In 1935, Merle Oberon became the first biracial actress to be nominated for a Best Actress Oscar, an incredible achievement in then-segregated Hollywood -- except that nobody in Hollywood knew Oberon was biracial. Born in Bombay into abject poverty in 1911, Oberon's fate seemed sealed in her racist colonial society. But a series of events, lies, men and an obsession with controlling her own image -- even if it meant bleaching her own skin -- changed Oberon's path forever.
This episode was written and performed by Halley Bondy, a writer and journalist whose work has appeared on NBC, The Outline, Eater NY, Paste Magazine, Scary Mommy, Bustle, Vice and more. She's an author of five young adult books plus a handful of plays and is a writer / producer for the podcast "Masters of Scale." She lives in Brooklyn with husband / cheerleader Tim and her amazing toddler Robin.
Thelma & Louise (Erotic 90’s, Part 4)
Introducing This Little Light with Flea
“The actress everybody wants to fuck”: Theresa Russell and Sondra Locke (Erotic 90’s, Part 3)
Pretty Woman, Sleeping with the Enemy and Julia Roberts in the early 90s (Erotic 90’s, Part 2)
Prologue: Porn, Feminism & the folly of NC-17 (Erotic 90’s, Part 1)
1989: sex, lies and videotape: Rob Lowe and James Spader (Erotic 80s Part 12)
1988: Kevin Costner, Sean Young, No Way Out & Bull Durham (Erotic 80s Part 11)
1987: Fatal Attraction and Dirty Dancing (Erotic 80s Part 10)
1986: 9 ½ Weeks, Mickey Rourke & Zalman King (Erotic 80s Part 9)
1985: Fear Sex. Jagged Edge & AIDS (Erotic 80s Part 8)
1984: "Vioporn," Body Double and Crimes of Passion (Erotic 80s Part 7)
1983: MTV Aesthetics, Flashdance and Risky Business (Erotic 80s Part 6)
1982: Teen Sexploitation, Fast Times at Ridgemont High, Porky's and The Blue Lagoon (Erotic 80s Part 5)
1981: Neonoir, Body Heat and Postman Always Rings Twice (Erotic 80s Part 4)
1980: Richard Gere and American Gigolo (Erotic 80s Part 3)
1979: Bo Derek and 10 (Erotic 80s Part 2)
Porno Chic and The Brief Heyday of X Ratings (Erotic 80s Part 1)
Sammy and Dino Episode 9: Is That All There Is?
Sammy and Dino Episode 8: Generation Gap
Sammy and Dino Episode 7: Yes I Can
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