From Beneath the Hollywood Sign

“FUN FACTS ABOUT CLASSIC HOLIDAY MOVIES” - 12/22/2025 (119) We all know the iconic Holiday movies like “A Christmas Carol,” “It’s A Wonderful Life,” “White Christmas.” This week, Nan and Steve go behind the scenes of some of your favorite classic holiday movies and dig up some fun facts about these films that you may or may not know. We talk about the snow, the casting, the locations, and a lot more! Join in the fun as they conjure up holiday cheer with these great films. SHOW NOTES:  Sources: Christmas in The Movies (2023), by Jeremy Arnold; Christmas In Classic Films (2022), by Jacqueline T. Lynch; The Many Cinemas of Michael Curtiz (2018), edited by R. Barfton Palmer & Murray Pomerance; Have Yourself a Movie Little Christmas (2010), by Alonso Duaralde; Ginger: My Story (2008), by Ginger Rogers; Christmas At The Movies: Images of Christmas in American, British, and European Cinema (2000), edited by Mark Connelly; It’s Christmas Time At The Movies (1998), by Gary J & Susan Svehla; AMC American Movie Classics: Greatest Christmas Movies (1998), by Frank Thompson; The ‘It’s A Wonderful Life’ Book (1986), by Jeanine Basinger; Great Movie Directors (1986), by Ted Sennett; The Films of Frank Capra (1977), by Victor Scherle & Wiliam Turner Levy; "35 Surprising ‘White Christmas’ Movie Facts About the Cast, Songs & More,” October 31, 2024, Good Housekeeping; “A Short History of Fake Snow In Holiday Movies:  From ‘It’s A Wonderful Life’ to Harry Potter,” December 15, 2021, LAist.com; “The Song That Changed Christmas,”October 5, 2016, by Will Friedwald, Wall Street Journal; “It’s A Wonderful Life: Rare Photos From the Set of a Holiday Classic,” November 26, 2013, by Ben Cosgrove, Time magazine; “On A Wing and a Prayer,” December 23, 2006, by Stephen Cox, LA Times; “Whose Life Was It, Anyway?” December 15, 1996, by Steven Smith, LA Times; “White Christmas: Rosemary Clooney Remembers Everyone’s Favorite Christmas Musical,” December 1994, by Frank Thompson, Pulse! Magazine; “Less Than Wonderful: James Walcott Reassesses Capra’s Christmas Classic,” December 1986, Vanity Fair; “Capra’s Christmas Classic: Yes, Virginia, It’s A Wonderful Life,” December 1986, by Trea Hoving, Connoisseur; “All I Want For Christmas is a VCR,” December 24, 1985, L.A. Herald-Examiner; “Bing, Astaire Bow Out, Par Recasting ‘Xmas’,”January 7, 1953,  Variety; “Bing Bobs Back into ‘Christmas’ Cast at Par,” January 22, 1953, Variety,  “White Christmas: From Pop Tune to Picture,” October 18, 1953, by Thomas Wood, New York Times; “Around the Sets,” August 13, 1944, L.A. Examiner; TCM.com; IMDBPro.com; Movies Mentioned:  A Christmas Carol (1938), starring Reginald Owen, Gene Lockhart, Kathleen Lockhart, Leo G. Carroll, June Lockhart, Terry Kilburn, Barry McKay, and Lynne Carver; Christmas In Connecticut (1945), starring Barbara Stanwyck, Dennis Morgan, Sydney Greenstreet, S.Z. Sakall, Reginald Gardiner, Robert Shayne, and Una O’Connor; It’s A Wonderful Life (1947), starring Jimmy Stewart, Donna Reed, Lionel Barrymore, Henry Travers, Thomas Mitchell, Beulah Bondi, Gloria Grahame, Frank Faylen, Ward Bond, H.B. Warner,  Frank Albertson, Samuel S, Hind, Mary Treen, Todd Karnes, Virginia Patton, Sarah Edwards, Sheldon Leonard, and Lillian Randolph; White Christmas (1954), starring Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye, Rosemary Clooney, Vera-Ellen, Dean Jagger, Anne Whitfield, and Mary Wickes; --------------------------------- http://www.airwavemedia.com Please contact [email protected] if you would like to advertise on our podcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

12-15-2025. "HO! HO! HOLLYWOOD: SANTA CLAUS IN CLASSIC CINEMA" (118) Long before special effects, CGI snowstorms, and big-budget holiday franchises, it fell to a small but memorable group of performers to embody the warmth, wonder, and whimsy of old St. Nick. Ever wonder about the actors who were called upon to portray Santa Claus in film and TV? These classic Santas weren’t just men in red suits — they were character actors, vaudevillians, radio veterans, and Hollywood workhorses who brought their own unique spark to the role, shaping how generations of moviegoers came to imagine Father Christmas. From the twinkle-eyed charmers to the unexpectedly gruff curmudgeons, from the iconic to the nearly forgotten, we’re unwrapping the stories behind the earliest