Producer/Creator/Host Doug Hess takes you on a journey back in time and shares with you pieces. of Hollywood you may or may not have known about!
In this episode, I spoke with Ben Model about his book "The Silent Film Universe". The storytelling and characters of these movies can only exist in the Silent Film Universe, where a purely visual cinematic language commingles with the viewer's imagination.Forgotten Hollywood is on Facebook!
In this episode, I spoke with Alan K. Rode regarding his book "Blood On The Moon". Of the movies that writers and historians call "Noir Westerns," none is more celebrated than 1948'sBlood on the Moon. The comingling of the Western genre and the noir style crystalized in this extraordinary film, in turn influencing Westerns in the 1950s to become darker and more psychological. Produced during the height of the post-World War II film noir movement, Blood on the Moon is a classic Western immersed in the film noir netherworld of double crosses, government corruption, shabby barrooms, gun-toting goons, and romantic betrayals. Forgotten Hollwyood is on Facebook. Doug Hess is the host!
In this episode, I spoke with Todd S. Purdum regarding his book "Desi Arnaz: The Man Who Invented Television". An illuminating biography of Desi Arnaz, the visionary, trailblazing Cuban American who revolutionized television and brought laughter to millions as Lucille Ball's beloved husband on I Love Lucy, leaving a remarkable legacy that continues to influence American culture today.Forgotten Hollywood is on Facebook! Doug Hess is the host!
Host Doug Hess chats with Veteran Screenwriter Kirk Ellis about his book "Ride Lonesome". It's the story of the 1959 Western film. Available on Amazon and where books are sold. Forgotten hollywood is on Facebook.
In this episode, I discuss with author Bruce Handy his book " Hollywood High: A Totally Epic, Way Opinionated History of Teen Movies". From a longtime Vanity Fair writer and editor, a delightfully entertaining, intelligent, and illuminating history and tribute to teen movies—from Rebel Without a Cause to Fast Times at Ridgemont High, and on to John Hughes, Mean Girls, The Hunger Games, and more.What influence did Francis Ford Coppola have on George Lucas's American Graffiti? And Lucas on John Singleton's Boyz n the Hood? How does teenage sexuality in Fast Times at Ridgemont High compare to Twilight? Which teen movies pass the Bechdel test? Why is Mean Girls actually the last great teen film of the 20th century?Doug Hess is the Producer and HostFollow on Facbook @forgottenhollywood
Its Gay Pride Month (June), and guest host James Lott Jr talks about the first gay characters in TV!
Host Doug Hess talks about the life of Ray Taylor, a famed Movie Director (b.1888-d.1952)Follow Forgotten Hollywood on Facebook!
In this episode, I spoke with Tom Salinsky about his book "Star Trek: Discovering the TV Series: The Original Series, The Animated Series and The Next Generation". In 2022, a devoted science fiction enthusiast embarked on a two-year journey to watch every piece of Star Trek media, offering insights into the series' evolution, trivia, and cultural impact, essential for fans and TV history buffs alike.How well do you know Star Trek?Forgotten Hollywood is on Facebook. Doug Hess is the Creator/Producer and Host!
In this episode, I spoke with author Michael Seth Starr regarding his latest book "Nothin' Comes Easy: The Life of Rodney Dangerfield". Rodney Dangerfield's fidgety delivery, self-deprecating humor, and catchphrase “I don't get no respect” made him a comedy icon in nightclubs, on television, and in movies.
Doug Hess is the host.follow on facebook @forgottenhollywood
In this episode, I discuss the life of Director Edward Cline.Doug Hess is the hostFollow Forgotten Hollywood on Facebook
JLJ takes over for Doug on this episode and talks about the iconic 60s tv hit The Beverly Hillbillies.
In this episode, I spoke with Thomas J. Slater about his book "June Mathis: The Rise and Fall of a Silent Film Visionary". After more than a decade of stepping onto stages across the US, she moved into the burgeoning film business and behind the camera to begin a prolific career as a screenwriter and producer for profound movies like The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (1921) and Blood and Sand (1922). With her expert use of melodrama and masterful technique, Mathis would eventually become the first female head writer at Metro Pictures. Forgotten Hollywood is on Facebook! Doug Hess is the Creator/Producer and Host!
In this episode, I discuss with Christopher Shaw Myers his book and uncle "Robert Shaw: An Actor's Life On The Set Of JAWS and Beyond". Just in time for the 50th anniversary of Steven Spielberg'sJaws, an intimate and richly-told portrait of the iconic actor and writer Robert Shaw, from his portrayal of the legendary shark hunter Captain Quint and beyond, written lovingly but honestly by his nephew. Doug Hess is the host and follow on FB @forgottenhollywood
In this episode, I spoke with Mary Mallory about her book "First Women of Hollywood: Female Pioneers in the Early Motion Picture Business". Largely created by immigrants, the film industry evolved over its first few decades thanks to the work of people outside the traditional ruling class—immigrants, people of color, women—partly as a result of elites denigrating the fledgling field. As the moving picture industry transitioned from neophyte to powerhouse, young and ambitious rebels energized its output. follow Forgotten Hollywood on Facebook!
