From Beneath the Hollywood Sign Podcast By Steve Cubine & Nan McNamara cover art

From Beneath the Hollywood Sign

From Beneath the Hollywood Sign

By: Steve Cubine & Nan McNamara
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If the Golden era of Old Hollywood is your thing, our podcast is for you! If you want TYRONE POWER instead of TOM HARDY, JENNIFER JONES instead of JENNIFER LAWRENCE, or ROBERT MITCHUM rather than ROBERT PATTINSON, then FROM BENEATH THE HOLLYWOOD SIGN is the gin joint for you. Each week, writer and producer STEVE CUBINE and actress and writer NAN MCNAMARA explore, discuss, and dissect the magical, mysterious, amusing, and sometimes bizarre tales of Old Hollywood. So sit back and revisit a time when the pictures were still big and everyone was ready for their close-up.© 2023 Eleven Eleven llc Art
Episodes
  • "BEHIND THE GLAMOUR: DRUG USE IN OLD HOLLYWOOD" (097)

    "BEHIND THE GLAMOUR: DRUG USE IN OLD HOLLYWOOD" (097)
    Jul 21 2025
    EPISODE 97 - “BEHIND THE GLAMOUR: DRUG USE IN OLD HOLLYWOOD” - 7/21/25 As the Roaring 1920s kicked in, America’s backlash against prohibition brought forth a boozy, fun-loving era where alcohol and the use of recreational drugs like cocaine and opium became a fashionable part of the hedonistic lifestyle. This was never more true than behind the hallowed gates of old Hollywood’s studios. In fact, drugs became a common tool of the studio systems to keep exhausted actors working and impossible production schedules on track. After the deaths of prominent film stars WALLACE REID and ALMA RUBENS, Hollywood had a chance to change things, but they didn’t. This week, we explore the rampant drug use that permeated the film industry during Hollywood’s infancy. SHOW NOTES: Sources: Tinseltown: Murder, Morphine, and Madness at the Dawn of Hollywood (2015) by William J. Mann; Wallace Reid: The Life and Death of a Hollywood Idol (2013), by E.J. Fleming; “The Most Tragic Details Of Old Hollywood Stars' Lives,” June 30, 2025, by Acacia Deadlock, TheList.com; “Hollywood’s Dark Secret: Drug Abuse in the Golden Age,” February 17, 2025, hollywoodlandnews.com; “Golden Age Hollywood Had a Dirty Little Secret: Drugs,” May 27, 2025, by Erin Blakemore, History.com; “The Buyers -- A Social History of America’s Most Popular Drugs,” PBS.org; Wikipedia.com; TCM.com; IBDB.com; IMDBPro.com; --------------------------------- http://www.airwavemedia.com Please contact sales@advertisecast.com if you would like to advertise on our podcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    33 mins
  • “LEGENDS IN CEMENT: THE STORY OF THE GRAUMAN’S CHINESE THEATRE”

    “LEGENDS IN CEMENT: THE STORY OF THE GRAUMAN’S CHINESE THEATRE”
    Jul 14 2025
    “LEGENDS IN CEMENT: THE STORY OF THE GRAUMAN’S CHINESE THEATRE” - 7/14/25 (096) There is no landmark in Hollywood that elicits such awe and wonder as the beautiful Chinese Theatre. The brainchild of impresario SID GRAUMAN, who made a name for himself creating opulent, grand movie palaces, the theatre became a symbol of movie magic. Join us this week as we discuss the rich and wonderful history of this great theatre and how it evolved and changed over the years. We’ll also discuss the iconic stars who came to place their hand and footprints in cement in the theater’s forecourt. SHOW NOTES: Sources: Dream Palaces of Hollywood’s Golden Age (2006), by David Wallace; Hollywood’s Master Showman: The Legendary Sid Grauman (1983), by Charles Beardsley; “All the Hollywood Secrets Hidden in the Handprints at the Chinese Theatre’s Forecourt of the Stars,” May 18, 2017, by Meredith Werner, Los Angeles Times; Grauman’s Chinese Theatre, academymuseum.org; “Dame Helen Makes Her (Stiletto) Mark on Hollywood as She Cements Superstar Status,” March 29, 2011, Hello! Magazine; tclchinesetheatres.com; Wikipedia.com; TCM.com; IBDB.com; IMDBPro.com; Movies Mentioned: The Big Parade (1925), starring John Gilbert & Renée Adorée; King of Kings (1927), starring H.B. Warner & Dorothy Cummings; Hell’s Angels (1930), starring Ben Lyon, Jean Harlow, & James Hall; King Kong (1933), starring Fay Wray & Bruce Cabot; The Wizard of Oz (1939), starring Judy Garland, Ray Bolger, Jack Haley, & Burt Lahr; Gentleman Prefer Blondes (1953), starring Jane Russell & Marilyn Monroe; The Egyptian (1954), starring Jean Simmons, Victor Mature, Gene Tierney, & Edmond Purdom; --------------------------------- http://www.airwavemedia.com Please contact sales@advertisecast.com if you would like to advertise on our podcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    38 mins
  • “VIRGINIA GREY: Classic Cinema Star of the Month” (095)

