“All women, all claws. Jungle Red!”

For our season two finale, we tackle MGM’s 1939 classic satire “The Women”. From savage one-liners to that wild Technicolor fashion show, we trace how Claire Boothe Luce’s play survived the Production Code, why Anita Loos’ screenplay still stings, and where the movie trades social ambition for a romance-first ending.

We are joined by very special guest (and Brad’s husband) Maurice Chevalier and get his singular take on the proceedings. We also get granular on the craft: George Cukor’s propulsive staging and mirror shots, Adrian’s jaw-dropping costumes, Rosalind Russell’s star-turn as the feline Sylvia Fowler, and Joan Crawford’s scene (and husband) stealing performance as Crystal Allen. And of course, there’s the Queen herself—Norma Shearer— at her noblesse-obligiest as the oh-so wronged, ever suffering but pride-fool housewife, Mary.

Call it a proto–Real Housewives of 1939 or a couture cage match; either way, it’s irresistible, infuriating, and endlessly quotable.

Ah, l’amour l’amour!

If classic Hollywood, screwball rhythms, and sharp social autopsies are your thing, you’ll have plenty to love and plenty to argue with. Follow the show, share this episode with a movie lover, and leave a review to help others find us. What’s your verdict: team Mary, Sylvia, or Crystal?

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Links to Tony's website, and Brad's website at www.goinghollywoodpodcast.com

Follow us on Instagram @goinghollywoodpod

To watch "The True Story of the Barrymores," go to https://www.amazon.com/gp/video/detail/B0CZTHYN6D/ref=atv_dp_share_cu_r

To watch Tony's WIRED video "Tech Support: Old Hollywood" go to https://youtu.be/6hxXfxhQSz0?si=TO4Xv6q87XhBnqDT

Reach us at goinghollywoodpodcast@gmail.com

Listen to our Going Hollywood Playlist

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He's baackkk!!!

Brad makes his return to "Going Hollywood" and we celebrate by actually letting him pick a film! And what a delightful film it is, too...from 1948 it's
"Miranda." Join us as we dive into the whimsy and wonder of this lesser-known British comedy starring the late great Glynis Johns as Miranda, a beautiful mermaid with a devastating fin and effect on males that come into her wake. What can we say? The fish can't help it. Johns, perhaps best recognized for her role as Winifred Banks in "Mary Poppins", holds special significance for Brad—who recounts personal stories about their friendship and why “Miranda” has always been close to his heart, despite never having seen it before this episode.

We discuss why the charm of "Miranda" endures: It's unique British style, rapid scene changes, and the playful performances by Johns and a fabulous supporting cast. Glynis Johns commands every frame with that unmistakable voice and mischievous ease. Along the way we explore how British censorship allowed a cheeky boldness America’s Production Code would’ve nixed, why the quick-cut structure works despite its choppiness, and how a competing Hollywood mermaid picture pushed this production to move fast and think light.

We guarantee you'll be unable to resist the siren song of this delightful comedy and the singular charms of its leading lady, Glynis Johns and "Miranda".

Text us & We'll Respond on an Episode

Links to Tony's website, and Brad's website at www.goinghollywoodpodcast.com

Follow us on Instagram @goinghollywoodpod

To watch "The True Story of the Barrymores," go to https://www.amazon.com/gp/video/detail/B0CZTHYN6D/ref=atv_dp_share_cu_r

To watch Tony's WIRED video "Tech Support: Old Hollywood" go to https://youtu.be/6hxXfxhQSz0?si=TO4Xv6q87XhBnqDT

Reach us at goinghollywoodpodcast@gmail.com

Listen to our Going Hollywood Playlist

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We're on the top of the world today at "Going Hollywood" as we have a truly special guest to discuss a truly special artist...Randy L. Schmidt is here to discuss the one and only Karen Carpenter!

A drummer first, a once‑in‑a‑century voice second, and a reluctant star always—the Karen Carpenter Story is as riveting as the records she left behind. We sit down with the author of the bestselling book Little Girl Blue and director of "Karen Carpenter: Starving for Perfection" (2024), to unpack how a 1989 TV movie created a tidal wave of new fans and why his documentary brings the real Karen back to the mic.

Randy takes us behind the scenes of the seminal TV movie from 1989, "The Karen Carpenter Story". We talk about the beyond-meta nature of the filming in the Carpenter home, wearing Karen’s actual wardrobe, and the surreal moment when the same local paramedics from 1983 appeared on set. Then we pivot to the documentary’s heartbeat—rare, uncut interview tapes and birthday call‑ins that reveal Karen’s wit, warmth, and resilience. Voices like Olivia Newton‑John, Carol Burnett, Kristin Chenoweth, Belinda Carlisle, and Cherry Boone add piercing insight into the art, the illness, and the person.

We dig into the questions that still echo: how a perfectionist culture and a misunderstood eating disorder collided, why that infamous UK ambush interview still shocks, and what might have changed if Karen’s solo album had been released instead of shelved. Along the way, we celebrate the music—"Superstar", "I Need To Be In Love", "We've Only Just Begun"—and the arranging magic that made the Carpenters timeless. The takeaway is clear: honor the legacy, tell the truth with care, and let the songs keep doing what they’ve always done—find new hearts to live in.

