From Beneath the Hollywood Sign

EPISODE 143 -  “GUESS WHO’S NUMBER ONE?: STEVE & NAN RANK TRACY/HEPBURN FILMS” - 6/08/2026 

One of the most dynamic duo in film history is undoubtedly the teaming of SPENCER TRACY and KATHARINE HEPBURN. This chemistry was electric. Over the course of their careers, they appeared in nine films together — covering a wide range of genres. They were in everything from Westerns (“The Sea of Grass”) to film noirs (“Keeper of the Flame”) to what would become their specialty, romantic comedies (“Pat and Mike”). They also appeared in the seminal 1960s social comedy/drama “Guess Who’s Coming To Dinner.” This week, Steve & Nan will do the impossible  — they will attempt to rank the nine films this duo made together. From worst to first! How will your favorites stack up?

SHOW NOTES: 

Sources:

Wikipedia.com

TCM.com;

IMDBPro.com;

IBDB.com;

RogerEbert.com

Movies Mentioned:

Woman of the Year (1942), co-staring Fay Banter, Reginald Owen, Minor Watson, William Bendix, Gladys Blake, and Dan Tobin;

Keeper of the Flame (1942), co-staring Richard Whorf, Stephen McNally, Forest Tucker, Howard De Silva, and Margaret Wycherly;

Without Love (1945), co-starring Lucille Ball, Keenan Wynn, Patricia Morison, Felix Bessart, Carl Esmond, and Gloria Grahame;

The Sea of Grass (1947), co-starring Melvyn Douglas, Robert Walker, Phyllis Thaxter, Harry Carey, and Edgar Buchanan;

State of the Union (1948), co-starring Angela Lansbury, Howard Lindsay, Van Johnson, Roger Moore, Carl “Alfalfa” Switzer, Margaret Hamilton, and Charles Lane;

Adam’s Rib (1949), co-starring Judy Holiday, Tom Ewell, David Wayne, Jean Hagen, and Hope Emerson;

Pat and Mike (1952), co-starring Aldo Ray, William Ching, Sammy White, Charles Bronson, Chuck Connors, Phyllis Povah, and Jim Backus;

Desk Set (1957), co-starring Gig Young, Joan Blondell, Dina Merrill, Sue Randall, and Neva Patterson;

Guess Who’s Coming To Dinner (1967), co-starring Sidney Poitier, Katharine Houghton, Beah Richard, Roy Glenn, Cecil Kellaway, Isabel Sanford, and Virginia Christine;

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EPISODE 142 -  “LUCILLE BREMER: CLASSIC CINEMA STAR OF THE MONTH” - 6/01/2026 

One of those fascinating “what happened to her?” MGM stories is LUCILLE BREMER. Bremer was an elegant redheaded dancer who MGM clearly thought was going to be their next big musical star after ELEANOR POWELL had stepped away. She had the glamour, the dancing ability, the carriage… she looked like she belonged in Technicolor. However, her career lasted only a few short years, and during that time, she worked with visionary talents like VINCENTE MINNELLI and ARTHUR FREED. She danced with FRED ASTAIRE at the absolute height of his artistry. She appeared in Technicolor spectacles that later generations would rediscover and celebrate. She shone so brightly in films during the 1940s, but then, like a shooting star in the night sky, she just vanished. So just what happened to this talented actress? We’ll find out as we honor LUCILLE BREMER as our June Star of the Month.

