Hollywoodland is a podcast that takes place at the intersection of Hollywood and True Crime. It's where you'll hear the stories about our most beloved actors, directors, and other icons of movie history through the lens of the crimes that have impacted them. The mysterious death of Brittany Murphy. The obsessive murder of Dorothy Stratten. Woody Harrelson's father's connection to the JFK assassination. The three conspiracies surrounding Marilyn Monroe's death. Steve McQueen's brush with Charles Manson. The indecent arrest of John Waters. Dennis Hopper's easy riding and raging '70s Hollywood. The shocking small town murder that inspired David Lynch's...
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Sep 28, 2026 · 37:35
Before he was deemed “the Glue” by his castmates at Saturday Night Live , Phil Hartman worked as a rock ‘n roll roadie and a graphic designer. He created album…
Sep 25, 2026 · 40:53
This week in the Screening Room, Zeth is talking about bugs, wiretaps, hidden cameras, and the 1998 Tony Scott film ‘Enemy of the State’ starring Will Smith and Gene…
Sep 23, 2026 · 1:04:04
In this week’s Wrap Party, Zeth is talking about George Lucas, Guillermo del Toro, and the use of AI in film. Plus, dirty recs with Disgraceland’s Jake Brennan about…
Sep 21, 2026 · 33:07
In 1989, shortly after winning his first Grammy Award at just 20 years old, Will Smith was arrested and charged with assault after a brawl at a popular Philadelphia radio station…
Sep 18, 2026 · 45:01
This week in the Screening Room, Zeth is talking about pit bosses, shift bosses, floor men, box men, the eye in the sky, and Martin Scorsese’s 1995 film…
Sep 16, 2026 · 57:07
In this week’s Wrap Party, Zeth is fed up with award shows and discusses Sharon Stone’s dual nominations for a Golden Globe and a Razzie Award – for the same…
Sep 14, 2026 · 35:52
In a single year, Sharon Stone was nominated for awards for both Best Actress and Worst Actress – for the same role. She launched a million sexual awakenings with one quick…
Sep 11, 2026 · 41:39
This week in the Screening Room, Zeth is talking about deplorable studio executives, vindictive screenwriters, Hollywood satire, and Robert Altman’s 1992 comeback film…
Sep 9, 2026 · 53:14
In this week’s Wrap Party, Zeth is talking about Roscoe “Fatty” Arbuckle, William Desmond Taylor, Mabel Normand, and the birth of the Hollywood scandal. Plus,…
Sep 7, 2026 · 40:18
A century ago, at the birth of movie superstardom, silent film star Roscoe “Fatty” Arbuckle was at the center of a scandal that rocked Hollywood to its core. He was…
Sep 4, 2026 · 43:07
This week in the Screening Room, Zeth is talking about TV westerns, stuntmen turned handymen, the scourge of hippies invading the movie industry, and Quentin Tarantino’s…
Sep 2, 2026 · 54:18
In this week’s Wrap Party, Zeth is talking about Sharon Tate, Woodstock, Joan Didion, and the improbable becoming probable in the year 1969. Plus, dirty recs with Jake…
Aug 31, 2026 · 33:41
Sharon Tate’s entanglement with Charles Manson and her husband, filmmaker Roman Polanski, as well as her involvement in some of the long-rumored hedonistic events at her…
Aug 31, 2026 · 37:41
Sharon Tate was a sophisticated beauty who literally stopped traffic when she walked down the street. She began her movie career when America was becoming sexually liberated, and…
Aug 28, 2026 · 41:23
This week in the Screening Room, Zeth is breaking down Anna Kendrick’s 2024 directorial debut Woman of the Hour , which tells the story of serial killer Rodney Alcala…
Aug 26, 2026 · 52:21
In this week’s Wrap Party, Zeth is talking about the Dating Game Killer in the US, the Bullseye Killer in the UK, and just how in the hell serial killers find themselves…
Aug 24, 2026 · 36:19
Rodney Alcala, AKA The Dating Game Killer, was a depraved murderer who eluded authorities for years. He hid his true identity behind charm and persuasion. He worked as a summer…
Aug 21, 2026 · 40:07
