean Martin in Rio Bravo, 1959

Sammy and Dino Episode 4: Mr. Wonderful /  by Karina Longworth

Listen to this episode on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

Sammy tests the power of his new celebrity, on Broadway and in Hollywood, where he stars in the most controversial movie musical with an all-Black cast of all time -- a movie which is still being suppressed today.

Sammy Davis Jr. in "Mr Wonderful". From the Collections of the Museum of the City of New York.

SHOW NOTES:  

Sources for the entire season:

Dino by Nick Tosches

Jerry Lewis In Person by Jerry Lewis and Herb Gluck

In Black and White: The Life of Sammy Davis Jr. by Will Haygood

Yes I Can: The Autobiography of Sammy Davis Jr. by Sammy Davis Jr., Burt Boyar and Jane Boyar

Sammy: An Autobiography by Sammy Davis Jr. and Jane and Burt Boyar

Rat Pack Confidential by Shawn Levy

His Way: The Unauthorized Biography of Frank Sinatra by Kitty Kelley 

Deconstructing Sammy: Music, Money, Madness, and the Mob by Matt Birkbeck

Sinatra: The Voice by James Kaplan

Sinatra: The Chairman by James Kaplan

Memories are Made of This by Deana Martin

Brothers: The Hidden History of the Kennedy Years by David Talbot

Making Movies Black by Thomas Cripps

My Song by Harry Belafonte

Mafia Spies: The Inside Story of the CIA, Gangsters, JFK, and Castro by Thomas Maier

My Lucky Stars by Shirley Maclaine

Sources specific to this episode:

“David Geffen, Samuel Goldwyn and the Search for the “Holy Grail” of Missing Movies” by Kim Masters, The Hollywood Reporter, February 23, 2017

“This Day in Jewish History | 1990: Sammy Davis Jr., Famous Convert to Judaism, Dies” by David B. Green, haaretz.com, May 16, 2013

“The Complex History and Uneasy Present of ‘Porgy and Bess’” by Michael Cooper, September 19, 2019

“Porgy and Bess at the Met” by By Joseph Horowitz, The American Scholar, October 9, 2019

Jule: The Story of Composer Jule Styne by Thomas Taylor

Dorothy Dandridge by Donald Bogle

Preminger: An Autobiography by Otto Preminger

This Life by Sidney Poitier

Please note: as an Amazon Associate Karina earns from qualifying purchases. #ad

Sammy Davis Jr. and Eartha Kitt in Anna Lucasta, 1958

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: 

Via Verre (Comping Run) - The Sweet Hots

Lowball - Vermouth

Cran Ras - Vermouth

Calgary Sweeps - Vermouth

Gin Boheme - Vermouth

Luper - Sketchbook 2

Watercool Quiet - Calumet

Our Only Lark (Rhythm Leader) - Bitters

Luka 75 - Vermouth

Single Still - Vermouth

Porgy and Bess, 1959

Credits:

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

Our editor this season is Evan Viola. 

Research and production assistant: Lindsey D. Schoenholtz.

Social media assistant: Brendan Whalen.

Logo design: Teddy Blanks.

Sammy and Dino Episode 3: Nothing But a Dollar Sign /  by Karina Longworth

Sammy Davis Jr. dancing shot by Phil Stern, mid-1950s

Listen to this episode on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

In the first half of the 1950s, Martin and Lewis mint money as movie stars--and find unique ways to make their access to gangsters payoff--but stardom tears them apart. During this period, Sammy tries to prove himself to a Hollywood that still has little use for Black performers. Then, a horrible accident changes Sammy’s life--and changes his perceived value to the gate-keepers of the entertainment industry.

Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis in publicity portrait for the film 'You're Never Too Young', 1955. Photo by Paramount/Getty Images

Jerry Lewis and Dean Martin in Artists and Models, 1955

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: 

"Luca 75” by Vermouth
"Chase and We Follow” by Ray Catcher
"Late Comer” by Cafe Nostro
"Jat Poure" by The Sweet Hots
"Pacing” by TinyTiny Trio
"Gin Boheme” by Vermouth
"Monkeys Spinning Monkeys" by Kevin MacLeod
"Glass Stopper" by Vermouth
"Laser Focus (Piano Improv)" by TinyTiny Trio
"Doghouse" by Warmbody
"Impromptu in Quarter Comma Meantone" by Kevin MacLeod
"Single Still" by Vermouth
"Faster Does It" by Kevin MacLeod

Sammy Davis, Jr with Jacques Sernas, Marilyn Monroe, photographer Milton H Greene and jazz musician Mel Torme at the Crescendo Club, 1954. | Photo by Archive Photos/Getty Images

Credits:

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

Our editor this season is Evan Viola. 

Research and production assistant: Lindsey D. Schoenholtz.

Social media assistant: Brendan Whalen.

Logo design: Teddy Blanks.

Sammy and Dino Episode 2: Martin and Lewis, Sammy and Mickey and Frank /  by Karina Longworth

Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis, 1949 | Ralph Morse Time & Life Pictures Shutterstock

Listen to this episode on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

Dean Martin meets and begins collaborating with Jerry Lewis. Martin and Lewis — an Italian and a Jew — become the most successful nightclub act in the country, and transition to Hollywood. Meanwhile, Sammy Davis Jr, determined to get the attention of the white entertainment world,  starts working impressions of white stars into his act. 

Sammy Davis, Jr. c. early 1950s | Getty Images

Jerry Lewis Holding Dean Martin and Jeanne Biegger's Son

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: 

"Single Still" by Vermouth
"Single Still (No Trumpet)" by Vermouth
"Black Out" by Royalty Free Music World
"Via Verre (Comping Run)" by The Sweet Hots
"Cobalt Blue" by Marble Run
"Our Only Lark (Rhythm Leader)" by Bitters
"Cran Ras" by Vermouth
"Monkeys Spinning Monkeys" by Kevin MacLeod
"Trompette (Blues, New Orleans Music)" by Musique Libre de Droit Club
"Doghouse" by Warmbody
"Chaunce Libertine" by Vermouth
"Starlight" by Royalty Free Music World
"Janitor" by Union Hall
"FasterFasterBrighter" by Ray Catcher

Frank Sinatra and Sammy Davis Jr. c. 1950s

Credits:

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

Our editor this season is Evan Viola. 