In this episode, I spoke with Elias Savada bout his book "Dark Carnival: The Secret World of Tod Browning, Hollywood's Master of the Macabre ". One of the most original and unsettling filmmakers of all time, Tod Browning (1880–1962) began his career buried alive in a carnival sideshow and saw his Hollywood reputation crash with the box office disaster–turned–cult classic Freaks. Penetrating the secret world of “the Edgar Allan Poe of the cinema".
In this episode, I discuss with author Rick Penn-Kraus and his book "Steve McQueen The Last Interview". The inspiring true story behind Steve McQueen's last interview.In 1979 Los Angeles, a teenage high school journalist set out to do the impossible: land an interview with movie legend Steve McQueen, a man known for avoiding reporters and dodging the spotlight. What followed was a mix of bold determination, awkward courage, and a surprising yes from the King of Cool himself. It was an exclusive interview that Rolling Stone, Time, Life, Newsweek and many other magazines could not get. It turned out to be McQueen's last.
In this episode, I discuss with author Rick Penn-Kraus and his book "Steve McQueen The Last Interview". The inspiring true story behind Steve McQueen's last interview.In 1979 Los Angeles, a teenage high school journalist set out to do the impossible: land an interview with movie legend Steve McQueen, a man known for avoiding reporters and dodging the spotlight. What followed was a mix of bold determination, awkward courage, and a surprising yes from the King of Cool himself. It was an exclusive interview that Rolling Stone, Time, Life, Newsweek and many other magazines could not get. It turned out to be McQueen's last.
In this episode, I spoke with film critic Jonathan Rosenbaum about his latest book "Travel In The Cities of Cinema". Jonathan Rosenbaum stands as one of the most eminent film critics in the English-speaking world. After working for Sight and Sound and Monthly Film Bulletin in London in the 1970s, he served for two decades as chief film critic for theChicago Reader. Hailed as "one of the best" by Jean-Luc Godard, who compared him to James Agee and André Bazin, Rosenbaum is known for his incisive, thought-provoking polemics, which have inspired generations of writers while reshaping how we think about cinema.
In this episode, I spoke with author Nat Segaloff about his book "The Rambo Report". The ultimate guide to the Rambo phenomenon—from bestselling novel to Hollywood blockbuster to all-American hero, legend, and icon—written with the full cooperation of Rambo's creator, bestselling author David Morrell . . .
Little House On the Prarie's Alison Arngrim, who played the infamous Nelly Olsen, chats with Doug about life!
In this episode, I spoke with author Tom Santopietro about his book " Audrey Hepburn: A Life Of Beautiful Uncertainty". This is the definitive tribute to the glamor and character of a beloved icon, including rarely published details, photographs and stories about the lasting impact of Audrey Hepburn's remarkable life.Academy Award-winning actress, fashion icon, ethereal beauty, wife, mother, World War II resistance activist, UNICEF champion— Audrey Hepburn transcended her era and became a global idol whose appeal continues to soar in the twenty-first century.
In this episode, we discuss one of the world's most underrated Academy Award-winning actresses, Jennifer Jones. She was not only an American actress but also a mental-health advocate. She was cast in her first leading role in The Song of Bernadette (1943). Her intense and sincere portrayal of a French peasant girl (St. Bernadette of Lourdes) earned Jones an Academy Award.
In this episode, I spoke with author Robert B. O'Connor about his book "Jeep shows, and Jeep Show – A Trouper at the Battle of the Bulge". An untold WWII story—where courage wasn't just tested in battle, but on makeshift stages at the front and on the home front.
