Bob Thomas

Born Ruby Stevens, she was orphaned when she was four. A chance audition led to a chorus job. By 17 she was a Ziegfeld Girl. At 20 she earned excellent reviews for a bit part in a Broadway play — and she had a new name: Barbara Stanwyck.

Chronicles the last great American showman, filmmaker William Castle, a master of ballyhoo who became a brand name in movie horror with his outrageous audience participation gimmicks.

Along with his legendary cartoons, Walt Disney produced a marvelous array of live-action classics that came about through the use of his singular style, hard work and an unwavering belief in this vision.

In this documentary on the life of Joan Crawford, we learn why she should be remembered as the great actress she was, and not only as "mommie dearest." caricature she has become. Friends, fellow actors, directors, and others reminisce about their association with her, and numerous film clips show off her talent from her start in silents to bad science fiction/horror movies at the end of her career.

Film historians examines the making of the 1938 "The Adventures of Robin Hood."

This film discusses the effect on how major American films in Hollywood were influenced by the Eastern European Jewish culture that most of the major movie moguls who controlled the studios shared. Through clips of various films, the filmmakers illustrate the dominant themes like that of the outsider, the outspoken American patriotism, and rooting for the underdog in society.

Glamorous and hugely popular Joan Crawford raised herself from brutal poverty to Academy Award-winning stardom by guts, determination and hard work. During her 50-year career, she made over 80 films. But her obsessive perfectionism led to the later caricature of coat-hanger-wielding harridan that even the adoration of fans could not counter. Still, she has endured as one of the most popular icons of the movies, an early role model to a million young women who aspired to her image of stylish magnetic power and unquestioned independence.

From the A&E "Biography" series, a review of the birth, development and cinematic history of Betty Boop, the flapper cartoon character who has been a popular icon since the 1930s.

A tribute to producer Irving Thalberg.

Short documentary about the making of The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex.

Bill, a jet pilot hero from the Korean War, returns home with intentions of marrying his sweetheart, Doris. But Doris has inherited a million dollars and Bill won't marry her because he dreams of a home and babies, with himself as the sole source of income on his $65 a week. Doris has to find a way to make him change his mind.

In the early 1920s, Louis B. Mayer brought a young Irving Thalberg to Hollywood to trouble-shoot some problems at the film studio. Soon, this Boy Wonder proved to be a visionary of gigantic stature who left an indelible mark on Hollywood.

The Dick Cavett Show has been the title of several talk shows hosted by Dick Cavett on various television networks.