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

People love to dismiss “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner” as “dated,” but that word can hide a much harsher truth: much of the discomfort it dramatizes never fully went away. Stanley Kramer’s 1967 classic is still a relevant thesis that dares to ask the question: "But would you want your daughter to marry one?" If that sounds blunt, it is— and that’s why the movie still sparks arguments decades later.
In this episode we tackle the social politics behind Kramer's provocative comedy, and the Hollywood history that shaped it. 1967 is a hinge year, with “Old Hollywood” going head-to-head with “New Hollywood”, the Production Code Administration losing its grip, and civil and political unrest shaping what studios would risk. 

And then, of course, there's the film's emotional center: the final screen outing of Hollywood's most celebrated romantic pair: Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn. We dive into Tracy’s emotional final monologue, filmed under the shadow of his illness, and the meta weight it carries opposite Katharine Hepburn. We also dig into the Oscars context, including Hepburn’s Best Actress win, the competition that year, and how the ceremony was reshaped by the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. If you love classic films, Oscars history, Sidney Poitier, Katharine Hepburn, Spencer Tracy, or movies that test our self-image, hit play, then subscribe, share the show, and leave a review so more people can find us.
Text us or Leave a Voice Mail
Brad's YouTube channel, Our Chosen Spanish Life. youtube.com/@ourchosenspanishlife
 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.

"Oh, Donald!"
One gurgling little declaration, and a television icon is born.  Is it Mary Richards? Is it Maude Findlay? Nope. It's "That Girl"!
A sitcom can look light as air and still change what viewers believe is possible. "That Girl", which aired from 1966 to 1971,  does exactly that, and rewatching it now makes the impact even clearer. We talk through why Marlo Thomas’s Anne Marie feels so lovable and so important, even if the show doesn’t get name-checked as often as other classics. The big idea is simple: a young woman moves to New York to chase her dream, pays her own bills (at least in an aspirational TV way), dates on her terms, and keeps her identity bigger than her relationship. 

We dig into the behind-the-scenes story that shaped the tone, from ABC’s early concerns to the surprising pilot changes, plus the push and pull over TV standards around sex, innuendo, and marriage. Marlo’s perspective on “aspiration” becomes the key that unlocks everything, and it also explains why the show’s fashion, apartment, and energy still feel like a blueprint for later hits. If you love classic television, 1960s sitcom history, or feminist pop culture, this is a deep and very fun rabbit hole. 

If That Girl has been sitting in your memory as a faint rerun, this is your nudge to rediscover it. Subscribe, share this with a fellow classic TV fan, and leave us a rating and review so more people can find the show.
Text us or Leave a Voice Mail
Brad's YouTube channel, Our Chosen Spanish Life. youtube.com/@ourchosenspanishlife
 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.

Long before she became notorious for her real life mothering skills, Joan Crawford was famous for her portrayal of a reel life mother; one who had an alarming (one may say unnatural) obsession with her oldest child, and one who would go to any lengths...perhaps even murder...to make her child's dreams come true. Yes, today we're taking on the Big C in her Oscar-winning performance  in the noir-tinged soap opera, "Mildred Pierce". 
We’re diving into the 1945 Warner Bros classic that not only returned Joan Crawford to the top of the A-list, but  helped redefine what film noir could look like when the protagonist isn’t a doomed tough guy, the object of desire isn't a curvy blonde, and the lurking menace isn't a gun but a sociopathic daughter.  Along the way, we break down what “noir” really means, from the shadows and camera angles to the fatalistic mood that makes kitchens, staircases, and beach houses feel dangerous. We also get into the film’s delicious genre mash-up: part melodrama, part mystery, all emotional warfare.

Then we go behind the curtain. We compare the movie to James M. Cain’s novel and the HBO miniseries, and we explain how the Production Code reshaped the plot by demanding punishment and a cleaner moral ledger. We also tell the comeback story that makes this film pure Hollywood mythology, including Michael Curtiz’s initial hesitation and Crawford’s legendary Oscar moment.  Plus: Eve Arden, because there is never enough Eve Arden.

