In the first of two episodes about major stars attempting to end the Blacklist, we’ll look at Frank Sinatra’s efforts to hire Hollywood Ten member Albert Maltz. Timing got in the way of Sinatra’s good intentions: this was the exact moment when Sinatra had become the coolest middle-aged man in America as “chairman of the board” of the newly-formed Vegas act n ... Show More
Jun 2016
86: The Blacklist Part 16: Kirk Douglas, Dalton Trumbo, and Otto Preminger (Breaking the Blacklist, Part 2)
How did the Blacklist come to an end? If you ask Kirk Douglas, the end began with his hiring of Dalton Trumbo to write Spartacus -- or, rather Douglas flaunting of that hiring. Otto Preminger, who hired Trumbo to write Exodus, might see it differently. In truth, the end of the bl ... Show More
51m 52s
Aug 2016
87: Six Degrees of Joan Crawford: Douglas Fairbanks / Lucille LeSueur Goes to Hollywood
In order to understand Joan Crawford’s rise to fame, we have to talk about what Joan - born Lucille LeSueur, and called “Billie Cassin” for much of her childhood - was like before she got to Hollywood, and what Hollywood was like before she got there. To accomplish the latter, we ... Show More
40m 2s
Mar 2018
Al Pacino and Barry Levinson on 'Dog Day Afternoon,' HBO's 'Paterno,' and 'The Godfather' (Ep. 344)
HBO and The Ringer’s Bill Simmons is joined by Al Pacino and Barry Levinson to discuss how the two get along so well (14:45), their new film ‘Paterno’ (19:00), and what they expect the reaction to the film will be (27:20). Then, Bill debunks a ‘Heat’ conspiracy theory (41:20) and ... Show More
1h 10m
Feb 2018
S1 Ep2: Sam Giancana (Part 2)
In the previous episode, we explored the early days of one of the most flamboyant and dangerous mafia bosses of all time, Sam Giancana, and heard from those who strived to bring him to justice. We discovered how he helped get JFK elected to president. hat he made clandestine deal ... Show More
36m 54s
<p>Actor Al Pacino feels hopeful about being Conan O’Brien’s friend.</p><p> </p><p>Al sits down with Conan to discuss his new memoir <a href="https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/730575/sonny-boy-by-al-pacino/" target="_blank">Sonny Boy</a>, developing his iconic onscreen por ... Show More