This week in the Screening Room, Zeth is breaking down Terry Gilliam’s 1991 film The Fisher King , starring Robin Williams, Jeff Bridges, Mercedes Ruehl, and Amanda…
Aug 19, 2026 · 51:52
In this week’s Wrap Party, Zeth is talking about flow states, improvisation, stolen jokes, and the late, great Robin Williams. Later in the episode, Disgraceland’s…
Aug 17, 2026 · 36:19
Robin Williams’ manic mind moved at such a breakneck speed that cocaine had the opposite effect than it had on most other people: it slowed him down. Robin’s primary…
Aug 14, 2026 · 37:55
This week in the Screening Room, Dr. Lundy is conflicted on how he feels about Bob Fosse’s 1983 film Star 80 , starring Mariel Hemingway and Eric Roberts. Plus we make a…
Aug 12, 2026 · 54:03
In this week’s Wrap Party, Zeth is talking about director Peter Bogdanovich and his disgraceful behavior following the murder of 20-year old model and actress Dorothy…
Aug 10, 2026 · 33:09
From Dairy Queen counter girl to Playboy pinup to murder victim – in just two years. Hugh Hefner called her the next Marilyn Monroe. A major Hollywood director wrote a role…
Aug 7, 2026 · 37:31
This week in the Screening Room we’re taking a ride down a raging river with Marilyn Monroe and Robert Mitchum while talking about the 1954 Otto Preminger film ‘River…
Aug 5, 2026 · 1:00:58
In this week’s Wrap Party, Zeth is talking about the conspiracy theories that continue to surround Marilyn Monroe’s death – including a wild one about Roswell…
Aug 3, 2026 · 30:41
The conspiracy theories surrounding Marilyn Monroe’s death in 1962 continue to entertain the imaginations of those obsessed with celebrity and scandal. The stories, many of…
Jul 31, 2026 · 39:51
This week in the Screening Room we’re talking about delayed honeymoons, tourist traps, murder plots, Marilyn Monroe’s first top billing, and the 1953 Henry Hathaway…
Jul 29, 2026 · 53:23
In this week’s Wrap Party, Zeth is talking about Marilyn Monroe at 100, and why Hollywood has yet to make a definitive Marilyn biopic. Later, Double Elvis Head of…
Jul 27, 2026 · 34:15
Marilyn Monroe is one of the greatest Hollywood stars of all time. She rose from orphan to icon by creating an on screen character America could not peel their eyes away from.…
Jul 24, 2026 · 35:01
This week in the Screening Room we’re talking about manifestos, art movements, outsiders, would-be societies, and the 1996 film ‘I Shot Andy Warhol.’ Plus…
Jul 22, 2026 · 58:56
In this week’s Wrap Party, Zeth is talking about the new Christopher Nolan film, The Odyssey , the appeal of its otherworldly nature, and the IMAX dilemma. Later,…
Jul 20, 2026 · 37:13
Andy Warhol was the first artist to achieve rock star status. He was a Beatle with a silkscreen printer. His work and play space, the Factory, attracted people of all ages; rich…
Jul 17, 2026 · 36:59
This week in the Screening Room we’re talking about con men, deceit, stolen identities, the scene-stealing Philip Seymour Hoffman, and the 1999 film ‘The Talented Mr.…
Jul 15, 2026 · 52:33
In this week’s Wrap Party, Zeth is talking about the relatability and authenticity of actor Sam Neill, who recently passed away at the age of 78. Plus, Jake Brennan joins…
Jul 13, 2026 · 40:54
Gianni Versace was a runway iconoclast who outfitted the likes of Madonna, Demi Moore, Prince, Sylvester Stallone, and Don Johnson. He lived like Louis XIV and counted Princess…
Jul 10, 2026 · 38:46
This week in the Screening Room we’re talking about alienation, chickie runs, knife fights, and how the 1955 film ‘Rebel Without a Cause’ wound up with an X…
Jul 8, 2026 · 49:56
In this week’s Wrap Party, Zeth is telling the story of a real-life Hollywood gang member who was hired on the set of ‘Rebel Without a Cause’ to teach James…
Jul 6, 2026 · 33:24
James Dean died in a high speed car crash at the age of 24, but his legend lives on. Fan clubs held monthly memorial services and wrote movie studios begging for relics of their…
Jul 3, 2026 · 37:59
