At the age of 18, actress Molly O’Day’s career showed great promise — the only thing holding her back was a bit of pubescent pudge. When diets failed, she became the guinea pig of Hollywood's first highly-publicized weight loss surgery. This was in 1929, and the procedure was, as one fan magazine described it "dangerous... and all in vain." What lead Molly t ... Show More
Jan 2020
153: Hollywood’s First Weight Loss Guru: Madame Sylvia (Make Me Over, Episode 2)
Glamorous and shrewd, Sylvia of Hollywood became the movie industry’s first weight-loss guru during the end of the silent era. An immigrant of mysterious origin, she would cannily market herself to clients like Gloria Swanson, who she promised to ‘slenderize, refine, reduce and s ... Show More
38m 42s
Feb 2020
154: Marie Dressler, the First Female Star to Conquer Hollywood’s Ageism (Make Me Over, Episode 3)
In 1933, the biggest female star in American movies wasn’t a sex symbol like Greta Garbo, Jean Harlow or Marlene Dietrich. It was Marie Dressler — homely, overweight and over 60 years old. The public loved nothing better than to see their Marie play a drunk or a dowager and steal ... Show More
43m 7s
Feb 2020
155: Passing for White: Merle Oberon (Make Me Over, Episode 4)
In 1935, Merle Oberon became the first biracial actress to be nominated for a Best Actress Oscar, an incredible achievement in then-segregated Hollywood -- except that nobody in Hollywood knew Oberon was biracial. Born in Bombay into abject poverty in 1911, Oberon's fate seemed s ... Show More
44m 51s
Dec 2024
Demi Moore - 'The Substance' & 'Landman'
The 40-year veteran of movie stardom reflects on her difficult childhood and path to acting, the backlashes that she faced after her pregnant Vanity Fair cover and becoming the highest-paid actress in Hollywood, and what it's like aging in Hollywood, both in her hit new film and ... Show More
1h 15m
Apr 2022
Light On My Feet with Jenny Slate & Nick Kroll
<p>Topics covered include: being cavity-prone, Joe Rogan’s effect on the podcast industry, the distinction between porn and pornos, turbo output, cheaper vanities, nostalgia for Netflix’s DVD subscription model, experiencing a viral hit in 2010, licensing a song from the most lit ... Show More
1h 5m
Oct 2022
I Saw What You Did - Chucky Is An Edgelord
<p>Danielle and Millie discuss BROADCAST NEWS (1987) and LÉON MORIN, PRIEST (1961), the sexual nature of confessionals, himbos in the workplace, and the wrestler who does the X over his crotch. Plus, they are joined by the wonderful Scott Youngbauer and Peter Lozano from the podc ... Show More
1h 49m
Mar 2020
Introducing The Plot Thickens
Peter Bogdanovich was a young cinephile who quickly rose to become one of Hollywood's top directors. But he soon found himself a victim of jealousy, hubris, public scorn – and a devastating crime. Now, he looks back on a life of fame and failure, and through it all, an enduring l ... Show More
4 m
Dec 2024
Pamela Anderson - 'The Last Showgirl'
The iconic Playboy model and 'Baywatch' babe, who is now a Golden Globe-nominated actress thanks to her performance in Gia Coppola's new film, reflects on the odds-defying way in which she was discovered, how the infamous sex tape derailed her career for decades and what sparked ... Show More
55m 28s