From Beneath the Hollywood Sign

“JAMES WONG HOWE: THE MAN WHO PAINTED WITH LIGHT” - 3/16/2026 (132)

Today, we’re going to step behind the camera and shine a spotlight—quite literally—on one of the most brilliant craftsmen Hollywood has ever seen. A man who helped shape the way movies look. If you’ve ever admired the stark black-and-white photography in Hud, the shadowy nighttime streets of Sweet Smell of Success, or the striking boxing scenes in Body and Soul, then you’ve already seen the artistry of cinematographer JAMES WONG HOWE. And whether you realized it or not, you were looking at the work of someone who had a huge influence on the visual language of film. Join us as we examine the life and career of this technical master. 

SHOW NOTES: 

Sources:

James Wong Howe: The Camera Eye (2010), by Alain Silver;

“Focusing In On James Wing Howe,” May 31, 2024, TriviaMafia.com;

“James Wong Howe: Unsung Hero of Golden Age Hollywood,” April 27, 2022, by Nicholas Rapold, The Financial Times;

“James Wong Howe: Master of Lights,” December 14, 2012, by Roger Ebert; RogerEbert.com;

“James Wong Howe Dies; Noted Cinematographer,” July 16, 1976, by Robert Hanley, New York Times;

Oscars.org

Wikipedia.com;

TCM.com;

IMDBPro.com;

Movies Mentioned:

Hud (1963), starring Paul Newman, Patricia Neal, and Melvyn Douglas;

The Sweet Smell of Success (1957), starring Burt Lancaster, Tony Curtis, & Susan Harrison;

Body & Soul (1947)l starring John Garfield, Lilli Palmer, Anne Revere, Hazel Scott, & Canda Lee;

Male and Female (1919), starring Gloria Swanson;

The Spanish Dancer (1923), starring Pola Negri;

Peter Pan (1924);

Shanghai Express (1932)l starring Marlene Dietrich & Anna May Wong;

Manhattan Melodrama (1934), starring Clark Gable, Myrna Loy, William Powell, & Mickey Rooney;

The Thin Man (1934), starring William Powell & Myrna Loy; 

Little Lord Fauntleroy (1936), with Freddie Bartholomew;

The Prisoner of Zenda (1937), starring Madeleine Carroll & Douglas Fairbanks Jr,;  

Algiers (1938), starring Charles Boyer & Hedy Lamarr:  

Abe Lincoln in Illinois (1940), with Raymond Massey;

Fantasia (1940);

The Strawberry Blonde (1941), starring James Cagney, Olivia de Havilland, & Rita Hayworth;

King’s Row (1942), starring Ann Sheridan & Ronald Davis; 

Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942), starring James Garfield & Joan Leslie;

The Hard Way (1943), starring Ida Lupino & Joan Leslie;

The North Star (1943), starring Dana Andrews & Anne Baxter;

Air Force (1943), with John Garfield;

Confidential Agent (1945), starring Charles Boyer & Lauren Bacall; 

Nora Prentiss (1947), starring Ann Sheridan: 

He Ran All the Way (1951), with John Garfield & Shelley Winters;

The Baron of Arizona (1950) starring Vincent Price & Ellen Drew;

The Rose Tattoo (1955) starring Anna Magnani, Burt Lancaster & Marisa Pavan;

Seconds (1966), starring Rock Hudson;

Go, Man, Go (1954), starring Dane Clark & Sidney Poitier;

Funny Lady (1975), starring Barbra Streisand;

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What does HUMPHREY BOGART in “The Maltese Falcon,” INGRID BERGMAN in “Casablanca” (1942), and GARY GRANT & ROSALIND RUSSELL in “His Girl Friday” (1940), all have in common? They are all iconic screen performances that were not — clutch your pearls! — even nominated for an Academy Award. This week, in our annual Oscar episode, we take a look at some of the classic film performances that were completely ignored by the Academy when it came time to hand out the Oscar statues. Some will shock you, some will anger you, some will leave you scratching your head and wondering, “WHY?”

SHOW NOTES: 

Sources:

Wikipedia.com;

TCM.com;

IBDB.com;

IMDBPro.com;

Oscars.org;

Movies Mentioned:

M (1931), starring Peter Lorre;

Picnic (1955) starring William Holden, Kim Novak, Betty Field, Rosalind Russell, Arthur O’Connell, Cliff Robertson, and Susan Strasberg;

Shadow of a Doubt (1943), starring Joseph Cotten, Teresa Wright, MacDonald Carey, Patricia Collinge, Henry Travers, & Hume Cronyn;

Baby Face (1933), starring Barbara Stanwyck, George Brent, Donald Cook, Theresa Harris, and Margaret Lindsay;

White Heat (1949), starring James Cagney, Virginia Mayo, Edmond O’Brien, Steve Cochran, Margaret Wycherly, & Fred Clark;

It’s a Wonderful Life (1946), starring James Stewart. Donna Reed, Lionel Barrymore, Henry Travers, Thomas Mitchel, Beulah Bondi, & Gloria Grahame:

Night of the Hunter (1955), starring Robert Mitchum, Lillian Gish, Shelley Winters, James Gleason, Billy Chapin, & Sally Jane Bruce;

Play Misty For Me (1971), satrring CLint Eastwood, Jessica Walter, Donna Mills, & Don Siegel;