This week in the Screening Room we’re talking about a bad marriage, an affair, an old college friend with a collection of strange home movies, and the 1989 film ‘Sex,…
Jul 1, 2026 · 1:03:04
In this week’s Wrap Party, Zeth digs into the recent sentencing of filmmaker Carl Rinsch, who was accused of defrauding Netflix out of $11M while making a new sci-fi show.…
Jun 29, 2026 · 35:20
On the surface, the star of one of the most popular television series of the 1960s was a squeaky-clean symbol of America’s innocence. But Hogan’s Heroes’ Bob…
Jun 26, 2026 · 39:00
This week in the Screening Room we’re talking about rising stars, falling stars, self-destruction, Sam Elliott impressions, and the 2018 film ‘A Star Is Born.’…
Jun 24, 2026 · 57:26
In this week’s Wrap Party, Zeth is taking a close look at the brazen robbery of Judy Garland’s iconic ruby red slippers from ‘The Wizard of Oz.’ Later,…
Jun 22, 2026 · 36:34
With a few clicks of their ruby slippers, MGM made 16-year-old Judy Garland a box office giant, but their strict rules nearly killed the budding starlet in the process. The…
Jun 19, 2026 · 38:55
This week in the Screening Room we’re talking about mariachis, coups d’etat, double crosses and backstabbings, and the 2003 Robert Rodriguez film ‘Once Upon a…
Jun 17, 2026 · 56:11
This week, we’re talking about ex-cons becoming actors, and Zeth ranks his Top 5 Lives of True Crime Which Later Metamorphosed into Lives on the Silver Screen™.…
Jun 15, 2026 · 31:29
Danny Trejo holds the record for most on-screen deaths by an actor. His go-to role is the bad guy – the baddest guy. The guy you do not mess with. And for the first 25…
Jun 12, 2026 · 37:17
This week in the Screening Room we’re talking about factory lines, automobiles, unions, blackmail, Dizzy Gillespie for President, and the 1978 film ‘Blue…
Jun 10, 2026 · 59:24
We’re gonna need a sh*tload of dimes cuz Zeth is talking about the 1974 film ‘Blazing Saddles,’ why it endures 52 years later, and its recent appearance at the…
Jun 8, 2026 · 31:31
Richard Pryor was one of the funniest people who ever lived. He elevated stand-up comedy to an art form. But the real life that informed his stand-up – a life of pool…
Jun 5, 2026 · 39:49
This week we’re talking waterbeds, pinball machines, hot dog stands, full desert sleds out on the eighth hole by the sand trap, and Paul Thomas Anderson’s 2021 film…
Jun 3, 2026 · 53:12
On this week’s Wrap Party, Zeth is talking about the Hollywood Blacklist, the Hollywood Ten, Dalton Trumbo, and Lucille Ball. Later, inspired by the recent success of the…
Jun 1, 2026 · 36:27
Lucille Ball might have been a natural boundary-pusher, but America's top TV comedienne had some ‘splaining to do when a damning news broadcast unveiled her former ties to…
May 29, 2026 · 37:19
This week we’re talking gossip and rumors, priests and mechanics, the end of the world, and Hal Hartley’s 1989 film ‘The Unbelievable Truth.’ Plus we make…
May 27, 2026 · 45:02
On this week’s Wrap Party, spurred on by Netflix’s recent announcement, Zeth is talking about the upcoming epic confluence of crime film directors Quentin Tarantino…
May 25, 2026 · 33:05
Adrienne Shelly was an actress, writer, and director whose star was rising when her lifeless body was found in a New York apartment. While the police were eager to rule the death…
May 22, 2026 · 39:59
This week we’re talking Texas penitentiaries, double crosses, slow-motion violence, Ali MacGraw, and Bloody Sam as we dig into Sam Peckinpah’s 1972 film ‘The…
May 20, 2026 · 1:02:26
On this week’s Wrap Party, Zeth is talking about Steve McQueen and Charles Manson, and about the letter McQueen sent his attorney while Manson’s crew were on trial.…
May 18, 2026 · 35:05
Hustling on the streets of New York. Wagering with a U.S. president over who could sleep with more women. Knocking back beers with Elvis. Waving his gun around at the funeral of…
May 15, 2026 · 38:15