Research and production assistant: Lindsey D. Schoenholtz.

Social media assistant: Brendan Whalen.

Logo design: Teddy Blanks.

Sammy and Dino Episode 1: The Hustle /  by Karina Longworth

Listen to this episode on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

This season, we look at the movies, music and lives of Sammy Davis Jr and Dean Martin. Singers, actors, TV stars and nightclub performers, Davis and Martin became rich and famous selling versions of mid-20th-century hipness as the biggest stars in the Rat Pack who weren’t Frank Sinatra. The standard-setter for masculine cool in the second half of the twentieth century -- as well as a nexus where Hollywood power, political power and mafia power came together -- the Rat Pack feels uniquely uncool today. As its mystique recedes, it’s the perfect time to begin to unpack its allure, and take a cold hard look at the art it produced.

But Sammy and Dino were both more than the Rat Pack, and examining their lives and careers in tandem reveals tons, about the evolution of racial attitudes from the beginning of the 20th century -- when Italians and Italian-Americans like Dean were widely considered to be non-white; about how Hollywood responded to, and influenced, changing ideas about masculinity and “the man” from World War II to Vietnam and beyond; and above all, about the differences and similarities between mainstream capitalism and underground criminal economies, which is laid bare by the intersection of the music industry and the mafia.

Today, we’ll talk about Sammy and Dino’s childhoods and early years as entertainers -- years which formed their talent, their stage personas, and taught them their first lessons in the racket that was, and is, the music business. Both grew up in marginalized communities where they learned an ethos of success based on hustle. We’ll track both Dean and Sammy to major coming-of-age moments in the middle of World War II. Coming up in industrial Ohio as both a card dealer and a nightclub singer, Dean learns how and why the house always wins. As a child, Sammy joins his father’s touring dance act, and eventually becomes the main attraction -- before the war forces him to encounter racism at a level he’d never experienced before.

Sammy Davis Jr., Hamtree Harrington, and Ethel Waters in Rufus Jones for President (1933)

Young Dino Crocetti and his brother, c. 1920’s/30’s

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: 

"Low Horizon" by Kai Engel

"Calgary Sweeps" by Vermouth

"Cab Ride" by Pacho Faro

"Luka 75" by Vermouth

"Cran Ras" by Vermouth

"Cach" by Pacho Faro

"Glass Stopper" by Vermouth

"Faster Does It" by Kevin MacLeod

"Doghouse" by Warmbody

"Via Verre (Comping Run)" by The Sweet Hots

"Au Coin De La Rue" by Marco Raaphorst

"Late Comer (Bass Face) by Cafe Nostro

"02 Main Stem" by U.S. Army Blues

"Black Out" by Royalty-Free Music World

Sammy Davis Jr. in the Will Mastin Trio, c. 1950’s

Credits:

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

Our editor this season is Evan Viola. 

Research and production assistant: Lindsey D. Schoenholtz.

Social media assistant: Brendan Whalen.

Logo design: Teddy Blanks.

Young Dean Martin headshot

GOSSIP GIRLS ARCHIVE /  by Karina Longworth

From the anonymous tips posted on Deux Moi to the streams of annotated paparazzi shots that fill the Daily Mail, today’s celebrity gossip -- democratized, based on technological surveillance -- looks completely different than it used to, when non-famous people could only go “behind the scenes” if led by authoritative guides. How did we get here?

This season on You Must Remember This, we’re going to go back about a hundred years, to the very beginning of the idea of going “behind the scenes,” to talk about the two powerful women who invented and dominated Hollywood gossip as it was known in the 20th century: Louella Parsons and Hedda Hopper. Parsons and Hopper were both self-made women, single moms from middle America who shattered the glass ceiling; they were also small-minded, self-obsessed bigots who used their power to persecute outsiders, police sexuality, and ensure that the rich, powerful people who made movies lived in fear. Through stories of these women, their rivalry with one another and their incestuous relationships with the institutions and powerful men that controlled media, the movies and even federal law enforcement, we’ll track the evolution of gossip over the course of a century.

Episodes:

  • GOSSIP GIRLS: LOUELLA PARSONS AND HEDDA HOPPER (SMALL TOWN GIRL, EPISODE 1): Both Louella Parsons and Hedda Hopper worked for papers created by charismatic barons whose publications were nakedly corrupt, totally biased -- and absolutely mainstream. Once we get a feel for this media climate, we’ll trace Louella’s early years of struggle and reinvention on the road to her pioneering bylines, and, finally, her role in canonizing The Birth of a Nation -- the most viciously racist Hollywood blockbuster of all time. Listen

  • GOSSIP GIRLS: LOUELLA PARSONS AND HEDDA HOPPER (THE FIRST LADY, EPISODE 2): In 1923, Louella Parsons signed a contract with William Randolph Hearst for nationwide syndication of the first major Hollywood gossip column. Parsons quickly built a brand based on protecting (and whitewashing) Hollywood’s interests, as well as Hearst’s, relentlessly promoting — and spying on — Hearst’s mistress, Marion Davies. Listen

  • GOSSIP GIRLS: LOUELLA PARSONS AND HEDDA HOPPER (THE FEUD, EPISODE 3): In 1938, washed-up actress Hedda Hopper is installed as a movie gossip columnist with the express purpose of puncturing the success of Louella and Hearst. But Hedda quickly establishes a voice of her own, revolutionary for its insistence on making movie gossip political. Once friends, Louella and Hedda become bitter rivals, egged on in their feud by a third party who sees Hedda as an ally in right-wing conservatism. Listen

  • GOSSIP GIRLS: LOUELLA PARSONS AND HEDDA HOPPER (WAR! EPISODE 4): World War II begins to reveal the gulf between Louella’s conservative but essentially business-minded politics, and Hedda Hopper’s virulent right-wing fervor. These differences — and the glee with which Hopper would destroy lives to shore up political power and further her ideology — come through loud and clear in the stories of two controversies: the casting of Gone with the Wind, and the paternity trial of Charlie Chaplin. Meanwhile, Louella shows her devotion to Hearst by using her power to cripple Citizen Kane. Listen