    “VIRGINIA GREY: Classic Cinema Star of the Month” (095)
    Jul 7 2025
    EPISODE 95 - “VIRGINIA GREY: Classic Cinema Star of the Month” - 7/07/25 If VIRGINIA GREY is remembered at all, the blue-eyed, blonde-haired beauty is probably best remembered as the caustic perfume counter girl in The Women (1939), who sees right through the gold-digging ways of Crystal Allen, played by JOAN CRAWFORD. In these brief scenes, she is so charismatic and saucy, she really shows how to deliver a zinger of a line. She may also be remembered as the good luck charm of producer ROSS HUNTER, who put her in many of his popular movies of the mid-1950s and 1960s. But there was so much more to this talented actress. This week, we explore her life and career as we honor her as our Star of the Month. SHOW NOTES: Sources: “Virginia Grey, a Veteran of 100 moves, dies at 87,” August 6, 2003, New York Times; Robert Taylor: The Man WIth the Perfect Profile (1973), by Jane Ellen Wayne; “The Girl Who Won Gable Back,” November 1951, by Linda Griffin, Modern Screen magazine; “An Interview With Virginia Grey,” by Mike Fitzgerald, www.westernclippings.com; “Virginia Grey,” briansdriveintheater.com; Wikipedia.com; TCM.com; IBDB.com; IMDBPro.com; Movies Mentioned: The Women (1939), starring Norma Shearer, Joan Crawford, & Rosalind Russell; Uncle Tom’s Cabin (1927), starring James B. Lowe; Dames (1934), starring Ruby Keeler, Dick Powell. & Joan Blondell; Secret Valley (1937); starring Richard Arlen & Virginia Grey; Test Pilot (1938), starring Clark Gable & Myrna Loy; Rich Man, Poor Girl (1938), starring Lana Turner; Dramatic School (1938) starring Luise Rainer & Paulette Goddard; The Hardy’s Ride High (1939), starring Mickey Rooney & Lewis Stone; Idiot’s Delight (1939), starring Clark Gable & Norma Shearer; Broadway Serenade (1939), with Jeanette MacDonald & Lew Ayres; Another Thin Man (1939), starring William Powell & Myrna Loy; Hullabaloo (1940), starring Frank Morgan; The Big Store (1941), starring the Marx Brothers; Blonde Inspiration (1941), starring John Shelton; Tarzan’s New York Adventure (1942), starring Johnny Weissmuller & Maureen O’Sullivan; Whistling in the Dark (1941), starring Red Skelton & Ann Rutherford; Bells of Capistrano (1942), starring Gene Autry & Virginia Grey; Sweet Rosie O’Grady (1943), with Betty Grable & Robert Young; Strangers in the Night (1944), starring William Terry & Virginia Grey; Blonde Ransom (1945), with Virginia Grey; House of Horrors (1946), with Robert Lowery & Virginia Grey; Unconquered (1947), starring Gary Cooper & Paulette Goddard; Leather Gloves (1948), with Cameron Mitchell; Mexican Hayride (1948), starring Abbott & Costello; Jungle Jim (1948), Starring Johnny Weissmuller & Virginia Grey; Highway 301 (1950), with Steve Cochran & Virginia Grey; Slaughter Trail (1951), starring Gig Young & Virginia Grey; Three Desperate Men (1951), with Preston Foster & Virginia Grey; Captain Scarface (1953), with Leif Erickson & Virginia Grey; The Forty-Niners (1955), with Wild Bill Elliott & Virginia Grey; All That Heaven Allows (1955), starring Jane Wyman & Rock Hudson; The Rose Tattoo (1955), starring Anna Magnani & Burt Lancaster; Jeanne Eagles (1957), starring Kim Novak; Portrait In Black (1960), starring Lana Turner; Back Street (1961), starring Susan Hayward; Flower Drum Song (1961), starring Nancy Kwan; The Naked Kiss (1964), starring Constance Tower; Love Has Many Faces (1965), starring Lana Turner, Cliff Robertson & Hugh O’Brien; Airport (1970), with Burt Lancaster & Dean Martin; --------------------------------- http://www.airwavemedia.com Please contact sales@advertisecast.com if you would like to advertise on our podcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    29 mins
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If you’re interested in classic movies and the stories about those making the movies or in the movies, this is one of the best podcasts I’ve heard. Much of the information and stories told in this podcast are those that aren’t as well known, so I learn a lot from each episode.

Steve Cubine and Nan McNamara know a lot about the film industry and their rapport and interaction with each other makes it a delight to listen to them. The performance and production value is elevated by Lindsay Schnebly’s editing, writing, etc.

I anticipate and look forward to the release of each new episode and a few times I’ve even gone back and relistened to episodes. That’s how much I enjoy this podcast.

One of my favorite podcasts!

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The stories behind Hollywood, both good and bad. Steve and Nan bring weekly interesting stories about the golden years of Hollywood's actresses, actors, players and movies. What you will notice is that each series flow very well and it doesn'tsound like they are just reading from a page. You will be searching on the internet after each podcast to check the names you just heard. Very easy to binge on this podcast.

Something old is something new...

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