HOLLYWOODLAND - podcast cover

HOLLYWOODLAND

The mysterious death of Brittany Murphy. David Lynch and the real-life brutal murder that inspired Twin Peaks. Steve McQueen’s brush with Charles Manson. The three conspiracies surrounding Marilyn Monroe’s death. The indecent arrest of John Waters. Dennis Hopper’s easy riding and excessive 70s Hollywood. Woody Harrelson’s Dad’s connection to the JFK assassination. The obsessive murder of Dorothy Stratten. Bill Murray’s bust. Chris Farley burning out too soon. Al Pacino’s armed robbery. The serial killer and Gianni Versace. Heath Ledger’s overdose. If it’s a story that meets up at the corner of Hollywood and True Crime, then it’s an episode of HOLLYWOODLAND, the show that explores the lives of our most celebrated actors and actresses through the true crimes that have most impacted them. Hosted and produced by award winning podcaster Jake Brennan, creator of DISGRACELAND, HOLLYWOODLAND is the first true spin-off of DISGRACELAND and is produced similarly with edge-of-your-seat storytelling and gripping, immersive sound design by the folks at Double Elvis. Episodes are roughly 30 minutes long and released every Monday.
Last refreshed:
Follow this podcast in the Metacast mobile app to refresh it and see new episodes.
Download Metacast podcast app
Podcasts are better in Metacast mobile app
Don't just listen to podcasts. Learn from them with transcripts, summaries, and chapters for every episode. Skim, search, and bookmark insights. Learn more

Episodes

Bonus Episode - RIP Michael Madsen, Written out of Hollywood History, and the Greatest Movie Soundtracks

This week in the Wrap Party, Zeth and Jake are talking about the great Michael Madsen, who recently passed away at the age of 67, as well as debating what is the greatest movie soundtrack of all time, and their music and movie recommendations inspired by this week's full episode subject, Sharon Stone. Next week, get ready for our episode on Marlon Brando. In the meantime, Zeth and Jake want to hear from you. What's your favorite movie soundtrack of all time? Join the party and give us your recs ...

Jul 09, 202553 minEp. 53

Sharon Stone: Basic Instincts, Baring It All, and the Butcher of Montreal

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 display in Basic Instinct. Her performance in that film was so vivid that it inspired stalkers to track her down. It may have even served as the inspiration for one fan to commit murder, cannibalism, and necrophilia. This episode contains themes that may be disturbing to some listeners, including graphic depictions of violenc...

Jul 07, 202543 minEp. 55

Bonus Episode - Separating the Art from the Artist, Heist Movies, and Directors in Exile

This week in the Wrap Party, Zeth and Jake are talking about Roman Polanski and separating the art from the artist, handing out fresh music and movie recommendations, and responding to your voicemails, texts, emails, and DMs. Next week, get ready for our episode on Jane Fonda. In the meantime, Zeth and Jake want to hear from you. What are you watching and listening to? What did you think of the Roman Polanski episode? Join the party and give us your recs and reviews! Call or text (617) 906-6638,...

Jul 02, 202552 minEp. 54

Roman Polanski: Nazis, Murder, and Life on the Lam

As a child, Roman Polanski escaped from a Krakow ghetto on the day the Nazis took his father to a concentration camp. As a new filmmaker, he became the toast of young Hollywood with his 1968 horror masterpiece, Rosemary’s Baby. But after the brutal murder of his wife, Sharon Tate, at the hands of the Manson family, Polanski unraveled. He wound up committing a heinous crime that led him to escape yet again – this time fleeing the country when an angry judge was ready to throw the book at him. Thi...

Jun 30, 202542 minEp. 54

Bonus Episode - Gnarly L.A. Stories, Gnarly L.A. Gangsters, Porn Stars, and Washed-Up Protagonists

This week in the Wrap Party, Zeth and Jake are talking about John Holmes, Boogie Nights, commercials from the ‘80s and ‘90s, Gen X, the difference between Eddie and the Hot Rods and Eddie and the Cruisers, summer playlists, and washed-up protagonists. Next week, get ready for our episode on Roman Polanski. In the meantime, Zeth and Jake want to hear from you. What are you watching and listening to? What did you think of the John Holmes/Wonderland Murders episode? Join the party and give us your ...