In this episode, I spoke with Christopher McKittrick about his latest book "Vera Miles: The Hitchcock Blonde Who Got Away". Captivating, talented, and beautiful, Vera Miles was destined for fame. Within a few years of making her way to Hollywood in 1949, she starred in such films as The Rose Bowl Story (1952), Tarzan's Hidden Jungle (1955), and Wichita (1955). Her frequent television performances so enthralled Alfred Hitchcock that he chose her to be Grace Kelly's successor for roles in The Wrong Man (1956) and the iconic film Psycho (1960). She also starred in John Ford's The Searchers (1956) and The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962). Miles's illustrious film and television career spanned nearly fifty years in Hollywood, and yet she is still considered one of the most unsung film actresses of her era.The entire episode of "Medic" that Chris talks about is available on YouTube:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=icO5-I4e0SQ
In this episode, I talk about Indiana native Robert Keith.Rolland Keith Richey (February 10, 1898 – December 22, 1966), known professionally as Robert Keith, was an American stage and film actor who appeared in several dozen films, mostly in the 1950s as a character actor.follow on facebook at @forgottenhollywood
In this episode, I spoke with Dafydd Jones about his latest book "Hollywood Confidential". Hollywood: Confidential is the latest collection of beautifully timed photos from bestselling society photographer Dafydd Jones. Formerly of Tatler and Vanity Fair, Jones is a serial capturer of intimate moments during high-society functions. As famous Vanity Fair editor Graydon Carter puts it, when it comes to party photographers, ‘Dafydd Jones is the sniper's sniper – the best of the best.'
In this episode I discuss the Producer Hal B. Wallis. He is best known for producing Casablanca, The Adventures of Robin Hood, and True Grit, along with many other major films for Warner Bros. featuring such film stars as Humphrey Bogart, John Wayne, Bette Davis, and Errol Flynn.
In this episode, Warren Croom and I spoke with Bentley Mitchum the grandson of Robert Mitchum about his grandfather. Bentley is also an actor and musican. Follow Bentely on ig @mitchumontopAlso Saturday March 22nd at the Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood, showing of the film Out of the Past/The Killng staring Robert Mitchum.
In this episode, I discuss screen writer Charles Brackett. He co-wrote Ball of Fire (1941), The Lost Weekend (1945), and Sunset Boulevard (1950) to name just as few films.
In this episode, I discuss the life of Director James Whale.
In this episode, I discuss the life of actor/director Fred C Newmeyer.
In this episode, I spoke with author Diane Kiesel about her latest book "When Charlie Met Joan: The Tragedy of the Chaplin Trials and the Failings of American Law". Charlie Chaplin, the silent screen's “Little Tramp,” was beloved by millions of movie fans until he starred in a series of salacious, real-life federal courtroom dramas.
In this episode, I discuss the work of Director, Producer and actor Sam Wood.Directed eight Oscar Best Picture nominees: The Good Earth (1937) (uncredited), Goodbye, Mr. Chips (1939), Gone with the Wind (1939) (uncredited), Our Town (1940), Kitty Foyle (1940), Kings Row (1942), The Pride of the Yankees (1942) and For Whom the Bell Tolls (1943).
In this episode, I discuss with Mallory O'Meara and her latest book "Daughter of Daring: The Trick-Riding, Train-Leaping, Road-Racing Life of Helen Gibson, Hollywood's First Stuntwoman". Helen Gibson was a woman willing to do anything to give audiences a thrill. Advertised as "The Most Daring Actress in Pictures," Helen emerged in the early days of the twentieth-century silent film scene as a rodeo rider, background actor, stunt double, and eventually one of the era's biggest action stars.
In this episode, I spoke with author Chris Alexander about his latest book "Art! Trash! Terror! Adventures in Strange Cinema". From filmmaker, former Fangoria editor-in-chief, and Corman/Poe author Chris Alexander comes ART! TRASH! TERROR! Adventures in Strange Cinema, a treasure trove of in-depth essays and edifying interviews that celebrate some of the most eccentric and unforgettable movies in cult cinema history. The book will be released in the US on March 15, 2025, until then go ahead and pre-order your copy today.
In this episode, I spoke with author William Elliott Hazelgrove regarding his book " Dead Air: The Night That Orson Wells Terrified America". On a warm Halloween Eve, October 30, 1938, during a broadcast of H G. Wells' War of the Worlds, a twenty-three-year-old Orson Welles held his hands up for radio silence in the CBS studio in New York City while millions of people ran out into the night screaming, grabbed shotguns, drove off in cars, and hid in basements, attics, or anywhere they could find to get away from Martians intent on exterminating the human race.
In this episode, I spoke with Professor Lisa Haven about her recent book "Early Buster Keaton: From the Vaudeville Stage to Comique Films 1899-1920". Since nearly every aspect of Keaton's story and work has been written about in some form, it is the goal of this book to present a new perspective on Keaton's early life in the entertainment business, beginning before vaudeville and moving through the Comique films, Keaton's first foray into the industry.Pre-order her book on Amazon or another bookstore. Book is scheduled to be release on March 30th. Order today!
The career of Joan Bennett! Follow on FB @forgottenhollywood
James Lott Jr has a message for listeners. And Thank You Doug Hess for ALL of your hard work.Intro and Outro song- Dazzle In the Spotlight by the North Inglewood Jazz Symphony Orchestra (written by James Lott Jr for Lefthanded Taurus Music 2025)