Psycho (1960), starring Anthony Perkins, Janet Leigh, Vera Miles, John Gavin, Martin Balsam, & Patricia Hitchock;

The Sting (1973), starring Paul Newman, Robert Redford, Robert Shaw, Charles Durning, Ray Walston, Eileen Brennan, Dimitri Arliss, & Harold Gould;

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"THE MANY FACES OF ROBERT DUVALL" (130)

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EPISODE 129 -  “FRANK LOVEJOY: CLASSIC CINEMA STAR OF THE MONTH” - 3/02/2026 

I think many people know that one of our favorite films is In a Lonely Place (1950). Directed by NICHOLAS RAY, this film noir is the tragic story of a love affair unraveling at the hands of doubt and distrust. It stars HUMPHREY BOGART and GLORIA GRAHAME in roles that would be career-defining. However, adding quiet strength to the film is FRANK LOVEJOY, who played Brub Nicolai, Bogart’s ex-army buddy turned private investigator. In the film, Lovejoy is not flashy, nor does he attempt to steal scenes, but he is so solid, so decent — he becomes the moral compass and Greek Chorus that helps define the narrative. What was so wonderful about Lovejoy was just how ordinary he was. He was Everyman. Square-jawed, no-nonsense, he looked like your Dad, or your uncle, or your local butcher. He wouldn’t stand out in a crowd, but he brought such humanity and decency to every role he performed. You may not know his name, but you certainly know his face. So this week, we are going to dive into the life and career of FRANK LOVEJOY, an unsung hero of classic cinema, and our Star of the Month

SHOW NOTES: 

Sources:

Wikipedia.com;

TCM.com;

IBDB.com;

IMDBPro.com;

Movies Mentioned:

Black Bart (1948), starring Yvonne DeCarlo & Dan Duryea;

Home of the Brave (1949), starring James Edwards & Lloyd Bridges;

In A Lonely Place (1950), starring Humphrey Bogart & Gloria Grahame;

South Sea Sinner (1950), starring MacDonald Carey & Shelley Winters;

Three Secrets (1950), starring Eleanor Parker, Patricia Neal, and Ruth Roman;

Breakthrough (1950), starring John Agar & David Brian; 

The Sound of Fury (1950), starring Frank Lovejoy, Kathleen Ryan, & Richard Carlson’

Goodbye My Fancy (1951), starring Joan Crawford & Robert Young;

Force of Arms (1951), starring Wiliam Holden & Nancy Olson;

I’ll See You In My Dreams (1951), starring Doris Day & Danny Thomas;

Starlift (1951), starring Gary Cooper & Doris Day;

I Was A Communist For The FBI (1951), starring Frank Lovejoy & Dorothy Hart;

Retreat, Hell! (1952), starring Frank Lovejoy & Richard Carlson;

The Winning Team (1952), starring Ronald Reagan & Doris Day;

The Hitchhiker (1953), starring Frank Lovejoy & Edmond O’Brien;

House of Wax (1953), starring Vincent Price & Carolyn Jones;

The Charge of Feather River (1953), starring Guy Madison & Vera Miles;

The Americano (1955), starring Glenn Ford & Cesar Romero;

Strategic Air Command (1955), starring James Stewart & June Allyson;

The Finger Man (1955), starring Frank Lovejoy & Forrest Tucker;

Shack Out on 101 (1955), starring Frank Lovejoy & Terry Moore;

The Crooked Web (1955), starring Frank Lovejoy & Richard Denning;

Three Brave Men (1956), starring Ray Milland, Ernest Borgnine, & Frank Lovejoy;

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“THE MYSTERIOUS DEATH OF THELMA TODD – A CHAT WITH SANDY ADOMAITIS” - 2/23/2026  (128)

On this week’s riveting episode, we dive into the tragic and mysterious 1935 death of beloved Hollywood comedienne THELMA TODD, weaving together the glamour and shadowy intrigue of early Tinseltown with the unsolved questions that have gripped fans for nearly a century. The conversation is elevated by their guest, SANDY ADOMAITIS — creator of The Writer’s Hangout podcast — whose keen insight, deep research, and passion for storytelling help illuminate both the documented facts and the many enduring theories behind Todd’s final hours. Together they explore the actress’s dazzling rise, her business ventures, the conflicting testimonies surrounding her last night, and the enduring debates over whether her death was a tragic accident or something more sinister, creating a nuanced portrait of a Hollywood legend whose death remains an enduring mystery.

SHOW NOTES: 

Sources:

Testimony of a Death: Thelma Todd - Mystery, Media, and Myth in 1935 Los Angeles (2016), by Marshall Croddy & Patrick Jenning;

“An Eternal Hollywood Mystery, Wrapped I’m Mink and Fog, Survives the Fires,” January 30, 2026, by Greer Sinclair, Vanity Fair;

“Classic Hollywood’s Greatest Female Comedy Team Still Packs a Punch,” November 23,, 2018, by Donald Liebenson, 

“Thelma Todd’s Tragedy: The Forgotten Life of the Original Celebrity Restaurateur,” October 8, 2014, by Hadley Meares, PBS.com;

“A Mystery Revisited,” May 29, 2002, by Robert W. Welkos, Los Angeles Times;

“Body of Thelma Todd Found in Death Riddle,” Dec. 17, 1935, Los Angeles Times;

Wikipedia.com;

TCM.com;

IBDB.com;

IMDBPro.com;

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