This week we’re talking horse tracks, crooked cops, femme fatales, and an ex-con with a plan to make a killing as Zeth looks back at the 1956 Stanley Kubrick film…
May 13, 2026 · 57:41
On this week’s Wrap Party, Zeth is talking all about heist films – including his list of some of the most underrated from movie history. Later, Jake Brennan joins to…
May 11, 2026 · 33:17
In the early 2010s, a group of burglars ransacked Hollywood homes like the city was their personal shopping mall. No celebrity was safe from their sticky fingers: Not Lindsay…
May 8, 2026 · 34:48
This week it’s all about stolen Porsches, chop-shop garages, undercover cops, and a yuppie Charlie Sheen as Zeth looks back at the 1987 crime drama ‘No Man’s…
May 6, 2026 · 1:01:17
On this week’s Wrap Party, Zeth and Jake are talking about great music and movies made by or about the self-destructive and self-sabotaging. Plus your voicemails, DMs,…
May 4, 2026 · 34:32
Not one but two of Charlie Sheen’s Mercedes were found crashed into a ravine off Mulholland Drive on separate occasions. By that point, he was working on running his career…
May 1, 2026 · 40:13
Let’s get crazy about ‘90s-era B-movies, exploitation films, and French New Wave director Jean-Luc Godard’s theory that to make a great movie, “all you…
Apr 29, 2026 · 57:53
On this week’s Wrap Party, Zeth and Jake discuss why they think we need a new term for “nepo baby” – and then they talk about great performances by…
Apr 27, 2026 · 35:38
Drew Barrymore spent her childhood charming audiences on movie screens and cramming cocaine up her nose at the most exclusive clubs in the country. Her breakout role as Gertie in…
Apr 24, 2026 · 42:28
This week in the Screening Room, Zeth is talking with Double Elvis’ Head of Production, Matt Beaudoin, about Ridley Scott’s 1979 masterpiece Alien, starring Sigourney…
Apr 22, 2026 · 55:32
On this week’s Wrap Party, Zeth is making lots of Top 5 lists and wondering: what are your movie-themed Top 5’s? Plus, Zeth and Jake recommend some great songs named…
Apr 20, 2026 · 32:29
In classic ‘80s films like Ghostbusters and Aliens , Sigourney Weaver battled beasts and demons. But to one particular inmate on death row in Georgia, Sigourney Weaver…
Apr 17, 2026 · 42:04
Grab your proton pack and join Zeth to talk all about the 1984 film ‘Ghostbusters’ and how it is the perfect fodder for anti-authoritarians and DIY’ers alike.…
Apr 15, 2026 · 50:52
On this week’s Wrap Party, Zeth is talking about the avatar for smartass anti-authority figures, Bill Murray, as well as the real reason behind the conspiracy theory that…
Apr 13, 2026 · 33:41
Before Bill Murray was busting ghosts and living in a loop of deja vu, he was a drug-dealing premed student with a knack for comedy. When he was caught with five bricks of pot at…
Apr 10, 2026 · 42:33
This week in the Screening Room, Zeth is talking about fantasy vs. reality, dreamstates, telekinesis, the history of long takes a/k/a “oners,” and the 2014 film…
Apr 8, 2026 · 54:04
On this week’s Wrap Party, Zeth is talking about the stigma of the superhero movie and why some actors put on capes and tights while others ward them off like a bad omen.…
Apr 6, 2026 · 34:36
Superman may be more powerful than a locomotive, but George Reeves, the actor who famously portrayed the Man of Steel on TV in the 1950s, was very much a mortal man. Did George…
Apr 3, 2026 · 41:45
This week in the Screening Room, Zeth is talking about ‘90s-era scuzz and sleaze, pre-MCU comic book movie adaptations, and why the 1994 film ‘The Crow’ reminds…
Apr 1, 2026 · 52:59
On this week’s Wrap Party, Zeth reacts to the news that an AI version of Val Kilmer will “star” in an upcoming film, and looks back on Brandon Lee on the 33rd…
Mar 30, 2026 · 32:32
Haunted by the legacy of his superstar father. Haunted by an old family curse. Brandon Lee tried to outrun his past, but it came after him all the same. It was said that his…
Mar 27, 2026 · 39:04