If this conversation moved you, follow and share the show, leave a quick review, and send it to someone who needs a reminder of how powerful a single voice can be. And don't forget to visit the "Going Hollywood" Spotify playlist to listen to the exquisite voice of the century, Karen Carpenter. It's Yesterday once more....

To watch "Karen Carpenter: Starving for Perfection" go to https://www.amazon.com/gp/video/detail/B0D6ZW9N6M/ref=atv_dp_share_cu_r

To read "Little Girl Blue: The Life of Karen Carpenter" go to https://a.co/d/0blvCi2

Text us & We'll Respond on an Episode

Links to Tony's website, and Brad's website at www.goinghollywoodpodcast.com

Follow us on Instagram @goinghollywoodpod

To watch "The True Story of the Barrymores," go to https://www.amazon.com/gp/video/detail/B0CZTHYN6D/ref=atv_dp_share_cu_r

To watch Tony's WIRED video "Tech Support: Old Hollywood" go to https://youtu.be/6hxXfxhQSz0?si=TO4Xv6q87XhBnqDT

Reach us at goinghollywoodpodcast@gmail.com

Listen to our Going Hollywood Playlist

Podcast logo by Umeworks

A housing crunch, a missing wall, and one of the sexiest stoop scenes ever filmed. Join us today as we break one of Tony's favorite movies, and one of the true classics of romantic comedy, from 1943, George Steven's "The More The Merrier."

Guest host Brandon Davis, of NPR's "Front Row Classics" joins Tony for the second week in a row as they dive into this comedic jewel and discuss the genius of director George Stevens, the criminally underrated leading man, Joel McRae, the delightful Charles Coburn (in an Oscar-winning performance) and the incandescent star Jean Arthur, a true gem of Classic Hollywood, in one of her final film appearances.

We unpack the film’s best moments—the meticulous “morning schedule” sequence, the rooftop sunbathing that captures the communal spirit of a city in wartime, and that legendary stoop scene where push-and-pull becomes flirtation, consent, and release. Underneath the laughs sits the knowledge of a nation at war, and romance lands because the war makes time precious. We also trace Stevens’ career pivot, from comedies with serious undertones to postwar dramas like "A Place in the Sun" and "Shane", and argue why Jean Arthur deserves to be named alongside Davis, Hepburn, and Crawford as one of the greatest stars of the studio era.

Most of all, this is a love letter to performers who make it look effortless and a director who knew how to frame human truth. If you’ve never seen "The More the Merrier", this conversation is your nudge to press play—and if you have, we think you’ll notice something new.

Enjoyed the episode? Follow the show, leave a review, and share it with a classic-film friend. What Golden Age romance still feels modern to you?

For more information on Brandon's podcast, go to: https://classics136634685.wordpress.com/

Text us & We'll Respond on an Episode

Links to Tony's website, and Brad's website at www.goinghollywoodpodcast.com

Follow us on Instagram @goinghollywoodpod

To watch "The True Story of the Barrymores," go to https://www.amazon.com/gp/video/detail/B0CZTHYN6D/ref=atv_dp_share_cu_r

To watch Tony's WIRED video "Tech Support: Old Hollywood" go to https://youtu.be/6hxXfxhQSz0?si=TO4Xv6q87XhBnqDT

Reach us at goinghollywoodpodcast@gmail.com

Listen to our Going Hollywood Playlist

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Tony sits down with Brandon Davis, from NPR Illinois for the first of two episodes with the host of "Front Row Classics" podcast! In this first, we trace Brandon's path from grandma’s Rodgers and Hammerstein VHS tapes to a 350+ episode archive of interviews with film historians, authors, TCM personalities, and even cast members of "The Love Boat". What starts as a get-to-know-you quickly turns into a golden age tour of "what-ifs"—Bette Davis and James Mason in "Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf", Claudette Colbert as Margo Channing, Lucy as the Manchurian mastermind—and why the versions we got endure. Then it’s Hitchcock vs Wilder, "Double Indemnity" to "The Apartment" and the darkness lurking under the romantic classic , "Sabrina".

Love classic cinema? Hit play, subscribe, and tell us your boldest old-Hollywood what-if. Then share this episode with a fellow film fan and leave a review to help more listeners find the show.

For more information on Brandon's podcast, go to: https://classics136634685.wordpress.com/

Text us & We'll Respond on an Episode

Links to Tony's website, and Brad's website at www.goinghollywoodpodcast.com

Follow us on Instagram @goinghollywoodpod

To watch "The True Story of the Barrymores," go to https://www.amazon.com/gp/video/detail/B0CZTHYN6D/ref=atv_dp_share_cu_r

To watch Tony's WIRED video "Tech Support: Old Hollywood" go to https://youtu.be/6hxXfxhQSz0?si=TO4Xv6q87XhBnqDT

Reach us at goinghollywoodpodcast@gmail.com

Listen to our Going Hollywood Playlist

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Get ready to "Sparkle, Neely, Sparkle" for Part Two of our special "Dollapalooza" tribute to the "Citizen Kane" of camp, 1967's "Valley of the Dolls."

