The 14 Best Old Hollywood Podcasts (2026)

Karina Longworth has been telling the stories Hollywood tried to bury since 2014, and she does it better than just about anyone. Each season of You Must Remember This picks a theme — the Hollywood blacklist, the romantic entanglements of Howard Hughes, Joan Crawford's complicated legacy — and builds out meticulously researched narrative episodes that read more like audio documentaries than typical podcast fare. Longworth writes, narrates, records, and edits every episode herself, which gives the whole thing a consistent voice that feels deeply personal even when covering larger-than-life subjects. With 275 episodes across 20 seasons and a 4.6-star rating from over 14,000 reviewers, this is the show that most classic film podcasts get measured against. The production quality is genuinely impressive — thoughtful sound design, careful pacing, no filler. Recent episodes have tackled Frank Capra's final years in Hollywood and Fritz Lang's late-career struggles, plus flashback episodes revisiting The African Queen and Peter Bogdanovich's complicated personal history. The show has also spawned a companion series, You Must Remember Manson, focused specifically on the Manson Family's Hollywood connections. If you only listen to one old Hollywood podcast, this is probably the one. Fair warning though: once you start a season, you will absolutely binge the whole thing. The storytelling is that compelling.

Turner Classic Movies brought their A-game with The Plot Thickens, hosted by the ever-charming Ben Mankiewicz. The format is serialized seasons — six so far — each one zeroing in on a single subject from Hollywood history and giving it the full investigative treatment. The most recent season tells the bonkers story behind the 1963 Cleopatra production: Elizabeth Taylor's medical emergencies, the Taylor-Burton affair that scandalized the world, and budget overruns that nearly bankrupted 20th Century Fox. Mankiewicz brings real hosting chops to every episode. He knows exactly when to let a wild anecdote breathe and when to push the narrative forward, and his genuine affection for these stories comes through clearly. Each episode runs about 45-55 minutes, which is the sweet spot for serialized storytelling. With 71 episodes total, a 4.7-star rating, and over 5,300 reviews on Apple Podcasts, this is TCM at its finest — combining genuine archival research with the warmth of someone who clearly loves these films. Previous seasons have covered other major Hollywood stories with equal depth, so there is a rich back catalog to explore once you finish the latest season. It feels like watching a great documentary, except you can enjoy it on your commute or while doing dishes.

Adam Roche is not messing around. The Secret History of Hollywood produces episodes that regularly clock in at three to four hours each, and they are dense with research, archival audio, and narrative ambition that puts most film documentaries to shame. The show has been running since 2015, building out multi-part series on subjects like Cary Grant and The Thin Man films with a level of detail that borders on obsessive — in the best possible way. With only 21 publicly available episodes (because each one is practically a feature film in itself), Roche packs more substance into a single installment than most podcasts manage in an entire season. The most recent public series, THIN, explores the detective genre's roots in Hollywood with characteristic thoroughness. The 4.7-star rating from over 1,000 reviews reflects a devoted audience that appreciates the craft here. Full archives are available through Patreon, where Roche has built out 12 complete documentary series along with bonus commentaries and supplementary material. This is not casual listening — it demands your attention and rewards patience. You will come away knowing more about the people who built the studio system than you ever expected. Start with any series and clear your entire afternoon.

Steve Cubine and actress-writer Nan McNamara have carved out a really satisfying niche with From Beneath the Hollywood Sign. Each week they pick a topic from Hollywood's golden era — the Westmore makeup dynasty, Earl Carroll's scandalous Vanities shows, Hollywood actresses who dated mobsters — and bring genuine enthusiasm plus solid research to the conversation. The show has earned a remarkable 4.9-star rating from 258 reviews, which speaks volumes about how much listeners connect with the hosts' chemistry. With 128 episodes and counting, they release weekly through the Airwave Media network and show no signs of running out of material. Recent episodes covered the Committee for the First Amendment during the blacklist era and a profile of Virginia Mayo as their Star of the Month. What sets this apart from other old Hollywood shows is the sheer range of topics — one week it is glamour and fashion, the next it is political blacklisting, then it is a profile of a forgotten makeup artist who transformed every major star of the 1940s. Cubine and McNamara clearly enjoy each other's company, and that warmth comes through in every episode. It feels like sitting in on a conversation between two people who genuinely cannot stop reading about this stuff and want you to share their excitement.

Erin Carlson focuses on what made these people tick before they became legends, and that angle makes Stars of the Golden Age stand out in a crowded field. Rather than just recapping filmographies, she traces the early lives, family backgrounds, and personal choices that shaped icons like Vivien Leigh, Gene Kelly, Dorothy Dandridge, and Butterfly McQueen. Each episode is essentially a biographical portrait that starts long before the fame arrived. With 108 episodes updated weekly and a strong 4.8-star rating, the show has built a loyal following since launching in 2024. Episodes typically run 30-60 minutes — long enough to tell a real story but short enough for a single listen. Recent installments also include fun segments like "Hot Off the Press," where Carlson revisits entertainment news from specific months in the 1950s, which adds a nice variety to the biographical format. The research is solid and the pacing is comfortable. Because the show focuses on individual figures rather than running season-long arcs, you can jump in at any episode that catches your eye. Interested in Gene Kelly? Start there. Curious about Dorothy Dandridge? That episode works perfectly on its own. Carlson clearly does her homework, and she presents it with enough personality that it never feels like a lecture.