portrayals that turned Santa into a cinematic tradition. So settle in with a mug of something warm, hang your stocking, and join us as we explore the jolly, joyful, and sometimes surprisingly complex history of Hollywood’s first Santas. SHOW NOTES:  Sources: Wikipedia.com; TCM.com; IBDB.com; IMDBPro.com; Movies Mentioned: Ivanhoe (1913); Scrooge (1913); Santa Claus (1912), starring Leedham Bantok; 20th Century Fox Hour: Miracle on 34th Street (1955); starring Teresa Wright, Joseph Cotten, & Thomas Mitchell; Shadow of a Doubt (1943), starring Joseph Cotten & Teresa Wright;  Stagecoach (1939), starring John Wayne, Claire Trevor, & Thomas Mitchell; It’s a Wonderful Life (1946), starring James Stewart, Donna Reed, & Thomas Mitchell; Gone With The Wind (1939), starring Vivien Leigh & Clark Gable; Theodora Goes Wild (1936), starring Irene Dunne; Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939), starring James Stewart & Jean Arthur; Our Town (1940), starring Martha Scott & Henry Fonda; High Noon (1952), starring Gary Cooper & Grace Kelly; Wild Flowers (1943), starring José Elias Moreno; Santa Claus (1959), starring José Elias Moreno; Santa Claus Conquers the Martians (1964), staring John Call; Fearless Fagan (1952), staring Janet Leigh & Keenan Wynn;  Boots Malone (also 1952), starring William Holden Don’t Bother to Knock (1952), starring Marilyn Monroe & Richard Widmark; The Long, Long Trailer (1954), starring Lucille Ball & Desi Arnaz; The Anderson Tapes (1971), starring Sean Connery & Dyan Cannon; --------------------------------- http://www.airwavemedia.com Please contact [email protected] if you would like to advertise on our podcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

EPISODE 117 -  “STEVE AND NAN DISCUSS: MOVIES ABOUT MOVIES” - 12/08/25  In the latest episode of From Beneath the Hollywood Sign, we pull back the curtain on the cinematic world of making movies about... making movies. We dive deep into the movies that reveal what really happens behind the scenes in Tinseltown-sometimes with affection, sometimes as a cautionary tale to be careful what you wish for. Movies like Sullivan's Travels (1941), Singin' in the Rain (1952), and Sunset Boulevard (1950) all offer a fascinating look at the machinations that go into making films. This week, we'll be discussing six lesser-known moves that give us a peek behind the scenes and reveal very different sides of the not-always-so-glamorous ways Hollywood works. Across genres and generations, these films offer an insider's view not just of how Hollywood works, but of the dreams, delusions, and dramas that make moviemaking an art form all its own. SHOW NOTES:  Sources: Wikipedia.com; TCM.com; IBDB.com; IMDBPro.com; Movies Mentioned: What Price Hollywood? (1932) starring Constance Bennett, Lowell Sherman, Gregory Ratoff, and Neil Hamilton; Bombshell (1933), starring Jean Harlow, Lee Tracy, Franchot Tone, Frank Morgan, Una Merkel, Louise Beavers, and Pat O’Brien; Stand-In (1937), starring Leslie Howard, Joan Blondell, Humphrey Bogart, Alan Mowbray, Marla Shelton, and Jack Carson; The Cowboy and the Blonde (1941), starring Mary Beth Hughes, George Montgomery, Alan Mowbray, Richard Lane, Robert Conway, and John Miljan; The Star (1952), starring Bette Davis, Sterling Hayden, Natalie Wood, Warner Anderson, Paul Frees, Barbara Lawrence, Fay Baker, and Herb Vigran; The Goddess (1958), starring Kim Stanley, Steven Hill, Lloyd Bridges, Betty Lou Holland, Elizabeth Wilson, Bert Freed, and Louise Beavers; --------------------------------- http://www.airwavemedia.com Please contact [email protected] if you would like to advertise on our podcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

EPISODE 116 -  “CLASSIC STAR OF THE MONTH: DICK VAN DYKE” - 12/01/25  Join us as we celebrate the life and career of someone who seemingly personifies joy — on-screen and off.  And maybe that’s the secret to his longevity, because he is about to celebrate his 100th birthday on December 13.  Of course, we’re talking about the one and only, DICK VAN DYKE, our December Star of the Month. His career spans The Dick Van Dyke Show, Mary Poppins, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, and beyond. He’s danced across rooftops, flipped over ottomans, and shared his personal struggles with alcoholism in order to shine a light on a horrible disease -- at a time when that sort of thing wasn’t discussed. From his early years trying to make it in show business, to that breakout moment on Broadway, to becoming one of the most beloved stars on television and film - today, we celebrate the legendary Dick Van Dyke!  