Jun 25, 202546 minEp. 53

John Holmes: Big Units, Freebase Briefcases, Four on the Floor, and the Wonderland Murders

John Holmes unexpectedly found fame in the 1970s with a freakishly large appendage that proved a gateway into the burgeoning adult entertainment industry. He appeared in over 2,000 porn films and is alleged to have slept with over 14,000 women. But a severe drug habit put him in close contact with some strange bedfellows in the Los Angeles underworld, including a ragtag gang of junkies and dealers, and Eddie Nash, a dangerous criminal mastermind. Drugs, desperation, and double-crossing would eve...

Jun 23, 202541 minEp. 53

Bonus Episode - Immortality and Invincibility at the Movies, and Posthumous Performances

On this week in the Wrap Party, Zeth and Jake are talking about becoming immortal on the big screen, discussing music and movie recommendations inspired by the late, great Bruce Lee, and responding to your messages about everything from Will Smith to David Lynch. Next week, get ready for our episode on porn star John Holmes and the infamous Wonderland Murders. In the meantime, Zeth and Jake want to hear from you. What are you watching and listening to? What did you think of the Bruce Lee episode...

Jun 18, 202548 minEp. 52

Bruce Lee: Fists of Fury, the Death Touch, Murder Suspect #1, and Hollywood’s Ultimate Outsider

Bruce Lee got into so much trouble as a kid in Hong Kong that his parents banished him to the place of his birth: America. There he found all kinds of new trouble to get into. He upset kung fu traditionalists with his revolutionary style of fighting. He challenged long-held perceptions in racist Hollywood. He was an outsider determined to change the system the hard way – but did bringing about change cost Bruce Lee his life? To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: http...

Jun 16, 202544 minEp. 52

Bonus Episode – Triple Threats, Mobbed Up Producers, and Post Prison Movies

On this week in the Wrap Party, Zeth and Jake are talking about entertainers who simultaneously dominate the small screen, the big screen, and the airwaves, as well as responding to your messages about everything from Jack Nicholson’s wild Hollywood nights to how one big studio head may or may not have had mob ties. Next week, get ready for our episode on Bruce Lee. In the meantime, Zeth and Jake want to hear from you. What are you watching and listening to? What did you think of the John Belush...

Jun 11, 202542 minEp. 51

John Belushi: Punk Rock Riots, Chicago Street Brawls, and Missions from God

John Belushi may have been one of the funniest comedians of his generation, but he wasn’t just a funny guy. He was a rock star. He partied with the Stones, fronted a world-class band of R&B legends, and was responsible for a punk rock riot in Rockefeller Center. He drew the ire of street gangs in Chicago, attempted to steal a boat with his blues brother, and performed one of his final episodes of Saturday Night Live on death’s door. Everything was heightened. The stakes. The laughs. The sens...

Jun 09, 202543 minEp. 51

Bonus Episode – Join Us in the Wrap Party

Welcome to the Wrap Party, the weekly bonus episode of the HOLLYWOODLAND podcast hosted by longtime Double Elvis writer and editor Zeth Lundy, along with HOLLYWOODLAND's host, Jake Brennan. This week we're talking about crimes of the century, rock star comedians, and Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle. Next week, get ready for our episode on John Belushi. In the meantime, Zeth and Jake want to hear from you. What are you watching and listening to? What did you think of the Fatty Arbuckle episode? Join the ...

Jun 04, 202546 minEp. 50

Roscoe “Fatty” Arbuckle: Underground Brothels, Hush Money, Bootlegged Booze, and the Making of Hollywood’s Greatest Scandal

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 accused of a murderous sex crime so depraved that it turned the nation not only against him but against Hollywood itself. It led to the trial of the century, and a test of whether America’s elite veil of privilege could be pierced by the long arm of justice. The tide of public opinion that followed was so strong that it made Hollywoo...