SHOW NOTES: 

Sources:

“Actress Lucille Bremer: From Broadway Lights to La Jolla Shores,” January 17, 2025, by Debbie L. Sklar, Times of San Diego;

Lucille Bremer, 79, Actress and Dancer, April 20, 1996, New York Times;

“Actress Lucille Bremer Marries,” August 5, 1948, The Spokesman-Review;

Life Magazine, March 25, 1946;

“Flight of a ‘Rocket’,” January 7, 1945, Albuquerque Journal;

Wikipedia.com

TCM.com;

IMDBPro.com;

Movies Mentioned:

Penny Arcade (1942), starring Lucille Bremer & Peter Garey;

This Love of Mine (1944), starring Cyd Charisse & Lucille Bremer;

Meet Me In St, Louis (1944), starring Judy Garland, Margaret O’Brien, Mary Astor, Leon Ames, Lucille Bremer, Marjorie Main, & Tom Drake;

Yolanda and the Thief (1945), starring Fred Astaire, Lucille Bremer, Frank Morgan, Mildred Natwick & Leon Ames;

Ziegfeld Follies (1945), starring Gene Kelly, Judy Garland, Lena Horne, Kathryn Grayson, Lucille, Ball, Lucille Bremer, Esther Williams, Red Skelton;

Till The Clouds Go By (1946), starring Judy Garland, June Allyson, Lucille Bremer, Van Heflin, Robert Walker, Van Johnson, Lena Horne, Frank Sinatra, Cyd Charrise, Tony Martin, Dinah Shore, & Angela Lansbury; 

Dark Delusion (1947), starring Lionel Barrymore, James Craig, Lucille Bremer, & Jayne Meadows;

Adventures of Casanova (1948), starring Arturo de Córdova, Lucille Bremer, Turhan Bey & John Sutton; 

Ruthless (1948), starring Zachary Scott, Louis Hayward, Diana Lynn, Sydney Greenstreet, & Lucille Bremer;

Behind Locked Doors (1948); starring Lucille Bremer & Richard Carlson;

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“THE GARDEN OF ALLAH: COCKTAILS, SCANDALS & MISCHIEF” - 5/25/2026 (141)

Once upon a time, there was a magical, decadent hotel in Hollywood where stars could avoid the scrutiny of the public and studio executives and really let their hair down. And, boy, did they! It was a place where there were no rules, there was a party every night, and the rich and famous could frolic carelessly around the pool - and sometimes in the pool, fully dressed. This magical place was the Garden of Allah — the brainchild of actress ALLA NAZIMOVA. This week, we will discuss the magic, the mystery, the decadence, and the debauchery of one of Hollywood’s most famous hotels.

SHOW NOTES:

Sources:

Garden of Allah: Hollywood Homosexual Haven (2020), by Michael Hone;

Laid Back in Hollywood (1998), by Patricia Medina Cotten;

The Garden of Allah (1970), by Sheilah Grahame;

“The Garden of Allah,” by Jon Ponder, WestHollywoodHistory.org;

“The People V. Hill,” Stanford Law School;

“Forgotten Hollywood: The Garden of Allah,” September 22, 2022, by Meher Tatna, GoldenGlobes.com;

“Hedonist Hollywood’s Lost Garden of Allah,” October 13, 2020, by MessyNessy, MessyNessyChic.com;

“Hollywood's Hotel Hedonism: It's one of Tinsel Town's last untold stories...how stars from Sinatra to Olivier, Garbo and Monroe indulged their every vice at a VIP hideaway and clothes were not required!” May 15, 2015, by Tom Leonard, DailyMail.com;

“This Hotel Kept All of Secrets of the Rich and Famous…Until Now,” June 23, 2015, by Kirk Silsbee, Gentleman’s Quarterly;

Wikipedia.com

TCM.com;

IMDBPro.com;

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EPISODE 140 -  “THE GARBO MYSTIQUE: A CONVERSATION WITH HER GREAT NEPHEW” - 5/11/2026 

Scott Reisfield brings a very unique and personal perspective to this episode about GRETA GARBO. As Garbo’s great nephew, he knew his great aunt simply as "Kata," not as the international superstar and mysterious Hollywood actress. Join us as we invite Scott to discuss his new book, "Greta Garbo and the Rise of the Modern Woman," where he debunks many false theories about this illustrious star, and shares what she was really like when the cameras were not rolling. 