Ticklish Business brings together film critic Kristen Lopez and author Emily Edwards for biweekly conversations about classic movies that manage to be both analytically sharp and genuinely fun to listen to. They regularly bring on guests who add real depth — authors like Scott Eyman talking Joan Crawford, filmmaker Frances O'Connor discussing the 1939 Wuthering Heights adaptation — and the interviews feel substantive rather than promotional. With 255 episodes since 2016, a 4.7-star rating from 58 reviews, and video versions available on YouTube, this is one of the more established and well-respected classic film podcasts out there. Episodes run about an hour, which gives enough room for substantive discussion without anyone rambling. The show covers everything from well-known classics to genuinely obscure finds, and the annual "New Discoveries" episodes where they share films they watched for the first time are particularly good. What keeps Ticklish Business fresh after all these years is the interplay between Lopez's critical eye and Edwards' obvious affection for these films. They disagree sometimes, and those moments are often the most interesting and revealing parts of any episode. It is the kind of show where you hear about a movie you thought you knew well and immediately want to rewatch it with completely fresh perspective.

With 350 episodes and counting since 2018, Front Row Classics is one of the most prolific Golden Age podcasts around. Hosted by Brandon with regular appearances from co-host Eric, the show takes an uplifting, celebratory approach to classic Hollywood — these are movies that still speak to people across generations, and the hosts want you to feel that same connection. Recent episodes have featured guests like Kate Luckinbill discussing Desi Arnaz and his lasting influence on television, alongside solo episodes on films like The Last of Sheila and The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance. The semiweekly release schedule means there is always something new waiting in your feed, and the 4.6-star rating from 90 reviews shows consistent quality across a truly massive catalog. Episodes typically run 45-60 minutes, and the conversational tone makes even lesser-known films feel accessible and worth seeking out. The show also brings on authors, film historians, and occasionally family members of classic Hollywood figures as guests, which adds real variety and depth. If you are the kind of person who keeps a running watchlist of classic movies you need to see, this podcast will keep that list growing faster than you can possibly check things off. The enthusiasm is infectious.

The dynamic between Brad Shreve and Tony Maietta is what makes Going Hollywood work so well. Maietta is a proper film historian who can rattle off production details, studio politics, and cultural context with ease, while Shreve brings the enthusiasm of a devoted movie lover who is not afraid to admit when something flies over his head. Together they cover films from the Golden Age through to modern hits, but the classic material is where they really shine. Episodes on The Women (1939), Miranda (1948), and The More the Merrier (1943) show genuine passion for studio-era filmmaking and the social dynamics of the period. The show has 75 episodes since launching in 2024, a 4.8-star rating from 34 reviews, and a weekly release schedule that keeps the content flowing steadily. Each episode runs about an hour, and the format is essentially two friends with complementary knowledge bases arguing about movies. Listeners consistently describe it as feeling like chatting with friends who happen to know a lot about cinema, and that is exactly the vibe the hosts are going for. The occasional creative disagreements between them — Maietta insisting on historical accuracy while Shreve pushes back with a viewer's perspective — keep things from getting too agreeable or predictable.

Gilbert Gottfried was one of the entertainment industry's most devoted classic Hollywood obsessives, and this podcast — co-hosted with Frank Santopadre — became a beloved institution over its extraordinary 1,100-plus episodes. Now running as rewind episodes from the Starburns Audio archive, the show featured interviews with veteran actors, directors, writers, and behind-the-scenes figures who actually lived through Hollywood's golden era. Gottfried's encyclopedic knowledge of old movies and TV surprised a lot of people who only knew him as a comedian with a distinctive voice. He could go toe-to-toe with any film historian on classic Hollywood trivia, and the interviews got remarkably candid because guests clearly trusted and respected him. The 4.8-star rating from nearly 3,900 reviews speaks for itself — this was not a vanity project. Recent rewind episodes have featured conversations with Bill Persky, Drew Friedman, Mike Reiss, Billy West, and Penn Jillette. The tone is funny, warm, occasionally irreverent, and packed with Hollywood stories you simply will not hear anywhere else. Episodes run about an hour and release twice a week, so there is a massive back catalog to work through. This is genuinely one of the best oral history archives of classic entertainment that exists in podcast form, and the rewind format means nothing gets lost.

