Swan Songs

Swan Songs

In Swan Songs, we explore the final acts in the lives of film’s most legendary figures. Whether good, bad, or deliciously trashy, movie-writer and host Ross Johnson visits the films they left behind.

Episodes

October 24, 2023 45 mins

Spencer Tracy was one of the biggest stars of golden age Hollywood. He brought a subtle, naturalistic style to even the biggest roles, earning Oscars and big numbers at the box office in the process. In his later career, he appeared in several critically acclaimed movies with strong, sometimes controversial, social messages—Guess Who's Coning to Dinner among them. His private life, though, was far more complicated: a lifelong strug...

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She was Sue Ann Nivens on The Mary Tyler Moore Show. Rose Nylund on The Golden Girls. Delores Bickerman in Lake Placid. Those are just three of her memorable roles, but she was a television presence for decades, often as a quick-witted and welcome guest on game and talk shows. With a love for her work and a passion for animal causes, she took on a regular role in a sitcom at the age of 88, and continued performing and entertaining ...

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October 3, 2023 43 mins

In 1904, a small boy arrived at a London police station with a note. When read, it instructed the police to lock young Alfred Hitchcock up, because: "That's what we do to naughty boys." The boy would grow up to become one of the most significant figures in the birth and growth of film throughout the 20th century, right up until his final picture: Family Plot. This story isn't just his, though—it'a slap about Alma Reville, a teenage...

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September 26, 2023 39 mins

Lucille Fay LeSueur had a difficult and abusive childhood, but became one of the great stars of the Depression era before molding herself into Joan Crawford, one of Golden Age Hollywood's most recognizable, and bankable movie stars. On this episode of Swan Songs, we're looking at her life and career in the context of her final act: as the tranquilizer-gun totin' star of the low-budget camp classic, Trog.

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September 19, 2023 1 min

In the first season of Swan Songs, we explore the final acts in the lives of entertainment’s most legendary figures. Whether good, bad, or deliciously trashy, film-writer Ross Johnson visits the movies and shows they left behind. We'll explore the lasting legacies of figures like Joan Crawford, Alfred Hitchcock, Betty White, and Spencer Tracy...just to name a few. Find it wherever you get your podcasts, and visit SwanSongsPod.com f...

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