Hollywood'nt ... Hollywood Declassified » Hollywoodnt

Mar 01 2025 47 ep. 107

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The tales Hollywood wouldn't tell

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The Murder of Ramon Novarro – Episode 3

Ramon Novarro achieved his biggest success in 1925 with the silent film version of Ben-Hur. With revealing costumes he became a sex symbol with the film’s release and a Hollywood heartthrob overnight. After Rudolph Valentino’s death in 1926, Novarro became the top Latin actor in Hollywood and was known for his swashbuckler action roles. Considered one of the great roman

The Murder of Ramon Novarro – Episode 2

Born in 1899, Ramon Novarro was a Mexican-American actor who began his career in silent films in 1917. He worked his way up to a leading man and eventually became one of the top box-office stars of the silent film era. During the 1920s MGM named him its “Latin lover” and he took over the role of Hollywood’s biggest sex symbol after the death of Rudolph Valentino.

The Murder of Ramon Novarro – Episode 1

Prosecutors surmised that in the murder case of Ramon Novarro, two young men – believing that a large sum of money was hidden in Novarro’s house – entered his home on October 30, 1968, looking for the loot. Authorities believe the brothers tortured Novarro for hours to force him to reveal where he’d hidden his money. Sadly, there was none. They left the hous

Holidays by the Lake

Before our 2025 series kicks off we have a special holiday treat episode. In the past we used to do a podcast episode of our old series The Movie Files during the holidays of a film that takes place during the Christmas season that’s not really a Christmas movie. To revisit the tradition we offer a visit with Lady in the Lake, a 1947 film noir classic that has a good dose of

Q&A

As we close out this series, the final episode offers some questions and some answers behind Bette Davis, Wicked Stepmother, What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?, Joan Crawford and Wicked Becomes Her.

The Filming

The filming of Wicked Stepmother would be a troubling experience for everyone involved, but more so for its star. As health troubles made it difficult to work, she would exit the production after little more than a week on the set. The director would face a decision as to what to do what his film when his star disappeared. His decision would be surprising to many in Hollywood when

The 80s

As Bette Davis ages, the roles grew fewer and farther between, but she managed to find the occasional film or TV project, as well as appearance on awards shows and talk shows. It was one of those appearances that gave Larry Cohen the idea to craft a film with Bette Davis in mind. The idea was a kind gesture, but would prove disastrous.

Bette’s Movies

As Bette Davis struggled to remain relevant past Baby Jane, she would take on a number of roles, but be largely trapped in the horror genre of the day. Similarly, Joan Crawford would also find herself starring in horror films. By the 1980s, Crawford was gone, but Bette was working more and more in TV. Though she searched for good film work.

Baby Jane

What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? would forever tie Bette Davis with Joan Crawford. The iconic motion picture would inspire a host of films and keep both Crawford and Davis working through the 1960s. It would also be one of the stories that gave director Larry Cohen the drive to created Bette Davis’s final film, Wicked Stepmother.

Movie Queen

As we revisit the career of Bette Davis, this episode looks at her highs and lows and how the actress, star and movie queen would struggle and thrive in Hollywood. All the challenges she faced in the 1950s and 60s would prepare her to do battle with her final director, Larry Cohen.