Jun 02, 202548 minEp. 50

Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson: A Teenage Jewel Thief, a Heel Turn Betrayal, and Raising the People’s Eyebrow

Long before he raised the People’s Eyebrow, dropped the People’s Elbow, and laid the smackdown on the candyass world of Hollywood, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson ran a jewelry theft ring in Waikiki. He and his peers worked the posh shopping district, snatching and grabbing whatever they could get their hands on and then pawning their haul for cold, hard cash. As a result, he was arrested nearly ten times before he turned 17 years old. But perhaps the only thing more insane than that story is the tale...

May 26, 202540 minEp. 49

Jack Nicholson: Hidden Drugs, Road Rage, and a Shocking Crime

In some of Hollywood’s best-loved movies, Jack Nicholson played jokers, sailors, inmates – even the Devil himself. But he never played by the rules. He allegedly mooned a crowd of thousands at a basketball game. His bedroom kinks were laid bare in the papers. He fought the MPAA and the LAPD. And in 1994, he attempted to establish his own set of rules when he attacked an idling Mercedes-Benz with a two-iron. This episode contains themes that may be disturbing to some listeners, including sexual a...

May 19, 202544 minEp. 48

Will Smith: Fist Fights, Jail Cells, and the Slap Heard Round the World

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 left one man nearly blind. It almost ended his career just as things were getting started. But Will Smith overcame this challenge, and so many others, to become one of the most successful actors in Hollywood. That is, until decades later, at the 2022 Academy Awards ceremony, when trouble once again bubbled to the surfac...

May 12, 202540 minEp. 47

Tim Allen: Cocaine in Kalamazoo, Life in Prison, and Flipping for the Feds

Before he was headed to infinity and beyond, Tim Allen was headed to life in prison for a low-level drug deal in Michigan. This is the story about how his first career ended in a life-changing bust, and what he had to do in order to survive and find a way out. This episode contains themes that may be disturbing to some listeners, including discussions about suicide. If you’re thinking about suicide or are worried about a friend or loved one, call the Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-8255. ...

May 05, 202543 minEp. 46

Presenting You Must Remember This: Frank Capra

Today we’re bringing you an incredible episode from You Must Remember This about director Frank Capra. The director of It’s a Wonderful Life, who won five Oscars in the 1930s for films that embodied the pre-World War II notion of American exceptionalism, was pushed into semi-retirement by the early 50s by changes in tastes and political priorities. Capra was brought back to the Hollywood director’s chair by Frank Sinatra in the 1960s, but quickly became embittered by an industry that he felt had...

May 02, 20251 hr 25 min

Phil Hartman: Blackmail, an Attempted Presidential Assassination, and a Murder-Suicide

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 covers for the bands Poco and America, as well as the logo for Crosby, Stills & Nash. He did those things as a card-carrying member of the peace and love movement. A movement that was infamously disrupted by the Manson family, a ragtag group of hippies gone evil that just so happened to include one of his former friends from high schoo...

Apr 28, 202545 minEp. 45

Robin Williams: A Manic Mind at Breakneck Speed, an Addiction to Laughter, and the Devil’s Dandruff

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 addiction, however, wasn’t cocaine. He was addicted to the dopamine rush of being on a stage, where he could let his mind run wild with free association, and be rewarded with uproarious laughter. He was addicted to proving himself as a dramatic actor, even if that meant attempting to trigger his own mental breakdown by running in pl...

Apr 21, 202544 minEp. 44

Sharon Tate Pt 2: Rape, Drugs, and Murdering New Hollywood

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 home on Cielo Drive put her at the center of a counter-narrative that explosively disrupts the supposed motive for the Manson family murders. Was Sharon Tate blissfully ignorant of the darkness that had been bubbling beneath Hollywood’s shiny veneer for years? Or is there more to this story than we’ve been told in the past? This...

Apr 14, 202541 minEp. 43

Sharon Tate Pt 1: Wild Parties and Dangerous Company

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 despite the ease with which she was made a sex symbol, she aspired to be respected as a serious actress. Decades later, however, she is perhaps best-remembered as one of the victims found brutally murdered at her Cielo Drive home, the one she shared with her husband, director Roman Polanski. Sharon and Roman welcomed re...