We start with the music. Andre and Dory Previn’s title theme? Gorgeous, melancholy, timeless. The rest? A tour of mid-century TV-variety vibes that never quite match the film’s ambition. From Patty Duke’s surprise dubbing and the myth of the star-making number to Judy Garland’s earlier pass at “I’ll Plant My Own Tree,” we map out how direction, staging, and label politics turned strong talent into strange cinema. Then we speed-run the plot to spotlight the beats everyone quotes: sparkle-fueled success, pills as propulsion, Malibu heartbreak, and the alleyway prayer that seals Neely O’Hara in pop memory.

The crown jewel is the powder-room showdown: Neely versus Helen, a wig in flight, and a reveal that undercuts its own insult with better hair. We explore on-set tensions, shortened fights, and how one choice can mute an intended humiliation.

Beyond the memes, we honor the people behind the spectacle—Barbara Parkins stepping away from Hollywood, Patty Duke confronting bipolar disorder and later embracing the film’s queer fandom, and the lasting sorrow that frames Sharon Tate’s luminous performance. Flop or classic? The box office said hit; time crowned it the "Citizen Kane" of camp.

Hit play, share your spiciest Valley take, and if this dive made you laugh, wince, or queue the soundtrack, follow the show, drop a rating, and send us your scene of scenes. Your reviews are how we keep the lights—and the mobiles—spinning.

Episode artwork by the incomparable Glen Hanson @instaglenhanson https://share.google/VDg6borRTn0f4cYxq

To listen to Judy Garland's version of "I'll Plant My Own Tree" go to https://youtu.be/v_QuWLm-LOs?si=HmkOvf28DKSDVJD9

To watch "It's Impossible" with Patty Duke's vocals go to: https://youtu.be/_SH7Q-TNpp4?si=Okf-TAXHG5IHeWXZ

Text us & We'll Respond on an Episode

Links to Tony's website, and Brad's website at www.goinghollywoodpodcast.com

Follow us on Instagram @goinghollywoodpod

To watch "The True Story of the Barrymores," go to https://www.amazon.com/gp/video/detail/B0CZTHYN6D/ref=atv_dp_share_cu_r

To watch Tony's WIRED video "Tech Support: Old Hollywood" go to https://youtu.be/6hxXfxhQSz0?si=TO4Xv6q87XhBnqDT

Reach us at goinghollywoodpodcast@gmail.com

Listen to our Going Hollywood Playlist

Podcast logo by Umeworks

Dolls! Dolls! Dolls!

We're climbing Mount Everest today...the Mount Everest of Camp, that is...to reach our ultimate destination, the "Valley of the Dolls" (1967).

In Part One of our two-part "Doll-apalooza", we dive headfirst into "Valley of the Dolls" to explore how a record-shattering novel morphed into a glossy, chaotic cult classic that refuses to fade. From Travilla’s couture and 60s hair architecture to the film’s stubborn 1940s morality, we map the exact fault lines where glamour cracks into melodrama—and why that crack is what keeps fans coming back.

We pull apart the legendary casting carousel, a virtual murderous row of "wanna-bes", "what-ifs" and "if-onlys", to land on the our final triumvirate: Barbara Parkins, Sharon Tate and Patty Duke. Then there’s the ultimate Hollywood what-if: Judy Garland as Helen Lawson, acting opposite a character inspired by herself, before being dismissed and replaced by Susan Hayward. Layer in the book’s real-world inspirations—Judy, Ethel Merman, Marilyn Monroe, Carol Landis—and the film becomes a hall of mirrors where gossip, myth, and performance blur.

We also examine the structural problems that make the movie so watchable: a two-decade story squeezed into a breathless sprint, montages standing in for struggle, and addiction rendered as instant meltdown. Yet the music rescues memory; André and Dory Previn’s title theme, immortalized by Dionne Warwick, laces through pop culture and keeps the film’s ache alive.

The men are mannequins, the women are meteors, and somewhere between pills and punchlines the film finds accidental truth about fame, control, and the cost of being marketable. So, press play to hear why this "beloved piece of…” well, you know—continues to be relevant to this day, over 50 years after its debut.

And please you enjoy the show, follow, share with a movie-loving friend, and leave a quick review telling us your favorite "Valley of the Dolls" moment.

Episode Artwork by the incomparable Glen Hanson @instaglenhanson

Text us & We'll Respond on an Episode

Links to Tony's website, and Brad's website at www.goinghollywoodpodcast.com

Follow us on Instagram @goinghollywoodpod

To watch "The True Story of the Barrymores," go to https://www.amazon.com/gp/video/detail/B0CZTHYN6D/ref=atv_dp_share_cu_r

To watch Tony's WIRED video "Tech Support: Old Hollywood" go to https://youtu.be/6hxXfxhQSz0?si=TO4Xv6q87XhBnqDT

Reach us at goinghollywoodpodcast@gmail.com

Listen to our Going Hollywood Playlist

Podcast logo by Umeworks