“BIG STAR, SMALL SCREEN - A CONVERSATION WITH FRONT ROW CLASSICS’ BRANDON DAVIS” - 11/10/25 (113)
From Beneath the Hollywood Sign
Audio is streamed directly from the publisher (tracking.swap.fm) as published in their RSS feed. Play Podcasts does not host this file. Rights-holders can request removal through the copyright & takedown page.
Show Notes
EPISODE 113 - “BIG STAR, SMALL SCREEN - A CONVERSATION WITH FRONT ROW CLASSICS’ BRANDON DAVIS” - 11/10/25
In the early days of television, many classic film actors were hesitant—or even outright refused—to appear on TV for a multitude of reasons. Many thought that TV was low-brow. Others thought they would get overexposed and it would somehow diminish their box-office power. Slowly stars like LORETTA YOUNG, BARBARA STANWYCK, ROBERT MONTGOMERY, and LUCILLE BALL figured out that TV could enhance and elongate their popularity and appeal. Slowly, classic stars began to pop up on the boob-tube. Joining us this week is BRANDON DAVIS, host extraordinaire of the fantastic podcast Front Row Classics, who will discuss the migration of classic film stars to the small screen and how it affected their popularity and careers. You haven’t lived until you’ve seen IDA LUPINO doing her best “Norma Desmond” on an episode of “Charlie’s Angels” in 1977.
SHOW NOTES:
Sources:
Columbo: The Series (2017), by Scott V. Palmer;
Wagon Train: The Television Series (2011), by James Rosin;
I Love Lucy: The Complete Picture History of the Most Popular TV Show Ever (1998), by Michael McClay;
Perry Mason TV Show Book (1987), by Brian Kelleher and Diana Merrill;
Wikipedia.com;
TCM.com;
IBDB.com;
IMDBPro.com;
TV Series Mentioned:
I Love Lucy
The Lucy Show
The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour
Here’s Lucy
The Barbara Stanwyck Show
Dr. Kildare
Gunsmoke
Perry Mason
Route 66
Wagon Train
The Big Valley
Batman
Petticoat Junction
The Brady Bunch
The Carol Burnett Show
Columbo
Murder She Wrote
The Love Boat
Fantasy Island
Hotel
Falcon Crest
Charlie’s Angels
The Colbys
---------------------------------
Please contact [email protected] if you would like to advertise on our podcast.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices