Going Hollywood - Movies and Television from the Golden Age to Today

Katharine Hepburn. Ginger Rogers. Lucille Ball. Eve Arden. Ann Miller. Phyllis Kennedy. Costance Collier. Jack Carson. Is this the roster of an awards ceremony in the 1950s?  No -- it's the call sheet for our movie today, featuring one of the most stacked line-ups of soon-to-be stars ever gathered on a single soundstage. From RKO in 1937, it's "Stage Door."
At first glance, it's Hepburn v Rogers as the main event; two titans of the studio, one on the way up and one fighting to stay. Who will come out champ in the last round? But what really makes "Stage Door" special is the phenomenal cast of up-and-comers lending their support to the stars, each one on the cusp of major stardom of their own. Add to the mix the improvisatory work of director Gregory LaCava, eavesdropping on his actresses’ real conversations and personalities, and crafting a screenplay that crackles with dialogue and repartee that still seems fresh and relevant after almost 90 years.  

But it's not a TKO. We talk honestly about the weaker story threads, why Andrea Leeds’s character feels underwritten despite an Oscar nomination, the tonal whiplash of the last third of the film, and why certain romantic casting choices (hello, Adolphe Menjou) strain belief. Still, the movie’s core theme lands: show business is relentless, rejection is constant, and the next hopeful is always ready to walk through the stage door.
So, who ends up the victor? The acclaimed upper-class Hepburn? The scrappy upstart Rogers? Or is it the actress who came from behind them and ended up owning the whole studio? You'll have to listen to find out! 

If you love classic Hollywood, film history, and smart talk about craft, hit play, then subscribe, share the episode with a friend, and leave us a rating and review. What’s the one line from a classic film you still quote?
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 [email protected]
Listen to our Going Hollywood Playlist on Spotify.

A classic sitcom can look effortless, but behind the scenes can tell a different story. A failed pilot. A total recast. A “Hail Mary” save from first season cancellation. All true events that happened to one of the benchmarks of classic situation comedy: "The Dick Van Dyke Show" .
We follow the legendary sitcom back to its origin story: Carl Reiner’s original pilot, why it didn’t sell, and how Sheldon Leonard helps transform the exact same core idea into one of the most respected comedies in TV history. If you love behind-the-scenes Hollywood history, this is the kind of development tale that explains how hits are really made. From there, we dig into what made the finished series feel different in the early 1960s. We talk about the show’s then-unusual split between the workplace and the Petrie home, the “Kennedy-era” polish, and how the writers’ room characters pull directly from Reiner’s experience on “Your Show Of Shows”. We also dish on Mary Tyler Moore’s path to Laura Petrie, her chemistry with Dick Van Dyke, the tensions with Rose Marie, and of course, the legendary battles over those “Capri” pants that helped redefine what a TV housewife could look like.

If you enjoyed this, subscribe, share the episode with a classic TV fan, and leave us a rating and review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.
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 [email protected]
Listen to our Going Hollywood Playlist on Spotify.

It’s our third season, and we’ve decided that it’s time to take a more serious approach to appreciating the art of film, film history, and the craft of filmmaking.
April Fools! It’s “Airplane!” (1980)
An airliner full of passengers gets hit with food poisoning, the crew goes down, and the only hope is a washed-up pilot with a bruised past. That plot sounds like a straight disaster thriller and that’s exactly why “Airplane!” works: it uses a perfectly serious skeleton and then fires jokes at you so fast you barely have time to breathe.

We dig into how Zucker, Abrams and Zucker built the movie on the bones of “Zero Hour” (1957), lifting the structure, character names, and even bits of dialogue, then twisting it into one of the most influential spoof comedies ever made. We also talk about the behind-the-scenes choices that matter more than any single gag: a lean budget, a tight shoot, and the decision to cast dramatic heavyweights like Leslie Nielsen, Robert Stack, Peter Graves and Lloyd Bridges. Their deadpan commitment is the engine, turning every absurd line into a straight-faced “emergency,” which makes the humor hit harder.

Not every moment lands the same way in 2026, and we don’t dodge that. We get into what still feels timeless, what depends on older pop culture references, and what now plays as uncomfortable, especially the jokes audiences are less willing to laugh off today. Along the way, we trade favorite bits, debate the few sequences that run too long, and zoom out to Airplane’s legacy in film history, including how it sets the template for later parody hits like “The Naked Gun” series .

If you love classic comedy, Hollywood behind-the-scenes stories, and film analysis that still feels like hanging out with movie friends, hit follow, share the show, and leave a review wherever you listen.

Check out Brad's YouTube channel about life in Spain on Our Chosen Spanish Life. 
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 [email protected]
Listen to our Going Hollywood Playlist on Spotify.

On December 14, 2025, Hollywood...and the world...lost a true icon. A man who was not only a gifted actor, but a once-in-a-generation filmmaker who was adept at any style, from satire to horror to romantic comedy. We also lost a true humanitarian and, as his alter ego Harry Burns may have said, a real "mensch".  We are indeed talking about the one and only, Rob Reiner. 
So, for our Season Premiere, we wanted to celebrate this gifted filmmaker and great human being by discussing two of his signature films: the genre-defying but so entertaining (at least to Tony) "The Princess Bride" (1987), and what is now considered the grandfather of the late 20th century romantic comedies, "When Harry Met Sally..." (1989).
Though it is with sadness that we mourn the loss, we keep things upbeat as we discuss the behind-the-scenes dramas of both films, the brilliant scripts by the legendary William Goldman and Nora Ephron respectively, and the sheer pleasure of entering the two very different--but equally enjoyable--worlds of late 1980s Manhattan and the Renaissance-era Florin ( by way of the Borscht Belt).
We hope you will  join us as we celebrate this one-of-a-kind artist, discuss these very different, but equally brilliant, works, and share our opinions about the legacy of the late, great Rob Reiner. 
So, if you want to have what she’s having, you'll join us for the Season Three premiere of "Going Hollywood!” It's INCONCIEVABLE that you won't have a dare-devilishly  good time!!!

Check out Brad's YouTube channel, Our Chosen Spanish Life. 
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 [email protected]
Listen to our Going Hollywood Playlist on Spotify.

All women, all claws. Jungle Red!
Call it “The Real Housewives of New York- 1939 Edition”. 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?

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 [email protected]
Listen to our Going Hollywood Playlist on Spotify.