  • GOSSIP GIRLS: LOUELLA PARSONS AND HEDDA HOPPER (THE QUEER, FEMALE FILM PRODUCER YOU’VE NEVER HEARD OF, EPISODE 5): Louella’s daughter, Harriet Parsons, became a groundbreaking female film producer at a moment in history in which virtually all mainstream filmmakers were male. She was also a lesbian, at a time when being openly gay was unacceptable in Hollywood -- and, in much of America, illegal. Listen

  • GOSSIP GIRLS: LOUELLA PARSONS AND HEDDA HOPPER (WITCH HUNT, EPISODE 6): During an era in which Hollywood and Washington are shakily aligned in the witch hunting of actual and reputed socialists, Louella struggles to maintain her position as cheerleader for the status quo, while Hedda grabs a torch and tries to burn it all down, using celebrity gossip to further the racist, xenophobic interests of the FBI. There’s also a new competitor in town, who at once subversively spoke to and for Hollywood’s gay community, while also deflecting attention from his own sexuality by attacking others. Listen

  • GOSSIP GIRLS: LOUELLA PARSONS AND HEDDA HOPPER (SEX AND SHAME IN THE 1950S, EPISODE 7): The 1950s were a decade of massive contradictions in terms of national and cultural attitudes towards sex. As Louella Parsons struggled to keep up with these rapid changes -- and to compete with her bolder, bitchier rival Hedda Hopper -- she reflected and steered the sexual panic through her coverage of two stories: Rita Hayworth’s marriage to a Muslim prince, and Ingrid Bergman’s “illegitimate” pregnancy. Plus: the emergence of Sheilah Graham, the international woman of mystery who would eventually beat the gossip girls at their own game. Listen

  • LOUELLA PARSONS AND HEDDA HOPPER (INTERRACIAL PANIC AND CONFIDENTIAL, EPISODE 8): Appalled by rock n’ roll and its racial and sexual implications, Hedda and Louella find themselves in further danger of obsolescence when the gossip game is turned upside down by CONFIDENTIAL Magazine. Listen

  • GOSSIP GIRLS: LOUELLA PARSONS AND HEDDA HOPPER (THE QUEENS ARE DEAD, EPISODE 9): The Hollywood studio system begins to crumble, and Louella and Hedda decline and fall, too. But just as a new generation of filmmakers rises from the ashes and reinvents the movie business, so too does gossip find new life in a new look. We’ll end our season by talking about a woman who was the antithesis of Louella and Hedda -- liberal, Jewish, sexually forward, and so unwilling to play the industry’s games that she may have ensured the death of the gossip columnist as star. Listen

Gossip Girls: Louella Parsons And Hedda Hopper (The Queens Are Dead, Episode 9) /  by Karina Longworth

Hedda Hopper and Ingrid Bergman, 1959

Listen to this episode on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

The Hollywood studio system begins to crumble, and Louella and Hedda decline and fall, too. But just as a new generation of filmmakers rises from the ashes and reinvents the movie business, so too does gossip find new life in a new look. We’ll end our season by talking about a woman who was the antithesis of Louella and Hedda -- liberal, Jewish, sexually forward, and so unwilling to play the industry’s games that she may have ensured the death of the gossip columnist as star. 

740full-rona-barrett.jpg
Louella Parsons, Victor Mature and Rita Hayworth at the Cocoanut Grove, c. 1940s

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: 

"Barge" by Grey River

"Bellow's Hull" by Reflections

"Jumbel" by Muffuletta

"One Quiet Conversation" by K2

"Walking Shoes" by Skittle

"Trenton Channel" by Reflections

"Unfolding Plot" by Ray Catcher

"Stale Case" by Darby

"Gale" by Migration

"Via Verre" by The Sweet Hots

"Mr Mole and Son" by Love and Weasel

"Vik Fence Lardha" by The Fence

"Base Camp" by K2

"Flashing Runner" by Resolute

"Ether Variant" by Reflections

"Intelligent Galaxy" by The Insider

"Passing Fields" by Quantum Jazz

Prince Ali Khan and Rita Hayworth cutting into their wedding cake at Khan’s Riviera Chateau de L’Horizon, May 27, 1949 | LIFE Magazine

Credits:

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

Our editor this season is Evan Viola. 

Research and production assistant: Lindsey D. Schoenholtz.

Social media assistant: Brendan Whalen.

Logo design: Teddy Blanks.

Thanks to our special guests. Julie Klausner played Louella Parsons. Julie wrote, created and starred in Difficult People, which you can watch on Hulu. She and Tom Scharpling also have a podcast, Double Threat, which you can and should find wherever you get your podcasts. Cole Escola played Hedda Hopper. Cole can be seen on Search Party and At Home with Amy Sedaris and their self-produced special Help, I’m Stuck.

Entertainment Tonight.png

Louella Parsons And Hedda Hopper (Interracial Panic and Confidential, Episode 8) /  by Karina Longworth

Hedda Hopper and Ingrid Bergman, 1959
​

Listen to this episode on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

Appalled by rock n’ roll and its racial and sexual implications, Hedda and Louella find themselves in further danger of obsolescence when the gossip game is turned upside down by CONFIDENTIAL Magazine.

Confidential_November_1955.jpg
Hedda Hopper and Louella Parsons at Party for Sophia Loren at Romanoff's with Conchita Pignatelli, 1957 | LIFE Magazine

Hedda Hopper and Louella Parsons at Party for Sophia Loren at Romanoff's with Conchita Pignatelli, 1957 | LIFE Magazine

Nat King Cole and Louella Parsons | Photo by Douglas Robert from the Shades of L.A. Photo Collection via the Los Angeles Public Library

Nat King Cole and Louella Parsons | Photo by Douglas Robert from the Shades of L.A. Photo Collection via the Los Angeles Public Library

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: 

"Single Still" by Vermouth

"Lowball" by Vermouth

"Borough" by Molerider

"Glass Stopper" by Vermouth

"Vernouillet" by The Sweet Hots

"Spot Peter" by The Sweet Hots

"Gaddy" by Little Rock

"Calisson" by Confectionery

"Tessalit" by Azalai

"True Blue Sky" by Bitters

"Cran Ras" by Vermouth

"Holo" by Grey River

James Dean and Hedda Hopper c. 1950s

James Dean and Hedda Hopper c. 1950s

Credits:

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

Our editor this season is Evan Viola. 