Kate Westworth keeps things tight and focused with The Lives and Styles of Old Hollywood. Episodes typically run just 15-25 minutes, which makes this the perfect show for when you want a quick biographical sketch of a classic Hollywood figure without committing to a full hour of content. The show started by covering iconic actresses from the Golden Era but has since expanded to include leading men and character actors like Henry Fonda, Lionel Barrymore, Louis Jourdan, George Raft, and Vincent Price in recent episodes. With 150 episodes releasing weekly, the catalog now covers a genuinely broad cross-section of Golden Age talent from major stars to supporting players. The 4.1-star rating from 31 reviews reflects a show that does exactly what it promises — concise biographical profiles delivered in an accessible, straightforward format. Westworth's research covers the key career milestones and personal stories behind each subject, and the shorter runtime means she stays focused on the most interesting and revealing parts of each person's life. It works beautifully as an introduction to figures you might only know by name, or as a companion piece to the longer, more detailed shows in this category. If you spot a classic movie on TV and want a quick backgrounder on the star, this is exactly where to go.

This is the other TCM podcast in this category, and it takes a completely different approach from The Plot Thickens. On Talking Pictures, host Ben Mankiewicz sits down with contemporary actors, directors, and filmmakers — Paul Feig, Charles Barkley, Pamela Adlon, Eli Roth, Paul Scheer — and asks them about the classic films that shaped their creative lives and artistic sensibilities. The "Super 8" segment, where guests reveal deeply personal film memories and the movies that first made them fall in love with cinema, regularly produces genuinely surprising and touching moments you will not forget. With 25 episodes, a 4.8-star rating from 788 reviews, and a conversational long-form interview format, this works beautifully as both a classic film recommendation engine and a fascinating peek into how modern filmmakers relate to cinema history and carry its influence into their own work. Episodes tend to be substantial, running 45-60 minutes each, and Mankiewicz is a skilled enough interviewer to draw out stories that feel completely unrehearsed and spontaneous. The show has had occasional gaps between episodes, which some listeners find frustrating, but the quality of each individual installment is consistently high and worth the wait. Each episode essentially gives you a curated watchlist from someone whose creative taste you can trust and learn from.

Stewart Lee has carved out a niche that almost no one else in podcasting is covering: the silent film era. The Golden Silent Films goes back before talkies, before the studio system fully crystallized, to explore a period of filmmaking that most people only know through a handful of famous names like Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton. The show alternates between detailed breakdowns of specific silent films and full-length biographies of figures like Rudolph Valentino and Barbara La Marr, giving equal weight to the art and the artists. Season 6 is currently dedicated to Valentino's centennial, which gives you a sense of how deep and sustained the research goes on any given subject. With 88 episodes, a 4.8-star rating from 22 reviews, and a bimonthly release schedule, this is clearly a labor of love from someone with genuine expertise. Lee brings on guests like author Sherri Snyder and covers genuinely unexpected angles — a recent episode examined Delaware's silent film history, which is exactly the kind of thing you never knew you wanted to hear about until someone lays it out for you. The show fills a real gap in the podcast world where almost everyone else starts their coverage in the 1930s. If you have ever been curious about pre-Hollywood cinema or the true origins of the movie star, this is where to begin.

Jennifer Passariello bills Vintage Century Idle Hour as a variety show focused on classic films and vintage entertainment, and the format genuinely lives up to that description. Episodes cover individual films like Wuthering Heights (1939), celebrity rivalries like Joan Crawford vs. Norma Shearer, and broader explorations of classic Hollywood culture and the social dynamics of the studio system era. The show currently has 29 episodes with a biweekly release schedule and a perfect 5.0-star rating, albeit from a relatively small number of reviewers who clearly love what Passariello is doing. Episodes run about an hour, giving her plenty of room to combine film analysis with cultural context from the period. She also maintains companion Substack newsletters and a YouTube channel, so the podcast fits into a larger content ecosystem for classic film enthusiasts who want to go deeper. What makes this show particularly appealing is the variety format itself — you never quite know what angle she will take on a given topic. One episode might be a straightforward film discussion, the next might explore a legendary feud between two stars and the studio politics behind it, and the next might examine a broader cultural trend that shaped how movies got made. It keeps things unpredictable and fresh in a genre that can sometimes settle into comfortable routines.

Kathleen Noll and Philip Estrada brought a unique lens to old Hollywood that most other shows miss entirely: costume design, fashion, and the visual artistry of the studio system. Old Hollywood Realness ran for 96 episodes from 2016 to 2020, covering films like Some Like It Hot, Victor/Victoria, Paris is Burning, and Hairspray with particular attention to how costumes, sets, and styling choices shaped both the films themselves and broader fashion culture of the time. The 4.1-star rating from 109 reviews reflects a show with passionate fans who appreciated this specialized focus on craft. Episodes typically ran 60-90 minutes, and both hosts brought genuine expertise in costume and set design to their discussions, often catching details that even dedicated film fans might overlook. The show has concluded and is no longer releasing new episodes, but the full 96-episode archive remains available and holds up remarkably well. If you care about the visual craft side of old Hollywood — the Edith Head dresses, the Adrian gowns, the way lighting and wardrobe told stories that the script sometimes left unsaid — this back catalog is absolutely worth your time. Not many podcasts in this space focus on the design and fashion side with this level of knowledge and genuine enthusiasm for the artisans who worked behind the camera.