Listen, share it with a fellow classic film obsessive, and then leave us a rating and review or send a text or voicemail with your take. Are you on Team Mildred, or do you think she creates the monster she can’t stop loving?
Text us or Leave a Voice Mail
Brad's YouTube channel, Our Chosen Spanish Life. youtube.com/@ourchosenspanishlife
 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.

"I consider this woman to be the greatest actress in the English language."
Thus spoke F. Murray Abraham at the OSCAR podium as he was announcing the winner of the 1985 Best Actress Award. For nearly everyone in the Shrine Auditorium that night, that platitude could only refer to one woman amongst the nominees of Meryl Streep, Ann Bancroft, Whoopi Goldberg and Jessica Lange. It was the final nominee... Geraldine Page. 
In this very special episode of "Going Hollywood" we are joined by writer- director-producer Del Shores to talk about the singular Miss Page and her Oscar winning performance in the beautiful 1985 film version of Horton Foote's legendary play, "The Trip to Bountiful". We discuss the art of Southern storytelling, the “magic” and subtext Foote packs into every line of dialogue,  and the way the film treats family conflict with compassion instead of easy villains. We break down Carrie Watts’ escape from Houston, the small acts of kindness she finds on the road, and the brutal truth waiting at the end of the line: time passes, towns fade, and you still need to see the place that made you. If you’re searching for character driven cinema, classic film analysis, or the best movies about aging and memory, this conversation goes deep.

Then we zero in on Geraldine Page, whose performance won the  Oscar after a long road of nominations. We talk about what makes her acting so rare: specificity, willpower, humor, and the feeling that she’s living each moment. We even get into the film’s craft, from long unbroken shots to the little continuity glitches that reveal how fully this one in a generation artist disappeared into the character of Carrie Watts in her quest to return home to "Bountiful" .

Listen, then subscribe for more Hollywood golden age and classic movie conversations, share the episode with a friend who loves great performances, and leave us a review. What scene from The Trip to Bountiful stays with you the longest?
Text us or Leave a Voice Mail
Brad's YouTube channel, Our Chosen Spanish Life. youtube.com/@ourchosenspanishlife
 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 that Poppins woman!  
We kick off our "Best Actress" month by celebrating one of the most magical Oscar winners of all time:  Dame Julie Andrews as the practically perfect nanny herself, "Mary Poppins" (1964)!
She blows in on the east wind like a well-dressed surprise and promptly takes charge of the Banks household with one raised eyebrow,  a carpetbag that definitely did not come from any normal shop and a knack for turning chores into sing-along that makes everyday life sparkle—one spoonful of sugar at a time. 
But there's more to the classic Disney film than just its sparkling lead actress; we come away stunned by how much craft is packed into every frame: the Sherman Brothers’ songs, the choreography, the matte-painted London skies, the practical effects, the way live action plays convincingly with animation, and of course the one-of-a-kind supporting cast featuring Dick Van Dyke, David Tomlinson, Ed Wynn, Rita Shaw, Hermione Baddeley, and friend of the pod (and Brad) the incomparable Glynnis Johns. 
We also zoom out to the behind-the-scenes power struggle that shaped the final cut, that battles between Walt Disney and author P.L. Travers, and  the tension still hangs around the film’s legacy. Finally, we break down the awards context: Julie Andrews’ performance, the "My Fair Lady" rivalry, and the dubbing controversy that helped shift Hollywood’s expectations for movie musicals.
It’s comfort viewing, sure, but it’s also a blueprint for how to build “movie magic” with discipline and taste. What more is there to say? 
Supercalifragilisticexpalidocious! That's what. 

Text us or Leave a Voice Mail
Brad's YouTube channel, Our Chosen Spanish Life. youtube.com/@ourchosenspanishlife
 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.