Research and production assistant: Lindsey D. Schoenholtz.

Social media assistant: Brendan Whalen.

Logo design: Teddy Blanks.

Thanks to our special guests. Julie Klausner played Louella Parsons. Julie wrote, created and starred in Difficult People, which you can watch on Hulu. She and Tom Scharpling also have a podcast, Double Threat, which you can and should find wherever you get your podcasts. Cole Escola played Hedda Hopper. Cole can be seen on Search Party and At Home with Amy Sedaris and their self-produced special Help, I’m Stuck. Writer Rachel Syme spoke to Karina about Sheila Graham. 

The-Moon-Is-Blue-images-a14b681a-b865-41cc-997d-a38ddb6a31a.jpg

Gossip Girls: Louella Parsons And Hedda Hopper (Sex and Shame in the 1950s, Episode 7) /  by Karina Longworth

Hedda Hopper and Ingrid Bergman, 1959

Hedda Hopper and Ingrid Bergman, 1959

Listen to this episode on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

The 1950s were a decade of massive contradictions in terms of national and cultural attitudes towards sex. As Louella Parsons struggled to keep up with these rapid changes -- and to compete with her bolder, bitchier rival Hedda Hopper -- she reflected and steered the sexual panic through her coverage of two stories: Rita Hayworth’s marriage to a Muslim prince, and Ingrid Bergman’s “illegitimate” pregnancy. Plus: the emergence of Sheilah Graham, the international woman of mystery who would eventually beat the gossip girls at their own game.

Sheila Graham.png
Louella Parsons, Victor Mature and Rita Hayworth at the Cocoanut Grove, c. 1940s

Louella Parsons, Victor Mature and Rita Hayworth at the Cocoanut Grove, c. 1940s

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: 

"Single Still" by Vermouth

"Lowball" by Vermouth

"Borough" by Molerider

"Glass Stopper" by Vermouth

"Vernouillet" by The Sweet Hots

"Spot Peter" by The Sweet Hots

"Gaddy" by Little Rock

"Calisson" by Confectionery

"Tessalit" by Azalai

"True Blue Sky" by Bitters

"Cran Ras" by Vermouth

"Holo" by Grey River

Prince Ali Khan and Rita Hayworth cutting into their wedding cake at Khan’s Riviera Chateau de L’Horizon, May 27, 1949 | LIFE Magazine

Prince Ali Khan and Rita Hayworth cutting into their wedding cake at Khan’s Riviera Chateau de L’Horizon, May 27, 1949 | LIFE Magazine

Credits:

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

Our editor this season is Evan Viola. 

Research and production assistant: Lindsey D. Schoenholtz.

Social media assistant: Brendan Whalen.

Logo design: Teddy Blanks.

Thanks to our special guests. Julie Klausner played Louella Parsons. Julie wrote, created and starred in Difficult People, which you can watch on Hulu. She and Tom Scharpling also have a podcast, Double Threat, which you can and should find wherever you get your podcasts. Cole Escola played Hedda Hopper. Cole can be seen on Search Party and At Home with Amy Sedaris and their self-produced special Help, I’m Stuck. Writer Rachel Syme spoke to Karina about Sheila Graham. 

Gossip Girls: Louella Parsons And Hedda Hopper (Witch Hunt, Episode 6) /  by Karina Longworth

Louella Parsons, 1953 | Photo from the Los Angeles Herald Examiner Photo Collection via the Los Angeles Public Library

Louella Parsons, 1953 | Photo from the Los Angeles Herald Examiner Photo Collection via the Los Angeles Public Library

Listen to this episode on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

During an era in which Hollywood and Washington are shakily aligned in the witch hunting of actual and reputed socialists, Louella struggles to maintain her position as cheerleader for the status quo, while Hedda grabs a torch and tries to burn it all down, using celebrity gossip to further the racist, xenophobic interests of the FBI. There’s also a new competitor in town, who at once subversively spoke to and for Hollywood’s gay community, while also deflecting attention from his own sexuality by attacking others.

Alfred Eisenstaedt/Hedda Hopper | The LIFE Picture Collection, via Getty Images

Alfred Eisenstaedt/Hedda Hopper | The LIFE Picture Collection, via Getty Images

Louella Parsons and L.B. Mayer | Time Life Pictures via Getty Images

Louella Parsons and L.B. Mayer | Time Life Pictures via Getty Images

Gary Cooper at the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) hearings, Washington, DC, October 24, 1947 | Photo Via Getty Images

Gary Cooper at the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) hearings, Washington, DC, October 24, 1947 | Photo Via 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: 

"The Records" by Union Hall

"Undercover Vampire Policeman" by Chris Zabriskie

"Chai Belltini" by Vermouth

"Cocoon Transit" by Origami

"Gin Boheme" by Vermouth

"Where it All Happened" by Cold Case

"Roadside Bunkhouse" by Truck Stop

"I Knew a Guy" by Kevin MacLeod

"ZigZag Heart" by Nursery

"Copley Beat" by Skittle

"Glass Stopper" by Vermouth

Mike Connolly c. 1950s

Mike Connolly c. 1950s

Credits:

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

Our editor this season is Evan Viola. 

Research and production assistant: Lindsey D. Schoenholtz.

Social media assistant: Brendan Whalen.

Logo design: Teddy Blanks.

Special thanks to our special guests. Julie Klausner played Louella Parsons. Julie wrote, created, and starred in Difficult People, which you can watch on Hulu. She and Tom Scharpling also have a podcast, Double Threat, which you can and should find wherever you get your podcasts. Cole Escola played Hedda Hopper. Cole can be seen on Search Party and At Home with Amy Sedaris and their self-produced special Help I’m Stuck.  

Gossip Girls: Louella Parsons And Hedda Hopper (The Queer, Female Film Producer You’ve Never Heard Of, Episode 5) /  by Karina Longworth

Harriet Parsons c. 1930s | Photo by George Hurrell

Harriet Parsons c. 1930s | Photo by George Hurrell

Listen to this episode on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

Louella’s daughter, Harriet Parsons, became a groundbreaking female film producer at a moment in history in which virtually all mainstream filmmakers were male. She was also a lesbian, at a time when being openly gay was unacceptable in Hollywood -- and, in much of America, illegal. 

