At the age of 18, actress Molly O’Day’s career showed great promise — the only thing holding her back was a bit of pubescent pudge. When diets failed, she became the guinea pig of Hollywood's first highly-publicized weight loss surgery. This was in 1929, and the procedure was, as one fan magazine described it "dangerous... and all in vain." What lead Molly to such desperation? And what happened after the surgery to make her former lover, actor George Raft, declare it “ruined her health, her career and damn near killed her?"
Women of the 80’s (Polly Platt, The Invisible Woman, Episode 8)
Terms of Endearment (Polly Platt, The Invisible Woman, Episode 7)
Pretty Baby and a Playmate Murder (Polly Platt, The Invisible Woman, Episode 6)
A Star is Born (Polly Platt, The Invisible Woman, Episode 5)
Orson Welles, What’s Up Doc, Paper Moon (Polly Platt, The Invisible Woman, Episode 4)
Last Picture Show Love Triangle (Polly Platt, The Invisible Woman, Episode 3)
Peter Bogdanovich and the Woman Behind the Auteur (Polly Platt, The Invisible Woman, Episode 2)
“It wasn’t sexism, then” (Polly Platt, The Invisible Woman, Episode 1)
Sneak Peek: Polly Platt, The Invisible Woman, Episode 1
Season Trailer: Polly Platt, The Invisible Woman
159: Vanessa Williams, Whitney Houston and Hollywood’s Misogynoir Problem (Make Me Over, Episode 8)
158: The Hemingway Curse? Mariel and Margaux (Make Me Over, Episode 7)
157: Cass Elliot, Carnie Wilson and Fat-Shaming in Rock and Pop (Make Me Over, Episode 6)
156: Esther Williams and the Birth of Waterproof Makeup (Make Me Over, Episode 5)
155: Passing for White: Merle Oberon (Make Me Over, Episode 4)
154: Marie Dressler, the First Female Star to Conquer Hollywood’s Ageism (Make Me Over, Episode 3)
153: Hollywood’s First Weight Loss Guru: Madame Sylvia (Make Me Over, Episode 2)
Sneak Peek: Make Me Over
151: Splash Mountain (Six Degrees of Song of the South, Episode 6)
Create your
podcast in
minutes
It is Free
Cinema: A to B
I Finally Watched...
Star Wars Escape Pod
Pod Meets World
Pop Culture Happy Hour