Forgotten Hollywood

In this episode I spoke with authors Kathy Fuller and Frank Thompson regarding their book "The First Movie Studio in Texas: Gaston Melies's Star Film Ranch".  In 1910, the Méliès Star Film Company of Manhattan set up a moving-picture studio outside San Antonio, the first in Texas. Determined to make the most authentic Westerns possible, the company filmed there for a little over a year. In that brief time, it created more than seventy single-reel films, leaving a lasting mark on moviemaking.

In this episode I spoke with author William J. Mann about his latest book " Black Dahlia: Murder, Monsters, and Madness in Midcentury Hollywood". The brutal murder of Elizabeth Short—better known as the Black Dahlia—in 1947 has been in the public consciousness for nearly eighty years, yet no serious study of the crime has ever been published.

In this episode I spoke with Suzy Miles, the widow of the late filmmaker Christopher Miles. To be a filmmaker, Miles had to sidestep parental plans to enrol him in the family steelworks. He had already been filming in communist China and Argentina when he escaped to Paris where he made his first professional film.

In this episode I spoke with Anthony Taylor about his book "Classic Monsters, Modern Art." Explore the groundbreaking (and terrifying) pantheon of monsters from the 20th century’s greatest films and fiction interpreted by the world’s most exciting contemporary artists and illustrators in Classic Monsters, Modern Art!

Ethel Barrymore: Shy Empress of the Footlights unveils the captivating duality of one of America's most revered theatrical legends. Known for her poise, talent, and commanding presence on stage, Ethel Barrymore was paradoxically a woman of deep reserve and quiet introspection. This richly detailed biography offers an intimate portrait of the First Lady of the American Theatre, tracing her journey from the gilded footlights of Broadway to the screens of early Hollywood. This book explores how Barrymore's quiet strength shaped a dynasty―and how her shy soul reigned behind the curtain of fame. A must-read for lovers of theater, classic film, and untold stories of iconic women.