Harriet Parsons, left, with Radie Harris, 1945 | Photo from the Harriet Parsons scrapbooks, Margaret Herrick Library, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences

Harriet Parsons, left, with Radie Harris, 1945 | Photo from the Harriet Parsons scrapbooks, Margaret Herrick Library, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences

Screenland1946.png
Louella Parsons, Hollywood gossip columnist, with CBS-TV Producer, Martin Manulis and Harriet Parsons

Louella Parsons, Hollywood gossip columnist, with CBS-TV Producer, Martin Manulis and Harriet Parsons

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 Bus at Dawn" by Holyoke

"Talltell" by Flatlands

"Pacing" by TinyTiny Trio

"House of Grendel" by Lemuel

"Levanger" by Lillehammer

"Laser Focus" by TinyTiny Trio

"The Crisper" by Confectionery

"Passages Interlude" by Demalion

"Line Exchange" by Marble Run

"Three Stories" by Skittle

"Cobalt Blue" by Marble Run

"Tarte Tatin" by Confectionery

Harriet Parsons c. 1978 | Photo by Steve Banks

Harriet Parsons c. 1978 | Photo by Steve Banks

Credits:

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

Our editor this season is Evan Viola. 

Research and production assistant: Lindsey D. Schoenholtz.

Social media assistant: Brendan Whalen.

Logo design: Teddy Blanks.

Special thanks to our special guests. Julie Klausner played Louella Parsons. Julie wrote, created, and starred in Difficult People, which you can watch on Hulu. She and Tom Scharpling also have a podcast, Double Threat, which you can and should find wherever you get your podcasts. Cole Escola played Hedda Hopper. Cole can be seen on Search Party and At Home with Amy Sedaris and their self-produced special Help I’m Stuck.  

Hedda Hopper and her son William Hopper | Photo from the CBS Photo Archive via Getty Images

Hedda Hopper and her son William Hopper | Photo from the CBS Photo Archive via Getty Images

Gossip Girls: Louella Parsons And Hedda Hopper (War! Episode 4) /  by Karina Longworth

Hedda Hopper c. 1946 | Popperfoto/Getty Images

Hedda Hopper c. 1946 | Popperfoto/Getty Images

Listen to this episode on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

World War II begins to reveal the gulf between Louella’s conservative but essentially business-minded politics, and Hedda Hopper’s virulent right-wing fervor. These differences — and the glee with which Hopper would destroy lives to shore up political power and further her ideology  — come through loud and clear in the stories of two controversies: the casting of Gone with the Wind, and the paternity trial of Charlie Chaplin. Meanwhile, Louella shows her devotion to Hearst by using her power to cripple Citizen Kane. 

Lana Turner and Louella Parsons Radio Broadcast c. 1940s

Lana Turner and Louella Parsons Radio Broadcast c. 1940s

SHOW NOTES:  

Sources for entire season:

Hedda Hopper’s Hollywood: Celebrity Gossip and American Conservatism by Jennifer Frost

The First Lady of Hollywood: A Biography of Louella Parsons by Samantha Barbas

The Whole Truth and Nothing But by Hedda Hopper

From Under My Hat by Hedda Hopper

Tell it to Louella by Louella Parsons

The Powers That Be by David Halberstam

Hearst Over Hollywood: Power, Passion, and Propaganda in the Movies by Louis Pizzitola

The Chief: The Life of William Randolph Hearst by David Nasaw

Dish by Jeannette Walls

Privileged Son: Otis Chandler And The Rise And Fall Of The L.A. Times Dynasty by Dennis Mcdougal

Hedda and Louella: A Dual biography of Hedda Hopper and Louella Parsons by George Eells


Sources specific to this episode:

“Joan Barry: The Most (In)famous Actress to Never Appear on Screen” by Matthew Mandarano, https://notesonafilm.com/

“Age of Consent Laws” by Stephen Robertson, University Of Sydney, Australia, https://chnm.gmu.edu/

“Louella Parsons and Hedda Hopper Rivalry Ruined the Revelry” Time Magazine, 1941, https://time.com/

“How Leni Riefenstahl shaped the way we see the Olympics” by Nicholas Barber, August 2016, https://www.bbc.com/

“That Old Feeling: Leni's Triumph” by Richard Corliss Aug. 22, 2002, http://content.time.com/

“How 'America First' Got Its Nationalistic Edge” by Eric Rauchway, May 6, 2016, https://www.theatlantic.com/

“The Long History Behind Donald Trump's 'America First' Foreign Policy” by Lily Rothman, March 28, 2016, https://time.com/

“CRIME: Mann & Woman” Apr. 03, 1944, http://content.time.com/

The “Good” Conscientious Objector Lew Ayres by Joseph Connor, February, 2018, https://www.historynet.com/

“Louella Parsons and Hedda Hopper Rivalry Ruined the Revelry” Time Magazine, 1941.png

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 Bus at Dawn" by Holyoke

"Talltell" by Flatlands

"Pacing" by TinyTiny Trio

"House of Grendel" by Lemuel

"Levanger" by Lillehammer

"Laser Focus" by TinyTiny Trio

"The Crisper" by Confectionery

"Passages Interlude" by Demalion

"Line Exchange" by Marble Run

"Three Stories" by Skittle

"Cobalt Blue" by Marble Run

"Tarte Tatin" by Confectionery

Louella Parsons (left) Hedda Hopper (right) c. 1930s

Credits:

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

Special thanks to Cole Escola who played Hedda Hopper. Cole can be seen on Search Party and At Home with Amy Sedaris and their self-produced special Help I’m Stuck.  

Our editor this season is Evan Viola. 

Research and production assistant: Lindsey D. Schoenholtz.

Social media assistant: Brendan Whalen.

Logo design: Teddy Blanks.

Gossip Girls: Louella Parsons And Hedda Hopper (The Feud, Episode 3) /  by Karina Longworth

HeddaHopperc.1920s.jpg
​

Listen to this episode on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

In 1938, washed-up actress Hedda Hopper is installed as a movie gossip columnist with the express purpose of puncturing the success of Louella and Hearst. But Hedda quickly establishes a voice of her own, revolutionary for its insistence on making movie gossip political. Once friends, Louella and Hedda become bitter rivals, egged on in their feud by a third party who sees Hedda as an ally in right-wing conservatism.