SHOW NOTES: 

Sources:

Greta Garbo and the Rise of the Modern Woman (2026), by Scott Reisfield;

Wikipedia.com

TCM.com;

IMDBPro.com;

Movies Mentioned:

Anna Christie (1930);

Grand Hotel (1932);

Queen Christina (1933);

Anna Karenina (1935);

Camille (1936);

Ninotchka (1939);

Two-Faced Woman (1941);

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EPISODE 139 -  “TCM CLASSIC FILM FESTIVAL WRAP UP” - 5/11/2026 

In this episode, hosts Steve and Nan take listeners along to the 2026 TCM Classic Film Festival, where Hollywood history comes alive through restored screenings, celebrity panels, and unforgettable fan moments. Based in the heart of Hollywood at the famed TCL Chinese Theatre, the Egyptian Theatre, and the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel, the pair share stories from the trenches, discuss classic films shown in historic theaters, and reflect on meeting fellow movie lovers from around the world and the extraordinary guests who introduced the films. The episode captures both the nostalgia and excitement of a festival that continues to celebrate the enduring magic of cinema.

SHOW NOTES: 

Sources:

Wikipedia.com

TCM.com;

IMDBPro.com;

Movies Mentioned:

Out of the Past (1947), starring Robert Mitchum, Jane Greer, Kirk Douglas, Rhonda Fleming, Richard Webb, Virginia Huston, Steve Brodie, Dickie Moore, & Paul Valentine;

The Mouthpiece (1932), starring Warren William, Aline MacMahon, Sidney Fox, John Wray, Ralph Ince, Guy Kibbee, & J. Carrol Naish;

Letty Lynton (1932), starring Joan Crawford, Robert Montgomery, Nils Asther, May Robson, Louise Closser Hale, & Lewis Stone;

The Patsy (1928), starring Marion Davies, Marie Dressler, Dell Henderson, Orville Caldwell, Jane Winton & Lawrence Gray;

Ace in the Hole (1951), starring Kirk Douglas, Jan Sterling, Robert Arthur, Richard Benedict, Porter Hall, Frank Cady, Geraldine Hall, Ray Teal, Richard Gaines, and Iron Eyes Cody;

Next Time We Love (1936), starring Margaret Sullavan, James Stewart, Ray Milland, Grant Mitchell, Anna Demetrio, & Hattie McDaniel;

Camille (1936), starring Greta Garbo, Robert Taylor, Lionel Barrymore, Elizabeth Allen, Jessie Ralph, Laura Hope Crews, Henry Daniell, & Rex O’Malley;

Swing Time (1936), starring Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers, Victor Moore, Helen Broderick, Eric Blore, George Metaxa & Betty Furness;

The Misfits (1951), starring Clark Gable, Marilyn Monroe, Montgomery Clift, Eli Wallach, Thelma Ritter, Kevin McCarthy & Estelle Winwood;

Stranger on the Third Floor (1940),starring Peter Lorre, John McGuire, Margaret Tallichet, Charles Waldron, & Elisha Cook Jr;

Anastasia (1956), starring Ingrid Bergman, Yul Brynner, Helen Hayes, Jack Hildyard, Martita Hunt, & Akim Tamiroff;

The Best Years of Our Lives (1946), starring Fredric March, Myrna Loy, Dana Andrews, Teresa Wright, Harold Russell, Cathy O’Donnell, Virginia Mayo, Hoagy Carmichael, Steve Cochran, Gladys George, Roman Bohnen, & Ray Collins;

Trouble in Paradise (1932), starring Miriam Hopkins, Herbert Marshall, Kay Francis, Charlie Ruggles, Edward Everett Horton, C. Aubrey Smith, Robert Greig, & Luis Alberni;

Cabin in the Sky (1943), starring Ethel Waters, Eddie “Rochester” Anderson, Lena Horne, Rex Ingram, Kenneth Spencer, Butterfly McQueen, Louie Armstrong, Duke Ellington, John W. Bubbles 

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