If the Golden era of Old Hollywood is your thing, our podcast is for you! If you want TYRONE POWER instead of TOM HARDY, JENNIFER JONES instead of JENNIFER LAWRENCE, or ROBERT MITCHUM rather than ROBERT PATTINSON, then FROM BENEATH THE HOLLYWOOD SIGN is the gin joint for you. Each week, writer and producer STEVE CUBINE and actress and writer NAN MCNAMARA explore, discuss, and dissect the magical, mysterious, amusing, and sometimes bizarre tales of Old Hollywood. So sit back and revisit a time when the pictures were still big and everyone was ready for their close-up.
All content for From Beneath the Hollywood Sign is the property of Steve Cubine & Nan McNamara and is served directly from their servers
with no modification, redirects, or rehosting. The podcast is not affiliated with or endorsed by Podjoint in any way.
If the Golden era of Old Hollywood is your thing, our podcast is for you! If you want TYRONE POWER instead of TOM HARDY, JENNIFER JONES instead of JENNIFER LAWRENCE, or ROBERT MITCHUM rather than ROBERT PATTINSON, then FROM BENEATH THE HOLLYWOOD SIGN is the gin joint for you. Each week, writer and producer STEVE CUBINE and actress and writer NAN MCNAMARA explore, discuss, and dissect the magical, mysterious, amusing, and sometimes bizarre tales of Old Hollywood. So sit back and revisit a time when the pictures were still big and everyone was ready for their close-up.
"BEHIND THE GLAMOUR: DRUG USE IN OLD HOLLYWOOD" (097)
From Beneath the Hollywood Sign
33 minutes
14 hours ago
"BEHIND THE GLAMOUR: DRUG USE IN OLD HOLLYWOOD" (097)
EPISODE 97 - “BEHIND THE GLAMOUR: DRUG USE IN OLD HOLLYWOOD” - 7/21/25
As the Roaring 1920s kicked in, America’s backlash against prohibition brought forth a boozy, fun-loving era where alcohol and the use of recreational drugs like cocaine and opium became a fashionable part of the hedonistic lifestyle. This was never more true than behind the hallowed gates of old Hollywood’s studios. In fact, drugs became a common tool of the studio systems to keep exhausted actors working and impossible production schedules on track. After the deaths of prominent film stars WALLACE REID and ALMA RUBENS, Hollywood had a chance to change things, but they didn’t. This week, we explore the rampant drug use that permeated the film industry during Hollywood’s infancy.
SHOW NOTES:
Sources:
Tinseltown: Murder, Morphine, and Madness at the Dawn of Hollywood (2015) by William J. Mann;
Wallace Reid: The Life and Death of a Hollywood Idol (2013), by E.J. Fleming;
“The Most Tragic Details Of Old Hollywood Stars' Lives,” June 30, 2025, by Acacia Deadlock, TheList.com;
“Hollywood’s Dark Secret: Drug Abuse in the Golden Age,” February 17, 2025, hollywoodlandnews.com;
“Golden Age Hollywood Had a Dirty Little Secret: Drugs,” May 27, 2025, by Erin Blakemore, History.com;
“The Buyers -- A Social History of America’s Most Popular Drugs,” PBS.org;
Wikipedia.com;
TCM.com;
IBDB.com;
IMDBPro.com;
---------------------------------
http://www.airwavemedia.com
Please contact sales@advertisecast.com if you would like to advertise on our podcast.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
From Beneath the Hollywood Sign
If the Golden era of Old Hollywood is your thing, our podcast is for you! If you want TYRONE POWER instead of TOM HARDY, JENNIFER JONES instead of JENNIFER LAWRENCE, or ROBERT MITCHUM rather than ROBERT PATTINSON, then FROM BENEATH THE HOLLYWOOD SIGN is the gin joint for you. Each week, writer and producer STEVE CUBINE and actress and writer NAN MCNAMARA explore, discuss, and dissect the magical, mysterious, amusing, and sometimes bizarre tales of Old Hollywood. So sit back and revisit a time when the pictures were still big and everyone was ready for their close-up.