Hedda Hopper, 3rd from left, with Edward Everett Horton, Robert Ames, Ann Harding in Holiday (1930)

Hedda Hopper, 3rd from left, with Edward Everett Horton, Robert Ames, Ann Harding in Holiday (1930)

Screen Shot 2021-05-11 at 12.53.40 PM.png

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: 

"Krok" by Simple Machines

"Pips and Boil" by Confectionery

"Crumpet" by Confectionery

"Heath" by Moon Juice

"Mr Mole and Son" by Love and Weasel

"One Quiet Conversation" by K2

"Pxl Htra" by The Fence

"Eggs and Powder" by Muffuletta

"Trenton Channel" by Reflections

"Respite" by Desert Kalimba

"Net and the Cradle" by Muffuletta

"Copley Beat" by Skittle

"Ewa Valley" by Cloud Harbor

Louella Parsons (left) Hedda Hopper (right) c. 1930s

Louella Parsons (left) Hedda Hopper (right) c. 1930s

Credits:

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

Special thanks to our special guests. Julie Klausner played Louella Parsons. Julie wrote, created and starred in Difficult People, which you can watch on Hulu. She and Tom Scharpling also have a podcast, Double Threat, which you can and should find wherever you get your podcasts. Cole Escola played Hedda Hopper. Cole is an actor who appears on Search Party and At Home with Amy Sedaris. 

Our editor this season is Evan Viola. 

Research and production assistant: Lindsey D. Schoenholtz.

Social media assistant: Brendan Whalen.

Logo design: Teddy Blanks.

Gossip Girls: Louella Parsons And Hedda Hopper (The First Lady, Episode 2) /  by Karina Longworth

Birthday party for WR Hearst, Louella Parsons 2nd from right | Photo from the Los Angeles Herald Examiner Photo Collection via the Los Angeles Public Library

Birthday party for WR Hearst, Louella Parsons 2nd from right | Photo from the Los Angeles Herald Examiner Photo Collection via the Los Angeles Public Library

Listen to this episode on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

In 1923, Louella Parsons signed a contract with William Randolph Hearst for nationwide syndication of the first major Hollywood gossip column. Parsons quickly built a brand based on protecting (and whitewashing) Hollywood’s interests, as well as Hearst’s, relentlessly promoting — and spying on — Hearst’s mistress, Marion Davies. 

Louella Parsons c. 1920’s

Louella Parsons c. 1920’s

Louella Parsons, Marion Davies, Beltran Masses, Charlie Chaplin, Rudolph Valentino c. 1920s.png

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: 

"Myrian" by Arc and Crecent

"FasterFaster Brighter" by Ray Catcher

"Vernouillet" by The Sweet Hots

"Jeramiah's Suit" by Rayling

"Capering" by Calumet

"The Silver Hatch" by Rayling

"Pastel de Nata" by Orange Cat

"Unfolding Plot" by Ray Catcher

"Floating Whist" by Aeronaut

"Pavement Hack" by Arc and Crecent

"Chase and We Follow" by Ray Catcher

"Dirty Wallpaper" by Lemuel

"Norvik" by Lillehammer

Gloria Swanson, Louella Parsons, and Mary Pickford

Gloria Swanson, Louella Parsons, and Mary Pickford

Credits:

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

Special thanks to our special guests. Julie Klausner played Louella Parsons. Julie wrote, created and starred in Difficult People, which you can watch on Hulu. She and Tom Scharpling also have a podcast, Double Threat, which you can and should find wherever you get your podcasts. 

Thanks to writer Rachel Syme who spoke to Karina about Sheila Graham.

Our editor this season is Evan Viola. 

Research and production assistant: Lindsey D. Schoenholtz.

Social media assistant: Brendan Whalen.

Logo design: Teddy Blanks.

HollywoodHotel.jpg

Gossip Girls: Louella Parsons and Hedda Hopper (Small Town Girl, Episode 1) /  by Karina Longworth

Hedda Hopperand Louella Parsons.jpg
​

Listen to this episode on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

From the anonymous tips posted on Deux Moi to the streams of annotated paparazzi shots that fill the Daily Mail, today’s celebrity gossip -- democratized, based on technological surveillance -- looks completely different than it used to, when non-famous people could only go “behind the scenes” if led by authoritative guides. How did we get here?

This season on You Must Remember This, we’re going to go back about a hundred years, to the very beginning of the idea of going “behind the scenes,” to talk about the two powerful women who invented and dominated Hollywood gossip as it was known in the 20th century: Louella Parsons and Hedda Hopper. Parsons and Hopper were both self-made women, single moms from middle America who shattered the glass ceiling; they were also small-minded, self-obsessed bigots who used their power to persecute outsiders, police sexuality, and ensure that the rich, powerful people who made movies lived in fear. Through stories of these women, their rivalry with one another and their incestuous relationships with the institutions and powerful men that controlled media, the movies and even federal law enforcement, we’ll track the evolution of gossip over the course of a century. 

Both Louella Parsons and Hedda Hopper worked for papers created by charismatic barons whose publications were nakedly corrupt, totally biased -- and absolutely mainstream. Once we get a feel for this media climate, we’ll trace Louella’s early years of struggle and reinvention on the road to her pioneering bylines, and, finally, her role in canonizing The Birth of a Nation -- the most viciously racist Hollywood blockbuster of all time. 

louella-parsons-talking-on-phone-bettmann.jpg
the-birth-of-a-nation-1915-us-1921-reissue-lobby-card.jpg

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: 

"Intelligent Galaxy"

"Faster Does It"

"Rite of Passage"

"Base Camp" by K2

"Dirty Wallpaper" by Lemuel

"Capering" by Calumet

"Floating Whist" by Aeronaut

"Donnalee" by Bitters

"Guild Rat" by El Baul

"Our Only Lark" by Bitters

"Scraper" by Grey River

"Mknt" by Simple Machines

"Myrian" by Arc and Crecent

Credits:

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

Special thanks to our special guests. Julie Klausner played Louella Parsons. Julie wrote, created and starred in Difficult People, which you can watch on Hulu. She and Tom Scharpling also have a podcast, Double Threat, which you can and should find wherever you get your podcasts. 