Apr 14, 202545 minEp. 42

David Lynch: A Brutal Murder, a Corrupt Small Town, and the Secret Origins of Twin Peaks

In 1908, a girl was brutally murdered in a small town in upstate New York. The town was seemingly idyllic, but beneath the surface, it was crawling with prostitution, orgies, deceit, and corruption. It was fueled by a political machine so powerful it could cover up not just one but multiple murders. The truth behind the murder of Hazel Drew was meant to remain unsolvable. Just like the television show it inspired over 80 years later. This episode contains themes that may be disturbing to some li...

Apr 07, 202543 minEp. 39

John Waters: Subversion, Shock, and the Ultimate Outsider

The films of John Waters were so nasty, so shocking ,and so subversive that shock author William Burroughs called him "The Pope of Trash." But from his beginnings in X-rated art films to cult classics like Hairspray and Crybaby, John Waters created and cultivated his own peculiar niche in film while nurturing the unique company of players who became a family of outcasts. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about y...

Mar 31, 202542 minEp. 38

Introducing: HOLLYWOODLAND…

…the Hollywood and true crime spinoff from the award winning music and true crime podcast, DISGRACELAND, and the newest expansion from the folks at Double Elvis. The most dramatic non-fiction stories ever heard come from the world of entertainment. Specifically the dark side of entertainment. The true crime stories from Hollywood; the mysterious death of Brittany Murphy. The vicious, real-life murder that inspired David Lynch’s Twin Peaks. The three conspiracies surrounding Marilyn Monroe’s deat...

Mar 24, 20252 min

James Dean: A Death Foretold, a Gruesome Publicity Stunt, and a Haunted Car

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 patron saint. Professional illusionists swore they could resurrect his body. Rumors that Dean survived the deadly crash were spurred on, and in some cases planted, by a film studio with a financial stake in keeping his memory alive. The car that killed him had a grisly afterlife of its own, taking two more lives before m...

Mar 17, 202539 minEp. 39

Charlie Sheen: Tiger Blood, Porn Stars, and the High-Priest Vatican Assassin Warlock

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 off the road for a second or third time, in a haze of alcohol, cocaine, $30,000 one-night stands, awkward dinner dates with porn stars and his ex-wife, livestream rants, LAPD house raids, and a triumphant ascent to a Beverly Hills rooftop with a machete and a bottle of red liquid labeled “Tiger Blood.” And that’s only part of...

Mar 17, 202541 minEp. 38

Danny Trejo: A Prison Riot, the Gas Chamber, and Becoming Fear

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 years of his life, he was that guy for real. He led a life of violence and drugs that landed him in just about every hardcore prison in California, including Folsom and San Quentin. On the inside, he ran the gym, the drugs, and protection rackets. And then one day, the tables turned and Danny Trejo was the one who needed protectio...

Mar 17, 202538 minEp. 37

Drew Barrymore: Curses, Corpses, and a Coked-Up Child Star in the Club

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 E.T.: The Extraterrestrial rocketed her to such far-reaching fame that she became a regular at Studio 54 when she was only 7 years old. Her early taste for unchaperoned nightlife would lure her into other exceptionally adult addictions, nearly extinguishing her flourishing film career before Drew reached high school. As...

Mar 17, 202542 minEp. 36

Sean Penn: A Prison Escape, The Night Stalker, and Madonna’s True Blue Bad Boy

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 superstar blissfully brought together the worlds of movies and music on a Malibu bluff overlooking the Pacific. But their subsequent attempt to make a movie together was anything but blissful. A wild film shoot in China would lead to even wilder things, like the time Sean dangled a photographer upside-down from a ninth-story b...

Mar 17, 202541 minEp. 35

Patty Hearst: Brainwashing, Cyanide Bullets, and an Heiress-Turned-Terrorist

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 newspaper heiress was kidnapped by the radical organization in 1974, the country sympathized with her plight. But after just a few months, the SLA’s guns weren’t pointing at Patty anymore. Suddenly, Patty was firing her own weapons during fistfights and bank robberies as a member of the same terrorist group that once ke...

Mar 17, 202543 minEp. 34
For the best experience, listen in Metacast app for iOS or Android