HOLLYWOODLAND
Hollywoodland is a podcast that takes place at the intersection of Hollywood and True Crime. It's where you'll hear the stories about our most beloved actors, directors, and other icons of movie history through the lens of the crimes that have impacted them. The mysterious death of Brittany Murphy. The obsessive murder of Dorothy Stratten. Woody Harrelson's father's connection to the JFK assassination. The three conspiracies surrounding Marilyn Monroe's death. Steve McQueen's brush with Charles Manson. The indecent arrest of John Waters. Dennis Hopper's easy riding and raging '70s Hollywood. The shocking small town murder that inspired David Lynch's Twin Peaks. Heath Ledger's overdose. Robert Downey Jr. hitting rock bottom, only to stage the greatest comeback in movie history. From the Golden Age of Hollywood to New Hollywood all the way to contemporary moviemakers, Hollywoodland features tales of murder, kidnapping, organized crime, curses, disappearances, prison escapes, and hauntings. You know, the kind of stuff that makes for the best movies. True to its subject matter, Hollywoodland is a cinematic brand of audio storytelling. Think less of a Ken Burns documentary, and more of a fast-paced, highly transgressive Martin Scorsese film, co-hosted by movie and true crime buffs Jake Brennan and Zeth Lundy. Fully scripted, sound-designed episodes from our archive are released every Monday. These "movies for your ears" are narrated by Jake and feature Double Elvis' edge-of-your-seat audio storytelling. On Wednesdays, we drop brand new "Wrap Party" episodes, a chat-style show in which Zeth responds to voicemails, texts, and emails from listeners, while also talking more about that week's subject and themes (including guest appearances by Jake for weekly recommendations). And then on Fridays, we release new "Screening Room" episodes, in which Zeth deep dives into one film – after which, the audience is encouraged to watch that film over the weekend, and then call or text the show so that we can discuss it further in the following week's Wrap Party.
Episodes
Gianni Versace was a runway iconoclast who outfitted the likes of Madonna, Demi Moore, Prince, Sylvester Stallone, and Don Johnson. He lived like Louis XIV and counted Princess Di and Elton John among his friends. He was plagued by rumors of ties to the Calabrian mafia and a secret health diagnosis. Those rumors continued to persist long after he was gunned down by a serial killer who had been on the lam after murdering four other ...
This week in the Screening Room we’re talking about alienation, chickie runs, knife fights, and how the 1955 film ‘Rebel Without a Cause’ wound up with an X rating in the UK. Plus the mighty Hypothetical Theoretical Metaphorical Potentially Possible Mixtape with songs by The Undertones, the Flamin’ Groovies, Fountains of Wayne, and more. Become an All Access member and get ad-free listening by visiting disgr...
In this week’s Wrap Party, Zeth is telling the story of a real-life Hollywood gang member who was hired on the set of ‘Rebel Without a Cause’ to teach James Dean how to talk, how to dress, and how to fight. Plus Jake Brennan joins the show to get recommendations for rebel songs and rebel movies. Become an All Access member today by visiting disgracelandpod.com.
Recommended this week:
- "Rebel - 'Rouser" - Duane...
James Dean died in a high speed car crash at the age of 24, but his legend lives on. Fan clubs held monthly memorial services and wrote movie studios begging for relics of their patron saint. Professional illusionists swore they could resurrect his body. Rumors that Dean survived the deadly crash were spurred on, and in some cases planted, by a film studio with a financial stake in keeping his memory alive. The car that killed him ...
This week in the Screening Room we’re talking about a bad marriage, an affair, an old college friend with a collection of strange home movies, and the 1989 film ‘Sex, Lies and Videotape.’ Plus the mighty Hypothetical Theoretical Metaphorical Potentially Possible Mixtape with songs by The Knickerbockers, George Michael, Radiohead, and more. Become an All Access member and get ad-free listening by visiting disgracel...
In this week’s Wrap Party, Zeth digs into the recent sentencing of filmmaker Carl Rinsch, who was accused of defrauding Netflix out of $11M while making a new sci-fi show. Plus your voicemails, texts, emails, and more. Become an All Access member today by visiting disgracelandpod.com.
Recommended this week:
Parliament Funkadelic - The Mothership Connection (Live in Houston, 1976)
On the surface, the star of one of the most popular television series of the 1960s was a squeaky-clean symbol of America’s innocence. But Hogan’s Heroes’ Bob Crane lived a secret double life that very few people knew about. His custom-built pornographic paradises were hidden behind the closed doors of his dressing room and apartment. He was obsessed with extra-marital sexual exploits, and he documented them with c...
This week in the Screening Room we’re talking about rising stars, falling stars, self-destruction, Sam Elliott impressions, and the 2018 film ‘A Star Is Born.’ Plus the mighty Hypothetical Theoretical Metaphorical Potentially Possible Mixtape with songs by The Cure, The Who, Quasi, and more. Become an All Access member and get ad-free listening by visiting disgracelandpod.com.
See omnystudio.com/listener for ...
In this week’s Wrap Party, Zeth is taking a close look at the brazen robbery of Judy Garland’s iconic ruby red slippers from ‘The Wizard of Oz.’ Later, he’s joined by Disgraceland’s Jake Brennan to give recommendations for great songs and movies that are actually cover versions. Plus your voicemails, texts, emails, and more. Become an All Access member today by visiting disgracelandpod.com.
See om...
With a few clicks of their ruby slippers, MGM made 16-year-old Judy Garland a box office giant, but their strict rules nearly killed the budding starlet in the process. The studio’s strict diet of chicken soup, uppers, and downers set up teenage Judy for a life fraught with addiction, malnutrition, extreme health complications, and regular visits to rehab. Even years after Judy severed ties with MGM, the effects of her highly...
This week in the Screening Room we’re talking about mariachis, coups d’etat, double crosses and backstabbings, and the 2003 Robert Rodriguez film ‘Once Upon a Time in Mexico.’ Plus the mighty Hypothetical Theoretical Metaphorical Potentially Possible Mixtape with songs by Autolux, They Might Be Giants, Jerry Reed, and more. Become an All Access member and get ad-free listening by visiting disgracelandpod.com...
This week, we’re talking about ex-cons becoming actors, and Zeth ranks his Top 5 Lives of True Crime Which Later Metamorphosed into Lives on the Silver Screen™. Later, he’s joined by Disgraceland’s Jake Brennan to give recommendations for songs and movies all about redemption. Plus your voicemails, texts, emails, and more. Become an All Access member today by visiting disgracelandpod.com.
Danny Trejo holds the record for most on-screen deaths by an actor. His go-to role is the bad guy – the baddest guy. The guy you do not mess with. And for the first 25 years of his life, he was that guy for real. He led a life of violence and drugs that landed him in just about every hardcore prison in California, including Folsom and San Quentin. On the inside, he ran the gym, the drugs, and protection rackets. And then...
This week in the Screening Room we’re talking about factory lines, automobiles, unions, blackmail, Dizzy Gillespie for President, and the 1978 film ‘Blue Collar.’ Plus the return of the Hypothetical Theoretical Metaphorical Potentially Possible Mixtape with songs by Tommy James, Bruce Springsteen, and more. Become an All Access member and get ad-free listening by visiting disgracelandpod.com.
We’re gonna need a sh*tload of dimes cuz Zeth is talking about the 1974 film ‘Blazing Saddles,’ why it endures 52 years later, and its recent appearance at the top of two separate best-of lists online. Later, he’s joined by Disgraceland’s Jake Brennan to give recommendations for songs and movies about comedians. Plus your voicemails, texts, emails, and more. Become an All Access member today by visitin...
Richard Pryor was one of the funniest people who ever lived. He elevated stand-up comedy to an art form. But the real life that informed his stand-up – a life of pool halls, brothels, stabbings, shootings, and lots and lots of cocaine – was a source of constant pain. A pain that he managed with a freebase habit so out of control it nearly killed him before he was even 40 years old.
This episode contains themes...
This week we’re talking waterbeds, pinball machines, hot dog stands, full desert sleds out on the eighth hole by the sand trap, and Paul Thomas Anderson’s 2021 film ‘Licorice Pizza.’ Become an All Access member and get ad-free listening by visiting disgracelandpod.com.
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On this week’s Wrap Party, Zeth is talking about the Hollywood Blacklist, the Hollywood Ten, Dalton Trumbo, and Lucille Ball. Later, inspired by the recent success of the films ‘Backrooms’ and ‘Obsession,’ he’s joined by Jake Brennan to give recommendations for albums and movies made by younger creators. Plus your voicemails, texts, emails, and more. Become an All Access member today by visiting ...
Lucille Ball might have been a natural boundary-pusher, but America's top TV comedienne had some ‘splaining to do when a damning news broadcast unveiled her former ties to the Communist Party. The hysteria of the Red Scare threatened to bury this redhead at the bottom of the Hollywood blacklist overnight. Even when America put rampant McCarthyism to rest, the United States government kept watching Lucille Ball – and we&...
This week we’re talking gossip and rumors, priests and mechanics, the end of the world, and Hal Hartley’s 1989 film ‘The Unbelievable Truth.’ Plus we make a mixtape inspired by the film including songs by Bonnie Raitt, De La Soul, and Skeeter Davis. Become an All Access member and get ad-free listening by visiting disgracelandpod.com.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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