This episode featured a special appearance by James Gray. 

This season is edited and mixed by Evan Viola.

Research and production assistant: Lindsey D. Schoenholtz.

Social media assistant: Brendan Whalen.

Logo design: Teddy Blanks.

NellieBly.jpg

We received the following episode correction from listener Bridget Visser:

In the episode, it is asserted that pioneering journalist Elizabeth Jane Cochran, aka Nellie Bly, married a millionaire and then used her marital wealth and connections to break into the journalism profession. While it is true that Cochran did eventually marry a millionaire, she did not meet him until well after she was already an established and internationally famous journalist.

Cochran started writing for the New York World in 1887. That same year she went undercover in a female mental institution for 10 days. The series of exposés she wrote about that experience were sensational and they made her a nationally famous household name in the US. Then, in 1889 she raced another female reporter around the world in 72 days (and won), which made her internationally famous. However, she did not even meet her husband, millionaire Robert Seaman, until years later in 1895 (she married him shortly thereafter). Also, after years of being paid significantly less than her male peers, she attempted to use this marriage to retire from journalism altogether. This, for various reasons, did not work in the long term and she did get back into journalism eventually. But, that is a long story.

While Cochran definitely did have privilege as a middle-class white woman, she certainly did not have the advantages of a millionaire's wife when she was starting out in her career. She was almost entirely a self-made success and I think that is an important distinction. How she actually broke into journalism is another long story, but essentially much of it came down to persistence, charisma, stubbornness, fearlessness, cleverness and grit.

SOURCE: Nellie Bly: Daredevil. Reporter. Feminist  by Brooke Kroeger, Kindle Edition

Polly Platt: The Invisible Woman Archive /  by Karina Longworth

As an Oscar-nominated production designer, screenwriter, producer and executive who put her stamp on some of the greatest and most loved films of the 1970s and 80s – including Paper Moon, Bad News Bears, Terms of Endearment, Broadcast News, The Witches of Eastwick and more—Polly Platt had a major impact on the careers of Barbra Streisand, Tatum O’Neal, Garry Marshall, Cameron Crowe and Wes Anderson. She also lived an epic Hollywood life off-screen; her personal life was the stuff of a Great American Novel, full of romances, heartbreak, alcoholism and the challenges of adapting to cataclysmic cultural change as an independent, professional woman – and single mom. And yet, despite all of this, if you know Polly Platt’s name today, it’s probably because, in 1970, her husband and creative collaborator Peter Bogdanovich had an affair with Cybill Shepherd while shooting the film that made both Bogdanovich and Shepherd major stars of their era, The Last Picture Show. But Platt was much more than a jilted wife: she was the secret, often invisible-to-the-public weapon behind some of the most loved American “auteur” films (many of them comedies, directed by men) of the last decades of the 20th century. 

Drawing on Platt’s unpublished memoir (which remained unfinished when she died in 2011), as well as ample interviews and archival research, The Invisible Woman will tell Polly Platt’s incredible story from her perspective, for the first time. A trailblazer in jobs rarely held by women in Hollywood to that point, Polly Platt’s story helps us understand the obstacles preventing gender equality behind the scenes in Hollywood — in the 1970 through the 1990s, and in the present day -- and allows us to contemplate what it was like to be a woman in Hollywood during a time when the feminist movement may have been remaking American society to some extent, but failed to make major inroads in the movie industry.

Episodes:

  • “IT WASN’T SEXISM, THEN” (POLLY PLATT, THE INVISIBLE WOMAN, EPISODE 1): Today, we’ll begin with a look at how Polly Platt’s legacy was appraised when she died in 2011. Then we’ll go back in time to tell Polly’s story from the start, beginning with her Revolutionary Road-esque childhood in Europe and America as the neglected daughter of two alcoholics; to her years studying scenic design in environments in which women weren’t welcome; the secret pregnancy that halted her formal education, and the early marriage that took her West and cemented her desire to tell stories through design. Throughout, we’ll talk about how Platt’s experiences, as the product of an American military family of the 1950s—and the daughter of a mother who had been forced to abandon a career for motherhood––shaped her view of gender roles and relations, and her idea of what it meant to be the wife of an important man. Listen

  • PETER BOGDANOVICH AND THE WOMAN BEHIND THE AUTEUR (POLLY PLATT, THE INVISIBLE WOMAN, EPISODE 2): After the death of her first husband and creative partner, Polly moves to New York, where she swiftly meets and falls in love with Peter Bogdanovich. Together Polly and Peter build a life around the obsessive consumption of Hollywood movies, with Polly acting as Peter’s Jill-of-all-trades support system as he first ingratiates himself with the previous two generations of Hollywood auteurs as a critic/historian, and then makes his way into making his own films. Together, Polly and Peter write and produce Targets, Bogdanovich’s first credited feature, and also collaborate on a documentary about the great director John Ford. By the time Polly gives birth to their first daughter, she believes she and Peter are an indivisible, equal creative partnership — regardless of how credit is distributed in Hollywood. Listen

  • LAST PICTURE SHOW LOVE TRIANGLE: POLLY PLATT, THE INVISIBLE WOMAN PART 3: At Polly’s urging, Peter decides to direct an adaptation of Larry McMurtry’s novel The Last Picture Show. Though credited only as the film’s “designer,” Polly is involved in every creative decision, including casting — and it’s with his pregnant-again wife’s enthusiasm that Bogdanovich casts 20-year-old model Cybill Shepherd as the film’s femme fatale. Though Polly believed she and Peter were “deliriously happy,” Bogdanovich and Shepherd fall in love on the set of the movie, and Polly has to make a decision: to save face and avoid personal humiliation by walking away from the production, or stay and fight for the creative baby that she feels ownership over. Listen

  • ORSON WELLES, WHAT’S UP DOC, PAPER MOON (POLLY PLATT, THE INVISIBLE WOMAN, EPISODE 4): In the aftermath of Picture Show—and the collapse of her second marriage—Polly finds an unlikely ally, and a new job, in Orson Welles. Anxious to build on her career momentum (and become the first female film art director accepted into her union), Polly agrees to work on Peter’s next two films, What’s Up Doc and Paper Moon – two massive hits which make Peter one of the most famous directors of the decade. Listen