This week in the Screening Room, Zeth gets to the bottom of why Alfred Hitchcock pulled one of his most beloved films, Vertigo , from theaters and didn’t allow it to be seen for…
Mar 25, 2026 · 42:33
On this week’s Wrap Party, Zeth is talking about the master of suspense and the template for the contemporary director, Alfred Hitchcock. Plus, your voicemails, texts, and emails…
Mar 23, 2026 · 36:19
Alfred Hitchcock grew up on murder. He was the OG crime junkie; obsessed with true stories of stranglers, bodysnatchers, necrophiliacs, and serial killers. He was also afraid –…
Mar 20, 2026 · 35:14
This week in the Screening Room, Zeth is talking about how Dennis Hopper took control of an ill-fated film production in Canada, rewrote a screenplay over a weekend, and created…
Mar 18, 2026 · 47:52
On this week’s Wrap Party, Zeth is talking about Dennis Hopper’s place in the pantheon of greatest uncompromising risk takers of Hollywood history. Plus, your voicemails, texts,…
Mar 16, 2026 · 37:43
Dennis Hopper revolutionized American cinema by bringing the counterculture to the mainstream with his 1969 film Easy Rider. But he also lived his life in tandem with his art, on…
Mar 13, 2026 · 38:37
This week in the Screening Room, Zeth is talking about the trials and tribulations behind the making of ‘Chinatown,’ the 1974 film directed by Roman Polanski and starring Jack…
Mar 11, 2026 · 46:57
On this week’s Wrap Party, Zeth reveals the results of our recent Academy Awards poll, and asks the question: why do we care about the Oscars, anyway? Plus, your emails, calls,…
Mar 9, 2026 · 33:53
Director John Huston lived the adventurous life that was frequently depicted in his movies. As a young man, he was made an honorary lieutenant in the Mexican army. He was nearly…
Mar 6, 2026 · 39:40
This week in the Screening Room, Zeth is talking about the 2013 film ‘Prisoners,’ directed by Denis Villeneuve and starring Hugh Jackman and Jake Gyllenhaal. Become an All Access…
Mar 4, 2026 · 38:38
On this week’s Wrap Party, Zeth is talking about the conspiracy theories online that an imposter accepted Jim Carrey’s Cesar Award in Paris, as well as the revelatory new film…
Mar 2, 2026 · 37:21
Before Patty Hearst appeared as an actress in John Waters' movies, she captivated America on the silver screen as a hostage terrorized by the Symbionese Liberation Army. When the…
Feb 27, 2026 · 32:53
This week in the Screening Room, Zeth’s talking about Sam Raimi and the directors who returned to their indie/DIY/genre roots after doing time in the Hollywood system. Also:…
Feb 25, 2026 · 43:20
On this week’s Wrap Party, Zeth is talking about the 1961 film ‘The Misfits,’ which was both cursed and ahead of its time. He’s also talking about books by Chris Whitaker and…
Feb 23, 2026 · 36:43
Glenn Danzig named his punk band after one of the most cursed Hollywood films of all time. The Misfits was where actor Montgomery Clift, permanently disfigured from a car…
Feb 20, 2026 · 36:49
This week in the Screening Room, Zeth’s got the sins of the father on his mind – as well as Christopher Walken’s incredible mustache. Take a trip back to 1986 as we look at one…
Feb 18, 2026 · 38:13
On this week’s Wrap Party, Zeth is reflecting on the legacies of Robert Duvall and Frederick Wiseman, as well as breaking down Sean Penn’s stiff walk in ‘One Battle After…
Feb 16, 2026 · 35:35
In the summer of 1985, Sean Penn’s marriage to preeminent material girl Madonna was an epochal moment for ‘80s-era Hollywood. The bad boy from Bad Boys and the boy-toy pop…
Feb 13, 2026 · 35:05
Did you hear that? Are we being watched? Join Zeth as he gets out his flashlight and explores the dark corners of film history, specifically the paranoia of the 1970s and how…
Feb 11, 2026 · 39:19
On this week’s Wrap Party, Zeth is talking about how paranoia at the movies isn’t confined to the 1970s – it’s here to stay, and it was even in a trailer during the Super Bowl.…
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