Ever since the dusty hillside town of Hollywood, California became the Entertainment Capital of the World it has held the interest of people from around the globe. Whether it’s with the city itself, its stars, or the scandalous behind-the-scenes stories that have made headlines for over 100 years there is no shortage of fascinating stories to tell about this star-studded town.
If you love Hollywood history as much as I do, here are some of my favorite documentaries about Tinseltown for you to check out.
THE KID STAYS IN THE PICTURE (2002) - After the fall of the movie moguls and the end of the studio system, a new generation of Hollywood powerhouse producers took over. One of the greatest was Robert Evans a film producer, studio executive, and actor, whose successful films "Rosemary’s Baby" (1968), "Love Story" (1970), "The Godfather" (1972), and "Chinatown" (1974) escorted Hollywood into a new era of filmmaking.
This eye-opening documentary is a film adaptation of the 1994 autobiography written by Robert Evans. The film uses Evans' narration interspersed mostly with photographs from Evans' life as well as brief film footage from his famous films along with interviews to tell the story of his discovery by actress Norma Shearer for "Man of a Thousand Faces" (1957) to his return to Paramount Pictures. It’s a fascinating look at the man who helped change the face of Hollywood in the 1970s.
THE FABULOUS ALLAN CARR (2017) - One of the most outrageous real-life characters in the movie industry throughout the 1970s/1980s was producer Allan Carr who is famous for producing the blockbuster movie musical "Grease", the Village People’s film debut "Can’t Stop The Music", the Tony Award-winning Broadway show "La Cage aux Folles", and the disastrous 1989 Academy Awards.
This entertaining documentary film from filmmaker Jeffrey Schwarz features interviews and archival footage with friends and confidantes of the flamboyant producer and one of Hollywood’s elite who "changed the face of pop and gay culture."
The film features interviews with Patricia Bitch, Maxwell Caulfield, Steve Gutenberg, Randy Jones, Randal Kleiser, Sherry Lansing, Lorna Luft, Brett Radner, Connie Stevens, Bruce Vilanch and more. This is a super fun one. Enjoy!
SCOTTY AND THE SECRET HISTORY OF HOLLYWOOD (2017) - Everyone loves to hear about juicy Hollywood scandals especially when it deals with sex, movie stars, and closeted gay celebrities. This documentary delivers the goods so be prepared for your jaw to drop throughout this amazing tale of the life of Scotty Bowers, who acted as an unpaid pimp in Hollywood from the 1940s to the 80s.
Based on Bowers's book "Full Service", the documentary was produced and directed by Matt Tyrnauer, a Special Correspondent for Vanity Fair magazine. Make sure you watch it before Searchlight Pictures - who acquired the rights to the documentary - turns it into a feature film!
THE LOST CITY OF CECIL B DEMILLE (2016) - In 1982, Peter Brosnan a 30-year-old freelance journalist and aspiring movie director, heard a story from a friend that sent him on an adventure that took 30 years to complete!!
The story goes....in 1923, director Cecil B DeMille built the largest set in movie history (at the time) for his silent epic, “The Ten Commandments” called "The City of the Pharaoh." Once filming was completed, DeMille ordered that the entire edifice be dismantled... and secretly buried. And there it lay, forgotten, for the next 60 years.
This fantastic documentary is packed with Hollywood history from the early days of filmmaking, Demille’s incredible career, fascinating interviews with people who were involved in the 1923 production of “The Ten Commandments” as well as the 1956 remake starring Charlton Heston, and of course how Peter his team finally found the “lost city” in the dunes of Guadalupe! Listen to my interview with Peter Brosnan now and get a taste of his incredible adventure! Click HERE!
RITA MORENO JUST A GIRL WHO DECIDED TO GO FOR IT (2021) - All of us can agree that Puerto Rican actress and EGOT winner Rita Moreno is a force of nature! That’s what director, producer, and editor Mariem Pérez Riera has captured in her marvelous documentary film that follows Rita's journey from her childhood to stardom!
Film interviewees include Gloria Estefan, Morgan Freeman, Mitzi Gaynor, Whoopi Goldberg, Eva Longoria, Justina Machado, Terrence McNally, Karen Olivo, as well as Norman Lear and Lin-Manuel Miranda, who are also executive producers on the project. I promise you’ll love this one!
MGM WHEN THE LION ROARS (1992) - Any Hollywood historian will tell you that Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios was the crown jewel of Hollywood’s Golden Age! With its high-end productions, quality scripts, spectacular musicals, and their stable of movie stars MGM was once the grandest Hollywood studio of all time!
Narrated by Sir Patrick Stewart, this enthralling Emmy-winning, 3-part documentary is the definitive story of MGM's reign as Hollywood's class act and legendary entertainment empire. Bursting with memorable film clips, rare interviews, behind-the-scenes footage, and insider info, this is a mother lode for film fans, profiling perfectionist moguls, glamorous and charismatic actors, innovative filmmakers, and landmark movies. Hollywood never looked so good! This documentary is by far one of my favorites. Enjoy!
Listen to my riveting conversation with filmmaker, documentarian, historian, and modern-day ‘Indiana Jones’ Peter Brosnan who wrote, directed, and produced the fascinating documentary “The Lost City of Cecil B DeMille” by clicking on the links below. Enjoy!
Episode 39 - HERE
Episode 40 - HERE