  • A STAR IS BORN (POLLY PLATT, THE INVISIBLE WOMAN, EPISODE 5): When Polly begins her own on-set affair, the double standard of what men can get away with in Hollywood versus what was expected for women would push her to a breaking point. With collaborating with her ex-husband no longer an option, Platt starts attempting to rebuild her career, designing classics such as A Star is Born and Bad News Bears, while also navigating predatory men in power in post-sexual revolution Hollywood. Listen

  • PRETTY BABY AND A PLAYMATE MURDER (POLLY PLATT, THE INVISIBLE WOMAN, EPISODE 6): In an attempt to save her family, Polly transitions to screenwriting and producing, basing the prostitution drama Pretty Baby, starring a pre-teen Brooke Shields, on her own daughter. Polly finds herself increasingly overcome by alcoholism, while dealing with Shields’s own alcoholic mother. Polly’s already-difficult relationship with her two daughters is made much more complicated by the murder of Peter’s girlfriend, Dorothy Stratten, and Bogdanovich’s subsequent emotional collapse. Listen

  • TERMS OF ENDEARMENT (POLLY PLATT, THE INVISIBLE WOMAN, EPISODE 7): Polly’s third marriage falls apart, and she enters more than one destructive affair. During these tumultuous times, Polly establishes a new collaboration with a male writer-director, James L. Brooks, and together the two turn another Larry McMurtry novel into a classic film: Terms of Endearment. Once again, while working on this film about a combative mother-daughter relationship, Polly finds that art and life are intertwined. Polly’s own story starts showing up in other people’s movies, including Irreconcilable Differences -- starring Ryan O’Neal as a version of Bogdanovich. Listen

  • WOMEN OF THE 80’S (POLLY PLATT, THE INVISIBLE WOMAN, EPISODE 8): 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… Listen

  • BOTTLE ROCKET, I'LL DO ANYTHING AND POLLY PLATT IN '90S HOLLYWOOD (POLLY PLATT, THE INVISIBLE WOMAN, EPISODE 9): Platt collaboration with Brooks hits choppy waters with I’ll Do Anything, which at one point was a musical with songs by Prince, but which became one of the most notoriously misbegotten productions of the 1990s. Polly recaptures her indie roots by shepherding the directorial debut of Wes Anderson. Listen

  • HOW DID IT END? (POLLY PLATT, THE INVISIBLE WOMAN, EPISODE 10): Polly’s unfinished memoir ends abruptly in 1995. What were the remaining 16 years of her life like? Using interviews with those who knew her, we’ll explore how her career in Hollywood came to an end, and the tragic circumstances of her death. Listen

How Did It End? (Polly Platt, The Invisible Woman, Episode 10) /  by Karina Longworth

platt_headshot_a.jpg

Listen to this episode on Apple Podcasts. 

Polly’s unfinished memoir ends abruptly in 1995. What were the remaining 16 years of her life like? Using interviews with those who knew her, we’ll explore how her career in Hollywood came to an end, and the tragic circumstances of her death. 

James L. Brooks, Danny Devito and and Polly Platt, c. 2000 | Photo courtesy of Sashy Bogdanovich

James L. Brooks, Danny Devito and and Polly Platt, c. 2000 | Photo courtesy of Sashy Bogdanovich

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: Sashy Bogdanovich, Phoef Sutton, Antonia Bogdanovich, David Moritz, Kelly Wade, Fred Roos, Amy Pascal, Rachel Abramowitz, Stacey Sher, Nancy Griffin, Nessa Hyams, Allison Anders, Jules Fisher, Barbara Boyle and Lisa Maria Radano.

Here is a full list of sources referenced on this season. 

Polly Platt at the Women in Film Crystal Awards, | Photo by Ron Galella, Ltd./Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images

Polly Platt at the Women in Film Crystal Awards, | Photo by Ron Galella, Ltd./Ron Galella Collection via 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:

Labyrinth - Sergey Cheremisinov

Starlight - Royalty Free Music World

Peaceful Piano - Neuromancer

Moonlight - Neuromancer

Danse Morialta - Kevin MacLeod

Undercover Vampire Policeman - Chris Zabriskie

Polly Platt at the Art Director’s Guild oral history taping, c. 2000’s | Photo Courtesy of Antonia Bogdanovich

Polly Platt at the Art Director’s Guild oral history taping, c. 2000’s | Photo Courtesy of Antonia Bogdanovich

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.

Bottle Rocket, I'll Do Anything and Polly Platt in '90s Hollywood (Polly Platt, The Invisible Woman, Episode 9) /  by Karina Longworth

Polly Platt, c. early 1990's | Photo y Mary Ellen Mark

Polly Platt, c. early 1990's | Photo y Mary Ellen Mark

Listen to this episode on Apple Podcasts. 

Platt collaboration with Brooks hits choppy waters with I’ll Do Anything, which at one point was a musical with songs by Prince, but which became one of the most notoriously misbegotten productions of the 1990s. Polly recaptures her indie roots by shepherding the directorial debut of Wes Anderson.

I'lldoanything1994.jpg

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: Rachel Abramowitz, Lisa Maria Radano, Polly Finkelman Cox, Antonia Bogdanovich, Kelly Wade, Paula Herrold, Stacey Sher, Nancy Griffin and Barbara Boyle.

Here is a full list of sources referenced on this season. 

Owen Wilson with Wes Anderson on the set of Bottle Rocket, Produced by Polly Platt (1995)

Owen Wilson with Wes Anderson on the set of Bottle Rocket, Produced by Polly Platt (1995)

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: 

No Place - DJ Masque
Rite of Passage - Kevin MacLeod
I Know a Guy - Kevin MacLeod
Wanna Be Free - King Sis
Gagool - Kevin MacLeod
Faster Does It - Kevin MacLeod
Sunset - Kai Engel
Quantum Jazz - Passing Fields
Tikopia - Kevin MacLeod
Readers Do You Read - Chris Zabriskie
What You’re Made Of - Gary Combs
Divider - Chris Zabriskie

Polly Platt in Hawaii, 1990's | Photo courtesy of Sashy Bogdanovich.jpeg

Polly Platt in Hawaii, 1990's | Photo courtesy of Sashy Bogdanovich.jpeg

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.

Edited by: Brendan Byrnes

Produced 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.