SHOW NOTES:  Sources: My Lucky Life in and Out of Show Business (2011), Dick Van Dyke; Columbia Pictures Press Release, (1968), by John C. Flinn; Rogers & Cowan, Inc. Public Relations Biographical Notes on Dick Van Dyke, 1964 “A New Van Dyke Family Blooms in the Desert,” September 17, 1971,  Life Magazine; “Dick Van Dyke Does It All, But In His Own Way,” March/April 1973, by Joseph N. Bell, The Saturday Evening Post; “Dick Van Dyke Tells of Alcohol Problem”, December 7, 1973, by Marilyn Beck, Marilyn Beck’s Hollywood, Special Features; “The Serious Side of Dick Van Dyke,” Jan/Feb 1982, by Sally Saunders, The Saturday Evening Post: “Vintage Van Dyke,” October 1990, by Stuart Matranga, TV Time; “Biography Dick Van Dyke,”Dec 14, 1998, by Michael A. Lipton & Champ Clark, People Magazine; “Man With A Mission: Helping the Homeless Makes Dick Van Dyke’s Holidays,”Nov 13, 2007, by Debra Beyer, Los Angeles Times; “Mary Tyler Moore & Dick Van Dyke Are Together Again on TV — But They’re Not Rob & Laura Anymore,”April 2003, by Sheldon Lessen, Southern California Senior Life; Wikipedia.com; TCM.com; IBDB.com; IMDBPro.com; Movies Mentioned: Bye, Bye Birdie (1963), starring Dick Van Dyke, Janet Leigh, Ann-Margret, Paul Lynde, & Maureen Stapleton; What a Way to Go (1964), starring Shirley MacLaine, Dean Martin, Robert, Mitchum, Dick Van Dyke, Gene Kelly, & Paul Newman; Mary Poppins (1964), starring Julie Andrews & Dick Van Dyke; The Art of Love (1965), starring James Garner, Dick Van Dyke, & Angie Dickinson; Lt. Robin Crusoe, U.S.N.  (1966), starring Dick Van Dyke & Nancy Kwan; Divorce American Style (1967), starring Dick Van Dyke, Debbie Reynolds, Jason Robards & Jean Simmons; Never a Dull Moment (1968), starring Dick Van Dyke, Edward G, Robinson & Dorothy Provine; Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (1968), starring Dick Van Dyke & Sally Ann Howes; Some Kind of Nut (1969), starring Dick Van Dyke, Angie Dickinson, Rosemary Forsyth, & Zohra Lambert; The Comic (1969), starring Dick Van Dyke, Michelle Lee & Mickey Rooney; Cold Turkey (1971), starring Dick Van Dyke, Pippa Scott, & Bob Newhart; The Morning After (1974), starring Dick Van Dyke & Lynn Carlin; The Runner Stumbles (1979), starring Dick Van Dyke & Kathleen Quinlan; Dick Tracy (1990), starring Warren Beatty & Madonna; The Gin Game (2003), starring Dick Van Dyke & Mary Tyler Moore; Night at the Museum (2006), starring Ben Stiller & Carla Cugino; Mary Poppins Returns (2018), starring Emily Blunt & Lin Manuel Miranda; --------------------------------- http://www.airwavemedia.com Please contact [email protected] if you would like to advertise on our podcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“THE HOLMES ACTING DYNASTY: FROM STAGE TO SCREEN” - 11/24/25  (115) When we think of the great acting family dynasties of Hollywood, we often think of the Barrymores, the Carradines, or the Fondas, but today we’ll be discussing another acting dynasty that may not be as familiar, but is every bit as interesting. The HOLMES family consisted of prolific character actor TAYLOR HOLMES, whose career spanned from Broadway to film to TV, his actress wife, EDNA PHILLIPS, and their talented children, PHILLIPS HOLMES, a leading man of the early 1930s, MADELEINE TAYLOR HOLMES, a gifted character performer in her own right, and actor RALPH HOLMES, whose early promise was tragically cut short. Joining us is special guest actress/musician MICHELLE HOLMES, who is a cousin of Taylor Holmes. Together, we’ll explore how the Holmes family helped shape the Golden Age of Hollywood — and how their influence still lingers today. SHOW NOTES:  Sources: Wikipedia.com; TCM.com; IBDB.com; IMDBPro.com; Movies Mentioned: Fool For Luck (1917); Ruggles of Red Gap (1918); Kiss of Death (1947); Nightmare Alley (1947); Joan of Arc (1948); A Christmas Carol (1949); Father of the Bride (1950); Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953); Sleeping Beauty (1959); An American Tragedy (1931); Broken Lullaby (1932); Dinner at Eight (1933); Nana (1934); Great Expectations (1934);  The Outlaw Josey Wales (1976); Fatso (1980); Undersea Kingdom (1936); Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices